The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy.

International speaker and award-winning author Monique Gray Smith wrote My Heart Fills with Happiness to support the wellness of Indigenous children and families, and to encourage young children to reflect on what makes them happy.

Awards

• 2017 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize winner

Reviews
"A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, and—yes—happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures, which features a cast of First Nations children and adults...Short, first-person phrases...revel in both solitary and familial activities...Flett’s crisp-edged paintings blend universal and culturally specific experiences." — Publishers Weekly, Starred, November 2015

"Joyful and tender, this board book celebrates the activities that bring gladness through family and cultural connections...Flett’s quietly powerful gouache and digital collage illustrations emphasize the relationships between people...The sweet family story has universal appeal. A first purchase for all libraries." — School Library Journal, Starred, March 2016

"A celebration of aboriginal culture...but also universal in its message: sometimes it's the simplest things that lift our spirits highest...[The book] is beautiful in both its appearance and its intention." — Quill & Quire, March 2016

"My Heart Fills With Happiness is a story that focuses on supporting the wellness of Indigenous children and families, encouraging them to reflect on what makes them happy. The story looks at happy memories that readers can connect to and serves as a reminder to reflect and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy." — The Dalai Lama Center 

Educator Information
This book is also available in French: J'ai le coeur rempli de bonheur.

This book is also available in English and Plains Cree: My Heart Fills With Happiness / Ni Sâkaskineh Mîyawâten Niteh Ohcih

This book is also available in English and Anishinaabemowin: My Heart Fills With Happiness / Nijiikendam

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.00" x 7.00"

From ancestral healing expert Pānquetzani comes traditional Indigenous wisdom for helping women thrive in, rather than merely survive, the postpartum experience.

Though we now have more resources for ancestral birthing and self-care practices than ever, postpartum care is still largely stuck in an outdated, patriarchal paradigm that fails to serve mothers and newborns. “Slowing down, recovering fully, and giving your baby the best start isn’t a privilege—it’s a basic human need,” says Pānquetzani, a leading expert in Indigenous health care for women. In Thriving Postpartum, she shares the sacred ritual of la cuarentena (or quarantine) that honors, nurtures, and empowers a birthing person’s transition into their new life. Here, you’ll find guidance on:

• Herbal recipes and 25 yerbas for postpartum healing
• Newborn and immediate postpartum care
• Sacred foods in la cuarentena
• Bodywork
• Your emotional body in la cuarentena
• Sex, pleasure, and intimacy postpartum

Pānquetzani teaches this 40-day journey as a spiritual rite of passage, one that has endured colonization and supported women in Mesoamerican, Mexican, and Central American communities. She shares everything you’ll need—from ancestral recipes for lactation and replenishing, to prayers and somatic practices for physical, emotional, and sexual recovery. Through traditional stories and practical guidance, she also helps you engage your support network, become your own best advocate, and lay a healthy foundation for the years to come.

“This wisdom has come from my familia and is a direct inheritance from our collective body of knowledge,” says Pānquetzani. Imparted with love, tenderness, and respect, here is an invitation to participate in a rich tradition that celebrates birth and motherhood as sacred acts of creation.

Reviews
“Thriving Postpartum is imperative to the ancestral healing of all birthing people and their families. Prioritizing Indigenous practices impacts more current social injustices than we even realize—everything from sustainability to the protection and equality of Black and Brown bodies. Pānquetzani’s book is saving lives, one generation at a time.” —Kehlani, activist, home birther, and award-winning singer and songwriter

“This much-needed book brings to light the important and historical knowledge of Mexican Indigenous herbal medicine for women during their postpartum time. Pānquetzani provides a rich, practical, and highly effective guide on how to care for yourself with traditional herbs, body practices, and sacred foods and recipes from her years of experience working with women and expanding on the wisdom of her abuelas. She also lovingly and unflinchingly guides BIPOC new mothers through the variety of emotions that surface during this transition into motherhood to help navigate ancestral and familial wounds, systemic oppression, and relationships and sexuality with a focus on nervous system support and regulation practices. Reading this book will make you feel like Pānquetzani is your doula guiding you along your postpartum journey, reconnecting and empowering you with your sacred heritage. This book is a reclamation and a healing for BIPOC women and a sacred gift to future generations.” —Alisa Vitti, functional nutrition and women’s hormone expert, author of WomanCode and In the FLO, creator of the Cycle Syncing® Method, and founder of FLOliving.com

Additional Information
256 pages | 6.00" x 9.00" | 20 b&w photos | Paperback 

This baby blanket and milestone set features Simone Diamond's Feather design.  The blanket is 100% muslin cotton.  Also included are 7 printed double-sided cards featuring 14 milestones.

Additional Information

• Measurements: 100cm x 100cm / 40" x 40"
• Packaging: Colour Box