Indigenous Authors and Illustrators Picture Books

Updated November 19, 2024
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Bowwow powwow : bagosenjige-niimi'idim
Child, Brenda J.
Paper Book
Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself-about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well,...
Birdsong
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, KIRKUS, HORN BOOK, QUILL & QUIRE, GLOBE AND MAIL WINNER OF THE TD CANADIAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AWARD FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S...
We all play = Kimêtawânaw
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
A BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR: New York Times, Washington Post, New York Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, Globe and Mail, Horn Book, and Boston Globe STARRED Reviews in Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, The Horn...
Kisimi taimaippaktut angirrarijarani
Friesen, Angnakuluk
Paper Book
The northern lights shine, women gather to eat raw caribou meat and everyone could be family in this ode to small-town life in Nunavut, written in English and Inuktitut. Sisters Angnakuluk Friesen and Ippiksaut Friesen collaborate on this story about what it's like to grow up in an Inuit...
My heart fills with happiness
Gray Smith, Monique
Paper Book
★ "A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, and--yes--happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures."--Publishers Weekly, starred review "Will leave the youngest readers gladly imagining what fills their own hearts with joy."--The New York Times The sun on...
You hold me up
Gray Smith, Monique
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Simple but powerful text shows us the different ways we can respect and be kind to one another in this moving picture book. The author is well-known for her board and picture books. Her title My Heart Fills with Happiness was selected for the 2019 TD Grade...
Jingle dancer
Smith, Cynthia Leitich.
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith's lyrical text is paired with the warm, evocative watercolors of Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu in this affirming story of a contemporary Native American girl who turns to her family and community. The cone-shaped jingles sewn...
We are water protectors
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade comes a New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal winning picture book that honors Indigenous-led movements across the world. Powerfully written and gorgeously illustrated, We Are Water Protectors,...
Fry bread : a Native American family story
Maillard, Kevin Noble
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal A 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner "A wonderful and sweet book . . . Lovely stuff." --The New York Times Book Review Told in lively and powerful...
When we were alone
Robertson, David
Paper Book
Winner of the 2017 Governor General's Literary Award! A young girl notices things about her grandmother that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak Cree and spend so much time with her family? As the...
I am not a number
Dupuis, Jenny Kay.
Paper Book
When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from, despite the efforts of the nuns who are in charge at the school and who tell her that she...
Powwow day
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
River is recovering from illness and can't dance at the powwow this year. Will she ever dance again? A heartwarming and hopeful contemporary Native American picture book for ages 4-8-year-olds about traditions, community, music, and healing, written and illustrated by Indigenous...
We are grateful : otsaliheliga
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
The Cherokee community is grateful for the blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by best-selling Cherokee author Traci Sorell. This award-winning seasonal picture book is for 3-7-year-olds interested in contemporary Indigenous...
We sang you home
Van Camp, Richard
Paper Book
Key Selling Points A lyrical celebration of newborn babies. Richard Van Camp is the award-winning and bestselling author of Little You, Welcome Song for Baby and May We Have Enough to Share. Illustrator Julie Flett received a BolognaRagazzi Special Mention (2019)...
Zoe and the fawn
Jameson, Catherine
Paper Book
Zoe and her father are delighted to come across a fawn in the forest. But the fawn is alone--where is its mother? Join Zoe on her quest for the deer, as she encounters animals and learns their Okanagan (syilx) names along the way. Repetition of phrased questions will enhance success for...
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...
I sang you down from the stars
Spillett-Sumner, Tasha
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book This unique baby book sings with Native cultural detail, while striking a universal chord in its celebration of the blossoming of love that comes with...
At the mountain's base
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
A family, separated by duty and distance, waits for a loved one to return home in this lyrical picture book celebrating the bonds of a Cherokee family and the bravery of history-making women pilots. At the mountain's base sits a cabin under an old hickory tree. And in that cabin...
Little you
Van Camp, Richard.
Paper Book
"You are life and breath adored. You are us and so much more..." Richard Van Camp, internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author of the hugely successful Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, has partnered with award-winning illustrator Julie Flett to create a tender...

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