Kohkom's First Drum

By Monique Gray Smith

When Charlie's Kohkom asks him what the best part of his school day was, he knows right away: Indigenous drum circle

Kohkom tells him that not very long ago she was gifted her very first drum at a ceremony for children who never returned home from residential schools. But Charlie doesn't understand. How could she only have gotten her first drum so recently?

Kohkom explains that she was taken from her family when she was very little because of something called the Sixties Scoop. She was raised by an adoptive white family and only later learned what being Cree meant. It's taken her a long time to feel like she belongs. Kohkom's story gives Charlie the idea to teach her a song so they can play their drums together.

Praise for Monique Gray Smith:

★"Joyful and tender...celebrates the activities that bring gladness through family and cultural connections."--School Library Journal, starred review for My Heart Fills With Happiness

★"Smith tackles difficult and complex conversations with straightforwardness and compassion."--School Library Journal, starred review for Speaking Our Truth

"Gentle...Notably centering Indigenous families and characters of color in personal and communal activities--and encouraging readers to evaluate their actions toward others."--Publishers Weekly for When We Are Kind

"Smith's text is heartwarming "--Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children's Literature for You Hold Me Up

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1459842723
• ISBN13: 9781459842724
• Release Date: April 2026
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.8" x 10.8"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Kindergarten