In honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Sidney/North Saanich library is displaying the pages of I Hope, a children's book written by Cree/Lakota author Monique Gray Smith, until Oct. 8.
The book's 16 pages have been printed on waterproof panels and raised along the library's garden path for kids, parents and caregivers to enjoy en plein air.
“I hope that you and those you love know joy,” reads the book's opening line.
The following pages, which boast colourful illustrations from award-winning illustrator Gabrielle Grimard, outline the importance of love, kindness and happiness, as well as Gray Smith's hopes for young readers.
The book concludes with a call for children to consider their own wishes: “I have lots of hopes, for you and me, but I wonder, what are your hopes?”
"When we can start to have conversations with children at the youngest of ages about hope, it lays down a pathway for them as a place to always come back to, even in the darkest hours," said Gray Smith during a live-streamed reading of I Hope.
"Some days it's hard to have hope," added the author. "But we have to have hope, otherwise we're defeated before we even begin."
The display is a part of the StoryWalk Project, which encourages children to read while enjoying the outdoors.
Find out more about the display online at virl.bc.ca/tag/storywalk.
