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David A. Robertson

でいびっど・えー・ろばーそん

Deibiddo Eī Robātoson

Aliases: David Robertson / David Alexander Robertson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1977-01-12 （Brandon, Manitoba）
Nationality
Canada
Languages
English, Cree
Residence History
Winnipeg, Manitoba → Melita, Manitoba (summers)

Career

Occupations
author, public speaker, editorial director
Active Years
2009-2024
Affiliations
Norway House Cree Nation, Penguin Random House Canada (editorial director of children's imprint)
Memberships
Norway House Cree Nation
Nominations
Manitoba Book Awards 2015 (four nominations), Burt Award shortlist, Governor General's Literary Award 2021 nomination (Young People's Literature – Text)

Education

University of Winnipeg
Degree: BA
Year of Graduation: 1999
Country: Canada

Awards

Governor General's Literary Award
2017
Work: When We Were Alone
Category: 児童文学 — テキスト
Organization: Canada Council for the Arts
Result: winner
Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration
2021
Work: On the Trapline
Organization: Canada Council for the Arts
Result: winner
John Hirsch Award
2015
Work: The Evolution of Alice
Category: 最も有望なマニトバ作家
Organization: Manitoba Book Awards
Result: winner
Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award
2020
Work: Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory
Organization: Manitoba Book Awards
Result: winner
Beatrice Mosionier Award
2017
Category: 先住民作家-of-the-Year
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Evolution of Alice

2014 novel

A dark exploration of life on a Manitoba reserve through the perspective of Alice, an Indigenous woman.

reserve lifeIndigenous identity

When We Were Alone

2016 children's picture book

A granddaughter asks her grandmother why they grow their hair long, uncovering residential school trauma.

residential schoolscultural traditions

The Barren Grounds

2020 young adult fantasy

First book in the Misewa Saga, blending Cree sky lore with contemporary adventure.

Indigenous mythologyfriendshipenvironment

On the Trapline

2021 children's picture book

A boy visits the trapline with his grandfather, learning about Cree traditions.

Indigenous traditionsfamily

Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory

2020 memoir

Memoir exploring the author's Cree heritage and family legacy.

familyblood memoryheritage

Bibliography

  • On the Trapline
  • When We Were Alone
  • Strangers (The Reckoner Trilogy #1)
  • Monsters (The Reckoner Trilogy #2)
  • Ghosts (The Reckoner Trilogy #3)
  • Ispík kákí péyakoyak | When We Were Alone
  • The Barren Grounds
  • The Great Bear
  • The Stone Child
  • The Portal Keeper
  • The Sleeping Giant
  • The Evolution of Alice
  • Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory
  • The Theory of Crows
  • All the Little Monsters
  • Stone (7 Generations #1)
  • Scars (7 Generations #2)
  • Ends/Begins (7 Generations #3)
  • The Pact (7 Generations #4)
  • 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga
  • Sugar Falls

Translations of Works

  • Ispík kákí péyakoyak (Cree translation of When We Were Alone)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
graphic novelsaccessible prose for youthblending history and fantasy
Recurring Motifs
Canadian residential school systemviolent historiescultural resilienceIndigenous identity

Health

  • anxiety
    生涯
    Influences writing themes, explored in 2025 book All the Little Monsters

Legacy

Leading Canadian Cree author whose graphic novels and children's/YA books address Indigenous histories like residential schools, widely used in Canadian schools and libraries. Two-time Governor General's Award winner with over 25 books published.

Trivia

  • Member of the Norway House Cree Nation
  • Son of a Swampy Cree father and mother of Scottish, Irish, and English ancestry
  • Resident of Winnipeg
  • Host and writer of the Kíwew podcast