Julie Flett facts for kids

Julie Flett is a talented author and illustrator. She is known for creating amazing children's books. Julie is from the Cree and Métis communities in Canada. Her books often share stories about the lives and cultures of Indigenous Canadians.

Julie Flett is famous for her beautiful illustrations in books like Little You and When We Were Alone. She also writes her own stories, such as Birdsong. Many of her books are bilingual. This means they are written in English and also in Michif or Cree. This helps English speakers learn a bit of these Indigenous languages. Her books have won important awards, including the Governor General's Literary Award.

Julie also works to help young people and communities. She helps share and keep Indigenous languages alive.

About Julie's Life

Julie Flett was born in Toronto, Ontario. Her father was Swampy-Cree Métis, and her mother was Scottish-Irish. She studied art at different schools. She attended Alberta College of Art and Design for a year. Then she went to Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, British Columbia. She studied film and studio arts there.

Later, she earned a degree in Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montreal. After finishing her studies, Julie moved back to Vancouver. There, she started working with community groups. She helped women and young people in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood. She taught art classes, including printmaking, to Indigenous youth.

Julie's interest in art began when she saw Inuit printmaking and paintings. Her mother, who was a textile artist, also inspired her. Other artists like Meelia Kelly and Christi Belcourt have influenced her work too.

Julie's Creative Works

Julie Flett's books and illustrations mostly focus on Indigenous people. She often features Cree and Métis children and their families. Her picture books, like Wild Berries/Pakwa Che Menisu, are often bilingual. They use themes from Indigenous culture. Her goal is to share the voices and stories of Indigenous characters.

Her work also highlights the importance of language. She shows how important it is to have Indigenous languages and stories in books today. Books like Wild Berries are praised for being culturally important. They are also easy to understand and can help teach Cree and Michif languages.

Julie's early work used digital collages. This style was seen in The Moccasins. Later, she started using watercolor paintings. She also added handmade textile patterns, inspired by her mother's art. Her illustrations often include visual ideas from Cree mythology. Julie says her art style depends on the mood of the story. She uses the background, like a landscape, to set the themes and color scheme for her pictures.