Children’s Books for Native American Heritage Month
*All of these titles are available as physical books in the collection and may be reserved on our catalog.
Children’s Picture Books
Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard
(Picture book) – Fry bread is food. It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate. Fry bread is time. It brings families together for meals and new memories. Fry bread is nation. It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond. Fry bread is us. It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference. Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner Juana Martinez-Neal.
Summary provided by publisher.
Hoopla Audiobook | Hoopla Read Along
We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
(Picture book) – Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all … When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people’s water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.
Summary provided by publisher.
Hoopla Audiobook | Overdrive eBook
We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
(Nonfiction book) – Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. This book presents a look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Summary provided by publisher.
Hoopla eBook | Hoopla Read Along
Children’s Chapter Books
*All of these titles are available as physical books in the collection and may be reserved on our catalog.
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day
(Junior Fiction book) – After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family’s midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
Summary provided by publisher.
Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis
(Junior Fiction book) – In 1957, ten-year-old Regina Petit’s Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and forced to leave Oregon, but in Los Angeles her family faces prejudice and she struggles to understand her identity as an Indian far from tribal lands. Includes historical photographs and notes.
Summary provided by publisher.
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
(Junior Fiction book) – Guided by her Navajo ancestors, seventh-grader Nizhoni Begay discovers she is descended from a holy woman and destined to become a monsterslayer, starting with the evil businessman who kidnapped her father. Includes glossary of Navajo terms.
Summary provided by publisher.
