Indigenous Reads for Young Children

A selection of recent Indigenous stories with illustrations.

Updated June 2, 2025
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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...
Let's Go
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
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 Book of 2024! "Gives the viewer the sense that...
Kaiah's Garden
Florence, Melanie
Paper Book
An uplifting story of a girl's connection to her beloved grandmother through the beadwork art they created together. As she wakes up one dull morning, Kaiah feels as cold and grey as the day. She longs to be with her grandmother again. Kaiah's life doesn't feel right without her. But...
It's a mitig!
George, Bridget
Paper Book
Giizis--the sun--rises. What's hiding in the trees? It's a Mitig! guides young readers through the forest while introducing them to Ojibwe words for nature. From sunup to sundown, encounter an amik playing with sticks and swimming in the river, a prickly gaag...
We belong to the drum
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....
Sweetgrass
Meuse, Theresa
Paper Book
A modern story of traditional Indigenous knowledge that follows a young boy and his Auntie as they gather and braid sweetgrass, one of the four sacred medicines. It's early July, and for Matthew and his Auntie that means one thing: time to go sweetgrass picking. This year, Matthew's...
My little Ogichidaa : an Indigenous lullaby
Poll, Willie
Paper Book
My Little Ogichidaa is inspired by Indigenous motherhood. It invites readers to explore the compelling dreams and hopes of an Indigenous parent for her soon-to-be-born warrior. The word Ogichidaa itself means warrior in Anishinaabemowin, and this beautifully illustrated book is a tribute to...
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....
Just like grandma
Rogers, Kim
Paper Book
Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award and an Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor 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...
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...
Smile So Big
Tenasco, Sunshine Quem
Paper Book
A magical mirror helps a young girl understand her true beauty in this new picture book from the creators of Nibi's Water Song. When Challa comes home in tears after being teased about her smile, her mom gives her a special gift. It's a magic mirror -- shiny, beaded and beautiful --...
Wiijibibamatoon-anangoonan = Runs with the stars
Whitecrow, Darcy
Paper Book
As they await the birth of a new foal, a man teaches his grandchild about the Ojibwe Horses that used to roam the forests of northwestern Ontario. The horses once ran wild and free, but when Grandfather was a boy, they almost disappeared. Now he is the caretaker of his own small herd, keeping the...

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