Children's Book Suggestions | Native American Heritage Month 2026

Some of our favorite books by Indigenous authors from 2025. For more books, view our lists from 2024 and 2023 (picture books and chapter books) or browse the library catalog.

In our nonfiction section, Native American history is shelved in 973.0497, traditional stories in 299.7, biographies by subject last name in 921, and languages in 497.

More great books are honored in even years with the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award.

Updated January 30, 2026
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
My friend May
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
From the winner of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Prize and the American Indian Youth Literature Award I'd like to tell you a rather true story about a big black cat who started out gray. Her name was May. Margaux and her cat May...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Moon song
Goade, Michaela
Cuddle up with this celebration of winter and explore the wonders of nature's light with Moon Song from Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade. On an island at the edge of a silvery sea, when the moon rises and night falls, a girl spins a story for...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Mother Earth : my favourite artist
GoldenEagle, Carol Rose
Have you ever considered Mother Earth to be an artist? A shiny rock, the guiding tracks of a bird, a colourful sunset - what beauty do you see on Mother Earth? Award-winning Indigenous author, CBC journalist, and Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan (2021-2023) Carol Rose GoldenEagle brings readers a...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Of the sun : a poem for the Land's firt peoples
Gonzalez, Xelena.
New York Public Library's Best Books of 2025 "Kewageshig's (Anishinaabe) warm, richly hued images celebrating the art styles and cultural symbols of Native communities are paired with gentle, firm verse, resulting in a work that's both a lullaby and a rallying cry" - ...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Fierce aunties!
Goodluck, Laurel
Paper Book
Recipient of the American Indian Youth Literature Award Picture Book Honor A joyful and vibrant celebration of what makes aunties so special, from Indigenous author and illustrator team Laurel Goodluck and Steph Littlebird inviting all kids to connect with...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

For a girl becoming
Harjo, Joy
A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world; to her family, her ancestors, her neighbors; to the source of all magic and sorrow--and of her...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

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...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

Grandmother Moon
Lamb-Cason, Wunneanatsu
"Nohhum, doesn't it look like the moon is following us?" During her weekly car ride with her grandmother from the city to the reservation, a young Native girl ponders the moon that seems to follow them. Each week, she looks forward to listening to her grandmother's warm, soothing voice as...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The gift of the great buffalo
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Award Winner In this beautiful and dramatic story, bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Aly McKnight show readers how life was lived by Indigenous communities,...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

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...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The super-scary sleepover
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
There's no "brave" without "afraid"! Jo Jo is back to face her fears, in her own special way, in the fifth book in the beloved Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series. Spunky Ojibwe first-grader Jo Jo Makoons knows a lot about bravery and boldness. Her cat, Mimi, is very...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

The summer of the bone horses
Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk
A Lakota child spends a summer with grandparents at their home on the Rosebud Reservation in this young chapter book, illustrated in full-color This charming chapter book follows a present-day Lakota child connecting with extended family, embracing new experiences, and growing...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Maggie Lou meets her match
Dufour Bowes, Arnolda
In this sequel to Maggie Lou, Firefox, the irrepressible Maggie Lou acquires a new cousin, and a horse -- both of whom have minds of their own. When Uncle Bobby gets married, Maggie Lou suddenly finds herself with a new cousin, Rosie. Rosie is the same age as Maggie. She also has a...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Wolf Club
Bird, James
The Breakfast Club meets Hatchet in this middle-grade novel about three kids who ditch detention to search for an elusive white wolf, who may have the magical powers they need to face their challenges and heal their hearts. A story of adventure and friendship from...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The blossoming summer
Johnson, Anna Rose
Paper Book
When English thirteen-year-old Rosemary is evacuated to her grandmother in America at the start of World War II, she uncovers the family secret--they are Anishinaabe and passing as white. Life in England is all Rosemary has ever known. . . but as WWII changes the world, no one's...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Origin
Cardozo, Nat
Portraits of Indigenous children and their communities from around the world in a stunning presentation emphasizing community and a connection to the land and the environment We are all one. We all inhabit the same planet, and we all have a common human origin. This is the...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

The Hopis
Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk
In this new and updated edition, award-winning author Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve introduces young readers to the Hopi people. Did you know that the Hopi people have always lived on three mesas, big flat-topped hills, in Arizona? This accessible nonfiction picture book introduces...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

The Nez Perce
Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk
In this new and updated edition, award-winning author Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve introduces young readers to the Nez Perce peoples. Did you know that the Nez Perce believed that humans had to seek a spirit helper to find their purpose in life through a vision? Learn about the...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.