Indigenous Reads for Young Children

A selection of recent Indigenous stories with illustrations.

Updated June 2, 2025
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Spring's miracles
Curtice, Kaitlin B.
Paper Book
A vibrantly illustrated children's book about an Indigenous girl who discovers the miracles that blossom each spring and learns how Creator's gift of courage can transform the way we see the world and ourselves. It's time to welcome a new season, and this spring is going to be...
Birdsong
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, HORN BOOK, QUILL & QUIRE, GLOBE AND MAIL NAMED AN ESSENTIAL CHILDREN'S BOOK BY THE ATLANTIC WINNER OF THE TD CANADIAN CHILDREN...
Let's Go
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
A Sheila Barry Best Picturebook of the Year A 2025 Notable Social Studies Trade Book! A 2025 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title! A Kirkus Reviews and Horn Book Magazine Best Book of 2024! A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best...
Berry song
Goade, Michaela
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book! An Indie Bestseller! Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade's first self-authored picture book is a gorgeous celebration of the land she knows well and the powerful wisdom of elders. On...
Too much : my great big native family
Goodluck, Laurel
Paper Book
A little boy wants a chance to shine on his own but discovers that being apart from his large and lively Native family isn't necessarily better in this heartwarming and humorous picture book. When Russell gets a part in the school play, he lights up like a shining star--and he...
We belong to the drum = mistikwaskihk kitipêyimikonaw
Lamouche, Sandra
Paper Book
The drum represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth. We all belong to the earth and we all belong to the drum. Nikosis grew up going to powwows with his family, happily immersed in music, dance and the sounds of the drum. But when he starts going to daycare, he doesn't feel like he belongs....
The seventh direction : a legend of creation
Locke, Kevin
Paper Book
In this enlightening legend shared by Lakota Elder Kevin Locke, Wakhan Thanka (The Great Spirit) created the entire world in seven days; leaving the most precious creation for last. In order to protect this precious creation, Wakhan Thanka needed to hide it where it would always be safe and turned...
The song that called them home
Robertson, David
Paper Book
One summer day, Lauren and her little brother, James, go on a trip to the land with their Moshom (grandfather). After they've arrived, the children decide to fish for dinner while Moshom naps. They are in their canoe in the middle of the lake when the water around them begins to swirl and crash....
When We Gather (Ostadahlisiha): A Cherokee Tribal Feast
Rogers, Andrea L.
Paper Book
Nothing welcomes spring like a wild onion dinner! As the dirt warms and green sprouts poke up, a Cherokee girl joins her family in the hunt for green onions. Together, they pick enough to bring to a feast, which is cooked with love and shared by their community. ...
Just like grandma
Rogers, Kim
Paper Book
In this lyrical picture book by Kim Rogers (Wichita), with illustrations by Boston Globe-Horn Book Honoree Julie Flett (Cree-Métis), Becca watches her grandma create, play, and dance--and she knows that she wants to be just like Grandma. Becca loves spending time with Grandma...
Forever our home
Simpson, Tonya
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Adapted from a lullaby the author wrote for her newborn son, this book is a love song to her child and all Indigenous children. Lyrical language conveys a powerful message of reconciliation and reclamation. Author Tonya Simpson is Scottish and...

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