Monique believes that Love is Medicine.
Monique Gray Smith is an award-winning, best-selling author and sought after consultant.
She has 12 books ranging for readers across the life span. Her books are used to share wisdom, knowledge, hope and the important teaching that love is medicine.
Children’s books include:
My Heart Fills with Happiness
You Hold Me Up
When We Are Kind
Lucy and Lola
I Hope
Circle of Love
COMING SOON:
April 2025, Dreaming Alongside
September 2025: Kookum’s First Drum
Young Adult and Adult books include:
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults.
Speaking our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation,
Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience.
Tilly and the Crazy Eights
Ancestors Approved: Fancy Dancer
Every Child Matters: Reconciliation Through Education
COMING SOON: January 2026 Monique will release a new adult non-fiction: Sharing the Light.
Monique is Cree and Scottish and has been sober and involved in her healing journey for over 33 years. She is well known for her storytelling, spirit of generosity and focus on resilience.
What’s new?
These inspiring and informative sessions will focus on the importance of stories and storytelling in the field of education and other disciplines that support educating hearts, minds and spirits. Each guest will share how they use storytelling in their work, in class, administratively and in their writing.
Monique and her guests will also share stories from their own lives that have been impactful in how they work and in how they live their lives. They will be inspirational sessions that will leave participants thinking about their own stories, which stories to use in education and how to use the tools of storytelling in their work.
These sessions will be an hour in length, and will be held at 3:30pm Pacific / 6:30pm Eastern time
Newly Released Children’s Picture Book
Everyone is welcome in the circle.
In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother’s wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends.
They dance, sing, garden, learn, pray, and eat together. And tonight, they come together for a feast! Molly shares with the reader how each person makes her feel—and reminds us that love is love.
Through tender prose and radiant artwork, author Monique Gray Smith (Cree/Lakota) and illustrator Nicole Neidhardt (Diné) show how there is always room for others in our lives. Circle of Love is a story celebrating family, friends, community, and, most of all, love.
Includes an author’s note, contextual notes, and glossary.
Testimonials
St.Joseph’s Indian School: Chamberlain, South Dakota
Every moment with Monique was a highlight. She brought her full self every step of the way. Whether speaking about her work as an author, brainstorming indigenous plantings for our campus, sharing about "Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults" in the home or classroom, consulting with our Truth and Healing staff, reading to an over-active group of third graders, or addressing the sensitive topic of boarding school history, Monique gave 150%.
Eastern Township School Board, Quebec
I had the privilege of attending a session led by Monique Gray Smith on Truth and Reconciliation, and I must say it was truly inspiring. Monique's words resonated deeply with our students, sparking important conversations about empathy, understanding, and the power of reconciliation. Her ability to connect with the audience on such a profound level is a testament to her passion and dedication to this crucial topic. Monique Gray Smith's message is not only impactful but also essential in fostering a more inclusive and compassionate society. I highly recommend her as a speaker for any event focused on Truth and Reconciliation.
Oak Park and River Forest High School, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago, IllI am so grateful for the time and wisdom you shared with the students at Oak Park and River Forest High School this morning. I know I was certainly moved and inspired by what you shared, and I know the students will carry your words with them as well.
Amber Hooper, Librarian
British Columbia Library Association
We’ve had so much feedback from folks saying how much they appreciate your warmth and wisdom, and that it was such a good way to start their learning at the conference.
Rina Hadziev, Executive Director,
“Monique is such a gentle, kind, and caring presenter. This work takes a lot of heart, and her's radiates through.”
“Thank you Monique! You always share your teachings in such a calm, kind and inclusive manner, and I appreciate you.”
Online Learning Testimonials
“Thank you Monique for this experience! I cannot begin to tell you the profound impact you have had on my life journey both professionally and personally. You have definitely created a ripple effect in my life! Moving forward I have a deeper understanding of the Indigenous culture and hope to embed the learning I have done within my daily practices both at school and at home. With much admiration and appreciation! Wishing you the same joy in the days and years ahead that you shared with me during this course. Thank you.”
“Monique, I so appreciated you weaving in your personal stories and snippets from your books throughout each module. You managed to "humanize" the digital content. Not an easy task but well done!”
“I just want to say Hych-ka Siem for taking the time to put in this work your doing yourself, it has already helped me break barriers in having uncomfortable conversations with others and myself. You out did your self, and the way you have with words is moving enough to bring tears and pull heart strings. Having you join our teams meeting a few weeks back too has not left my mind, you are amazing.”
“Monique, I could listen to you share your stories and wisdom for a long time. I first heard you speak at an ECE conference in Toronto. Your keynote was so eye opening that I wanted to learn more about what you had to say. So I snuck into your workshop and that was when I started learning the truth. A few years after that I had the pleasure of hearing you speak again at the Canadian Association of Montessori Teachers conference at the Mohawk Institute. I love how you inspire me, how gentle you are with your approach with this very serious and sensitive subject. Chi-Migwetch for sharing your knowledge and your stories.”
“I really enjoyed the course and found it extremely helpful not only for my professional role but when working to build resiliency in my own children.”
“I really enjoyed this course. To be honest there is a lot of material here to digest and I think that will take much more time to fully digest but I am feeling fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear what Monique had to say and to take that and add it to what I have learned and what I will be learning in the future. Very thankful that you choose to do this course online! Thank you.”
“I love all the metaphors that were used--the North Star, the Umbrella of Resiliency, wrapping our youth in the 4 Blankets. It really helped me visualize the concepts. It was very beautiful. Monique has a warmth that is tangible through the screen.”