November is Native American Heritage Month. A great way to teach children to honor the contributions of Native American people throughout history is books, books written by Native American and Indigenous authors.
Fry Bread
by Kevin Noble Maillard
Fry Bread is the story of an inter-generational family that gathers to make fry bread and share Native American culture.
Age Recommendation: 3-6 years
I Can See You
by Rosemarie Avrana Meyok
This board book celebrates the love between a mother and her child using the five senses using adorable illustrations contain aspects of Inuit culture.
Age Recommendation: 0-4 years
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom
A young girl makes it her duty to take on the black snake, a metaphor for an oil pipeline, threatening her community’s water source.
Age Recommendation: 2 – 7 years
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
by Traci Sorell
This picture book teachers readers the word, otsaliheliga, the word that members of the Cherokee Nation say to express gratitude.
Age Recommendation: 3-8 years
Jingle Dancer
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Jenna, a member of the Muscogee, or Creek, Nation, borrows jingles from the dresses of several friends and relatives so that she can perform the jingle dance at the powwow.
Age Recommendation: 4-10 years
We Are Still Here
by Traci Sorell
Twelve children address topics such as assimilation, termination, and relocation.
Age Recommendation: 8 – 12 years
My Heart Fills with Happiness
by
Written to support the well-being of Indigenous families and children, you’ll notice the beauty and appreciation of nature and traditional dance.
Age Recommendation: 3 – 6 years
Sweetest Kulu
by Celina Kalluk
This beautiful bedtime poem, written by acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, describes the gifts given to a newborn baby by all the animals of the Arctic
Age Recommendation: 3-7 years
Bowwow Powwow
by Brenda J. Child
When Windy Girl falls asleep after a powwow she attends with her uncle and dog, Itchy Boy, she dreams of all the tasty food, gorgeous jingle dresses and talented dancers — but in her dream, they are all dogs.
Age Recommendation: 3-8 years
Wild Berries
by Julie Flett
Spend the day picking wild blueberries with Clarence and his grandmother. This book is written in both Enlglish and Cree, in particular the n-dialect, also known as Swampy Cree from the Cumberland House area.
Age Recommendation: 4 – 8 years
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker
by Robbie Robertson
Born of Mohawk and Cayuga descent, musical icon Robbie Robertson learned the story of Hiawatha and his spiritual guide, the Peacemaker, as part of the Iroquois oral tradition. Now he shares the same gift of storytelling with a new generation.
Age Recommendation: 4 – 9 years
