Raised in the Nicola Valley, Nicola I. Campbell was a UBC Fine Arts student of Interior Salish (Nle7kepmx, Nsilx) and Métis ancestry when she published her first children's book, Shi-shi-etko (Groundwood, 2005). Illustrated by Kim LaFave, it portrays a young girl named Shi-shi-etko ("she loves to play in the water") during her last summer before she must leave her family to attend a residential school. She spends her remaining four days playing outside and listening to her parents' and grandparents' teachings, intent on keeping everything inside her "bag of memories."

Campbell's second children's book, Shin-chi's Canoe (Groundwood, 2008), also illustrated by Kim LaFave of Roberts Creek, describes Shi-Shi-etko's return to residential school for a second year, this time with her six-year-old brother Shin-Chi. In 2009, it won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award ($25,000) sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group and presented by the Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Set in the Nicola Valley, Nicola I. Campbell's A Day with Yayeh (Tradewind 2017), illustrated by Julie Flett, is a picture book about a girl who spends a day gathering edibles such as herbs and mushrooms with her grandmother from the world around her.

Stand Like a Cedar (Portage & Main, 2021) is about what is to be learned on a walk in nature. From publicity: "Learn the names of animals in the Nle7kepmxcin or Halq’emeylem languages as well as the teachings they have for us. Experience a celebration of sustainability and connection to the land through lyrical storytelling and Carrielynn Victor’s breathtaking art in this children's illustrated book."

BOOKS

Shi-shi-etko (Groundwood, 2005). Illustrated by Kim LaFave

Shin-chi's Canoe (Groundwood, 2008). Illustrated by Kim LaFave

Yayeh (Tradewind, 2017). Illustrated by Julie Flett

Stand Like a Cedar (Portage & Main, 2021) $19.95 978-1-55379-921-4. Illustrated by Carrielynn Victor

Spílexm: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence (HighWater, 2021) $32 978-1-55379-935-1

[BCBW 2021] "First Nation's Literature" "Kidlit" ILMBC2