When I'm a Moshom

written by David A. Robertson
illustrated by Corrie Hill

Review posted July 30, 2026.
Tundra, 2026. 36 pages.
Review written July 9, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

This beautiful, soothing, and inspiring book will leave you with a warm and happy feeling. It's from the creators of On the Trapline, written after the death of the author's father. Told from the perspective of his young son, it's a wonderful homage to the boy's Moshom (grandfather).

Each section is headlined by a word in Swampy Cree with the English translation in parentheses. [And I apologize - I put the Swampy Cree words with the correctly accented letters into this post, but my blog didn't recognize those characters and when I came back to it, they're replaced with question marks. Instead of getting it wrong, I will simply list what they mean in English.] Some examples are "teacher," "love," and "your home." Then the text starts with these lines:

When I'm a moshom,
A long, long time from now, . . .

And we get gentle descriptions of the things the moshom will do with his grandchildren... "Because that's what Moshom used to always do."

When I'm a moshom,
A long, long time from now,
I will go to all my grandchildren's activities,
Just like Moshom did.

Those activities will include dancing, swimming, gymnastics, playing hockey.

Because moshoms bring the best luck,
Especially when they watch their grandchildren play.

The child's Moshom taught them things, like words in the Cree language. He did things with them. He told them stories. He showed them his community.

My favorite section is probably the one headed by the word for Love:

When I'm a moshom,
A long, long time from now,
I will tell my grandchildren I love them,
Just like Moshom did.

I'll say I love you when I visit them,
And they'll jump into my arms and knock the wind out of me.

I'll say I love you when they visit me,
And I'll swing them around in a great, big circle.

I'll say I love you when they call,
And they'll hug their phone tight to their chests.

When ever they say, "Moshom, I love you,"
I'll say "kisâkâhitin." I love you, too.

Because that's what Moshom used to always do.

An incredibly touching book for talking with a child about their grandparents. What things will your child do when they are a grandparent?