Indigenous Peoples Titles for Children

Updated October 23, 2025
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Aloha everything
George, Kaylin Melia
Paper Book
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Winner of the Hawaiʻi Keiki Book Award An ALA Notable Children's Book ★ "A stunning tribute to Hawaiian culture and identity."-starred review, Kirkus ...
I Am on Indigenous Land
Phillips, Katrina M.
Paper Book
With simple, lyrical text and vibrant panoramic illustrations, this picture book explores the beauty and resources of thirteen ancestral Indigenous lands and how we all use those lands each day. Simple poetry and portrayals of children and families enjoying rivers, bike paths, beaches, and parks...
Autumn Peltier, water warrior
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Bridget George comes a must-read companion to the powerful, award-winning picture book We Are Water Protectors. Telling the story of reall-ife water protectors, Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior celebrates...
Beautiful you, beautiful me
Spillett-Sumner, Tasha
Paper Book
A child who looks different from her mother finds beauty and belonging in this new book from the creator of the New York Timesbestseller I Sang You Down from the Stars Izzy's favorite place to be is in Mama's arms--skin to skin, safe and warm. One night, cuddled up on Mama's lap, Izzy...
Before I Lived Here
Jensen, Stacy S
Journey backward in time through all the layers of history that led up to your neighborhood's existence. The building you live in has probably been around longer than you, so you may think it's been there forever. But no matter where you live, a whole lot happened before your...
Being home
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
From Sibert Honor-winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal-winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family and the joy of moving back to their ancestral land. Today is a day of excitement-it's time to move! As a young Cherokee...
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...
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,...
Bud Finds Her Gift
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass comes a beautiful and lushly illustrated tale celebrating gratitude, reciprocity, and finding our place in the natural world, ideal for sharing with the youngest readers. When young Bud sees people...
Can you hear the plants speak?
Hummingbird, Nicholas
Paper Book
"Heartfelt reflections on the importance of kinship with nature." --Kirkus Reviews Our people believe spirit lives in everything. Mountain, river, wind, tree.                  ...
Daughter of the light-footed people : the story of indigenous marathon champion Lorena Ramr?ez
Medina, Belen
Paper Book
Meet Lorena Ramírez, an Indigenous Rarámuri athlete from Mexico who is internationally known for winning ultramarathons in her traditional skirts and rubber sandals, in this nonfiction picture book. From the copper canyons of Mexico, her swift footsteps echo. Clip clap, clip...
A family tree
Drouillard, Staci Lola
Paper Book
A modern-day twist to The Giving Tree, this book chronicles the changes brought upon a beloved family tree that must be uprooted and planted on new land. This debut picture book by Staci Lola Drouillard (Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe descendant) celebrates...
Finding my dance
Thundercloud, Ria
Paper Book
In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage. At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the...
Firefly Season
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Written by the award-winning, bestselling author of Jingle Dancer, Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee), and filled with tender illustrations by Kate Gardiner (Nipmuck), this unforgettable, warmhearted picture book is for family and the friends who become family. Piper...
First laugh welcome, baby!
Tahe, Rose Ann
Paper Book
In Navajo families, the first person to make a new baby laugh hosts the child's First Laugh Ceremony. Who will earn the honor in this story? The First Laugh Ceremony is a celebration held to welcome a new member of the community. As everyone--from Baby's nima (mom) to...
The first woman Cherokee Chief : Wilma Pearl Mankiller
Buckley, Patricia Morris
Paper Book
Find out all about Wilma Pearl Mankiller, the first woman Cherokee chief whose image appears on the U.S. quarter, in this Step 3 Biography Reader. In 1985, Wilma Pearl Mankiller became the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She had to convince her people that the...
Fry bread : a Native American family story
Maillard, Kevin Noble
Paper Book
Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal An 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 verse by...
The gift of the great buffalo
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
In this beautiful and dramatic story, bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Aly McKnight show readers how life was lived by Indigenous communities, offering the true history of life on the prairie. Before there was a little house on the prairie, there was a...
In my anaana's amautik
Sammurtok, Nadia
Paper Book
"The far north has never felt so deliciously warm." -- ★Kirkus Reviews "Readers will carry this gorgeous book close to their hearts."-- ★School Library Journal "Just right for bedtime, it's an intimate tale that celebrates simple warmth and...
It's powwow time!
Troian, Martha
Paper Book
This lyrical and joyful picture book celebrates new experiences and community traditions when a young boy learns to dance at his first powwow. It's Powwow Time! is for readers of Cynthia Leitich Smith's Jingle Dancer and Oge Mora's Thank You, Omu! Bineshii is looking forward...
Josie dances
Lajimodiere, Denise K.
Paper Book
Josie dreams of dancing at next summer's powwow. But first she needs many special things: a dress, a shawl, a cape, leggings, moccasins, and, perhaps most important of all, her spirit name. To gather all these essential pieces, she calls on her mom, her aunty, her kookum, and Grandma...
Keepunumuk : WeeAachumun's Thanksgiving story
Greendeer, Danielle
Paper Book
Written and illustrated by four Indigenous creators, this beautiful picture book honors both the history and tradition that surrounds the story of the first Thanksgiving. Discover the first Thanksgiving through Wampanoag eyes, as the Native Americans teach the Pilgrims to grow the...
Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!
Coulson, Art
Paper Book
Celebrate diversity, math, and the power of storytelling! Bo wants to find the perfect container to show off his traditional marbles for the Cherokee national Holiday. It needs to be just the right size- big enough to fit all the marbles, but not too big to fit in his family's...
Mama, do you love me?
Joosse, Barbara M.
Paper Book
Mama, do you love me? Yes I do Dear One. How much? In this universal story, a child tests the limits of independence and comfortingly learns that a parent's love is unconditional and everlasting. The story is made all the more captivating by its unusual Arctic setting. The lyrical text...
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...
My powerful hair
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
Our ancestors say our hair is our memories, our source of strength and power, a celebration of our lives.
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...
Punky Aloha
Tuiasoa, Shar
Paper Book
Meet Punky Aloha: a girl who uses the power of saying "aloha" to experience exciting and unexpected adventures! Punky loves to do a lot of things--except meeting new friends. She doesn't feel brave enough. So when her grandmother asks her to go out and grab butter for...
The range eternal
Erdrich, Louise
Paper Book
The story of a girlhood lived in the glow of a woodstove from one of the country's most distinguished and beloved authors, now back in print At the heart of a home in the Turtle Mountains sits a woodstove. It is where Mama makes her good soup, where she...
Remember
Harjo, Joy
Paper Book
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER .AN AMERICAN INDIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION HONOR BOOK.A BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK HONOR AWARD . NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal . Publishers Weekly . The Horn Book .NPR . The Bulletin . Kirkus Reviews
Rock your mocs
Goodluck, Laurel
Paper Book
In this happy, vibrant tribute to Rock Your Mocs Day, observed yearly on November 15, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and artist Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw) celebrate the joy and power of wearing moccasins--and the Native pride that comes with them. A...
I sang you down from the stars
Spillett-Sumner, Tasha
Paper Book
This beloved New York Times bestseller pays tribute to the love that blossoms when expecting and welcoming a new baby, from celebrated Indigenous creators, author Tasha Spillett and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade.​ As she waits for the arrival of her...
Sharice's big voice : a native kid becomes a congresswoman
Davids, Sharice
Paper Book
This acclaimed picture book autobiography tells the triumphant story of Sharice Davids, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, and the first LGBTQ congressperson to represent Kansas. When Sharice Davids was young, she never thought she'd be in Congress....
Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition)
Rendon, Marcie
Paper Book
Promotion at school & library conferences and preview events    Featured title in Shake Up Your Shelves, a campaign to promote inclusive texts in curriculum, library collections, and bookstores    Featured title on HarperStacks, the school & library...
The three snow bears
Brett, Jan
Paper Book
Jan Brett's #1 New York Times bestseller is the snowiest twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears you could ask for! When Aloo-ki glances up from fishing and sees her sled dogs floating off on an ice floe, she races after them. She comes upon an igloo with no one home and...
The Trickster Shadow
Pawis-Steckley, Mangeshig
Paper Book
From an acclaimed Ojibwe artist comes a story that offers an empowering universal message about finding inner strength.   Zoon's shadow is always in his way. It makes a mess of...
Walking together
Marshall, Albert
Paper Book
This bestselling, innovative picture book introduces readers to the concept of Etuaptmumk--or Two-Eyed Seeing, the gift of multiple perspectives in the Mi'kmaw language--as we follow a group of young children connecting to nature as their teacher. A poetic, joyful celebration...
We All Play
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...
We all play = Kim©®taw©Ønaw
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...
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 Are Grateful Otsaliheliga: Seasons
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 are still here! : Native American truths everyone should know
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain- We are still here! An ideal nonfiction picture book for 7-10-year-old future activists and changemakers! An inspiring read by...
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,...
When the stars came home
Luby, Brittany
Paper Book
A 2023 Horn Book Fanfare title * A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Book of 2023 * A CCBC Choices Best Book of 2023 ★ "A moving portrait about discovering what home means...
Wings of an eagle : the gold medal dreams of Billy Mills
Mills, Billy
Paper Book
A ROBERT F. SIBERT INFORMATIONAL BOOK AWARD HONOR BOOK Just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics, here is a dramatic and inspiring autobiographical tale of overcoming odds by Native American gold medalist Billy Mills, with stunning...

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