Children's Book Suggestions | Native American Heritage MonthUnpublished

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This award-winning novel in verse about a young girl's experiences living with her grandparents in 2020 is also on the 2023 OBOB list. (Wabanaki, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A great choice for fans of Junie B. Jones and Ramona Quimby. (Ojibwe, Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Pacific Northwest-based author Day tells a modern story about an Indigenous middle schooler navigating her heritage alongside ordinary school drama on Indigenous People's Day. (Upper Skagit, Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Fans of The Boxcar Children will love this story of four cousins solving mysteries on their Windy Lake reserve in Canada. (Cree, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A collection of short stories by a variety of Indigenous authors, each one from the point of view of a child attending an intertribal powwow in Michigan. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A Rick Riordan presents fantasy adventure story starring a contemporary middle school student and characters from traditional Navajo stories. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A contemporary girl with Jewish and Muscogee Creek heritage embarks on an unsanctioned cross-country bus trip to visit her father in Tulsa. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

A tween boy's search for his mother is aided by animals and other beings from Cherokee lore, highlighting the epidemic of missing women in Native American communities. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A graphic novel adaptation of Thomas King's famous short story about a boy detained on the US-Canada border when his mother chooses to identify her citizenship solely as Blackfoot. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)

A tween more interested in her social media presence than traditional Lakota stories finds herself trapped in the spirit world in this epic graphic novel. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

A compendium of traditional and modern spooky stories and urban legends that fans of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark will love. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)

Hatchet fans will love the outdoor adventures in this retelling of a traditional Inupiaq story. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)

Award-winning Abenaki author Bruchac uses short poems to share the accomplishments of 34 Indigenous leaders from North American history. (Children's Nonfiction Age 9-12)

Five students, including a girl of Cherokee descent, represent the many voices disagreeing over the status of their school's mascot. (Young Teen Fiction, Grades 5-7)

A story of a famous Civil Rights-era protest movement led by Indigenous North Americans, the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz. (Children's Nonfiction Age 10-14)

A lightly fictionalized biography of Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe, written in the first person to convey the thrilling sports action as Jim succeeds at football, baseball, and track and field. (Sac and Fox, Children's Nonfiction Ages 10-14)

Eight traditional stories from throughout North America, told and illustrated by Indigenous creators. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

Beloved author and HeartDrum editor Smith takes on Peter Pan, telling a modern version of the story from an Indigenous girl's point of view. (Muscogee Creek, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

An award-winner and former OBOB pick from Oregon-born author Charlene Willing McManis tells the story of her family's relocation to Los Angeles after the loss of their traditional lands in the 1950s. (Klamath, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

One of last year's OBOB books, this novel focuses on two Indigenous young teens living in foster care who find a secret portal that connects them with their heritage. (Cree, Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A classic from a National Book Award winning novelist, this is a great choice for fans of Little House on the Prairie who are interested in learning more about upper Midwest life in the nineteenth century. (Ojibwe, Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

A two-spirit Anishinaabe tween follows a white rabbit into the woods on a class field trip in this Indigenous take on Alice in Wonderland. (Young Teen Graphic Novels Grades 5-7)

Nathan goes to stay with his grandmother on her Navajo reservation for the summer and must help a powerful spirit being as well as his family members. (Young Teen Grades 5-7)

A great primer on the history and traditions of contemporary North American powwow culture. (Children's Nonfiction Age 9-12)