Children's Book Suggestions | Native American Heritage Month

This list shares some of our favorite chapter books for readers in Grades 2-8.

For younger readers, see our Native American Heritage Month Scavenger Hunt book list.

Traditional Indigenous stories are shelved in Children's Nonfiction under the number 299.7

Information about federally registered tribes both historically and in the present day is shelved in Children's Nonfiction under the number 973.0497


Updated October 21, 2023
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Native families from Nations across the...

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)

Borders
King, Thomas
Paper Book
A stunning graphic-novel adaptation based on the work of one of Canada's most revered and bestselling authors On a trip to visit his older sister, who has moved away from the family home on the reserve to Salt Lake City, a young boy and his mother are posed a simple question with a not-so...

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)

The barren grounds
Robertson, David
Paper Book
Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home until they find a secret portal...

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)

Rabbit chase
LaPense?e, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Anishinaabe culture and storytelling meet Alice in Wonderland in this coming-of-age graphic novel that explores Indigenous and gender issues through a fresh yet familiar looking glass. Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, is on a class trip to offer gifts to ...

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)

Powwow : a celebration through song and dance
Pheasant-Neganigwane, Karen
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Beginning with a historical look at the origins of powwow and then moving on to what they look like today, this book is a practical guide to the songs, dances, regalia, culture and food associated with different powwows across North America. ...

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


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