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We Are Who We Are

An Ode to Indigenous Heroes Past and Present

Author Wab Kinew
Illustrated by Janine Gibbons
Hardcover
$18.99 US
11-3/8"W x 10-3/8"H | 12 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Feb 17, 2026 | 40 Pages | 9781774883594
Age 5-9 years | Grades K-4

A companion book to the bestselling Go Show the World, this is another joyous picture book celebration of 13 Indigenous heroes from the past and present.

We are who we are. There's strength in this too. We kept this place free, so you can be you.

Author Wab Kinew expresses this essential message and continues his work from Go Show the World by celebrating the triumphs of 13 more Indigenous heroes throughout history — and how their struggles and successes have made not just their communities but the world a better place for today's youth.

From engineer Mary Golda Ross to interpreter George Bonga, from actor Chief Dan George to author Tasha Spillett, Kinew explores how each of these heroes embraced their most authentic selves (alongside gorgeous illustrations by Janine Gibbons) . . . and encourages young readers to do the same.
© Graham Constant
WAB KINEW is the bestselling, award-winning author of We Are Who We Are: An Ode to Indigenous Heroes Past and PresentThe Everlasting Road, Walking in Two Worlds, Go Show the World and The Reason You Walk. A member of the Midewin and an Honorary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, he is a former journalist, hip-hop artist and television host who was named by Postmedia News as one of "9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know." Kinew lives in Winnipeg with his family. View titles by Wab Kinew
JANINE GIBBONS is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. She graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Janine has illustrated four books in the Sealaska Heritage's Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians, an AIYLA Honor Book, and most recently Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana 'Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales), which is entirely in the Haida language Xaad Kíl. She divides her time between Alaska and Hawai'i. View titles by Janine Gibbons

About

A companion book to the bestselling Go Show the World, this is another joyous picture book celebration of 13 Indigenous heroes from the past and present.

We are who we are. There's strength in this too. We kept this place free, so you can be you.

Author Wab Kinew expresses this essential message and continues his work from Go Show the World by celebrating the triumphs of 13 more Indigenous heroes throughout history — and how their struggles and successes have made not just their communities but the world a better place for today's youth.

From engineer Mary Golda Ross to interpreter George Bonga, from actor Chief Dan George to author Tasha Spillett, Kinew explores how each of these heroes embraced their most authentic selves (alongside gorgeous illustrations by Janine Gibbons) . . . and encourages young readers to do the same.

Author

© Graham Constant
WAB KINEW is the bestselling, award-winning author of We Are Who We Are: An Ode to Indigenous Heroes Past and PresentThe Everlasting Road, Walking in Two Worlds, Go Show the World and The Reason You Walk. A member of the Midewin and an Honorary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, he is a former journalist, hip-hop artist and television host who was named by Postmedia News as one of "9 Aboriginal movers and shakers you should know." Kinew lives in Winnipeg with his family. View titles by Wab Kinew
JANINE GIBBONS is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. She graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Janine has illustrated four books in the Sealaska Heritage's Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians, an AIYLA Honor Book, and most recently Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana 'Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales), which is entirely in the Haida language Xaad Kíl. She divides her time between Alaska and Hawai'i. View titles by Janine Gibbons