Every young person deserves the chance to feel like they belong, that they are recognized, that they matter. In the spirit of A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, [this collection] brings together forty Indigenous writers, artists, activists, athletes, scholars, and thinkers with a joint purpose: to celebrate the potential of young people, to share a sense of joy and pride in language, traditional and personal stories and teachings, and shared experiences, and to honor young people for who they are and what they dream of. Including contributions from activist Autumn Peltier, singer/songwriter Tanya Tagaq, hockey player Ethan Bear, Governor General's Award-winning author David A. Robertson, artists Chief Lady Bird and Christi Belcourt, illustrator Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, and dozens of others, this ... collaborative collection urges readers to think about who they are, where they come from and where they're going, with a warm familiarity that will inspire you to see yourself and your community with proud eyes

Water -- katherena vermette ; art by George Littlechild -- Tanya Tagaq ; art by Jason Sikoak -- Autumn Peltier (Red Moon Woman) ; art by Luke Swinson -- Jennifer Grenz ; art by Chief Lady Bird -- Zoe Todd ; art by Ailah Carpenter -- Tobacco -- Warren Cariou ; art by Leah Marie Dorion -- Cherie Dimaline ; art by Alanah Astehtsi̲' Otsistóhkwaˀ (Morningstar) Jewell -- Deidre Havrelock / art by Denesee Paul -- Cedar -- Cindy Blackstock ; art by Karlene Harvey -- David A. Robertson ; art by Bryce Many Fingers/Singer -- Pamela Palmater ; art by Alan Syliboy -- Tasha Spillett ; art by Kaya Joan -- Cynthia Leitich Smith ; art by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas -- Sweetgrass -- Monique Gray Smith ; art by Daphne Boyer -- Jesse Wente ; art by Christi Belcourt -- Ethan Bear ; art by Maya McKibbin -- Norma Dunning ; art by Ella Nathanael Alkiewicz -- Sage -- Wab Kinew ; art by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley -- Brittany Luby ; art by Corrie Hill -- Jessica Johns ; art by Jessie Boulard