Children's Book Suggestions | Native American Heritage Month 2024

Some of our favorite books by Indigenous authors from the last year. For more books, browse the library catalog or view last year's recommended picture books and chapter books.

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.

Updated October 18, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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On powwow day
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
In this board book by best-selling Native author Traci Sorell, discover colors, sounds, and counting from one to ten on powwow day! This eye-catching, interactive board book is sure to keep toddlers engaged. Count one through ten as you make your way through the day of the powwow...

Cherokee (Board Book Age 0-3)

A Flock of Seagulls, a Chorus of Frogs
Vickers, Roy Henry
Paper Book
Learn fun names for animal groups of the West Coast with a sturdy board book featuring the illustrations of Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers. Bright blocks of colour and tactile embossed pages bring the natural world of the wild West Coast to life. Accompanied by a rhythmic,...

Haida, Heiltsuk, Tsimshian (Board Book Age 0-3)

Let's Go
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
An extraordinary book that celebrates skateboarding, family, and community, from beloved artist and author Julie Flett, a winner of the New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book Award. Every day, a little boy watches kids pass by on...

Métis (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Crow helps a friend
Fritz, Andrea
Paper Book
Key Selling Points Q'uleeq'e' the crow tries to make up for her mistake in this story about finding friendship and new beginnings through challenging experiences. The text includes names and words in Hul'q'umi'num', an Indigenous language spoken on and around Vancouver...

Coast Salish (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Too much : my great big native family
Goodluck, Laurel
Paper Book
A little boy wants a chance to shine on his own but discovers that being apart from his large and lively Native family isn't necessarily better in this heartwarming and humorous picture book. When Russell gets a part in the school play, he lights up like a shining star--and he...

Mandan, Hidatsa, Tsimshian (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Métis like me
Hilderman, Tasha
Paper Book
Are you Metis like me? A group of children of Metis descent share and explore all the ways they celebrate and experience their heritage - enjoying traditional foods like bannock bread and Saskatoon berries; crafting with beads; sharing stories, dance, music and songs. Each child shares a different...

Métis (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story
Honyouti, Mavasta
Paper Book
From master Hopi woodcarver Mavasta Honyouti, the story of his grandfather's experience at a residential boarding school and how he returned home to pass their traditions down to future generations. When Mavasta Honyouti was a boy he would go with his grandfather...

Hopi (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The seventh direction : a legend of creation
Locke, Kevin
Paper Book
In this enlightening legend shared by Lakota Elder Kevin Locke, Wakhan Thanka (The Great Spirit) created the entire world in seven days; leaving the most precious creation for last. In order to protect this precious creation, Wakhan Thanka needed to hide it where it would always be safe and turned...

Lakota (Picture Book Age 4-8)

My Little Ogichidaa : An Indigenous Lullaby
Poll, Willie/ Pichette, Hawlii (ILT)
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...

Anishinaabe (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Autumn
Posey, Alexander Lawrence
Paper Book
Discover the power of poetry in this simple, modern introduction to Indigenous poet Alexander Posey, featuring an ode to autumn and the changing seasons Autumn depicts a dreamy fall day full of jaybird songs and scarlet leaves dancing through the air. In this poem,...

Creek (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival
Rathgeber, Trina
Paper Book
★"Colorful illustrations in classic comic-book style help readers explore the challenging landscape. An excellent choice for a book report and good addition to a children's nonfiction collection." -- School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review It takes courage and bravery to survive...

Cree (Children\'s Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

Chooch Helped
Rogers, Andrea L.
Paper Book
A Cherokee girl introduces her younger brother to their family's traditions -- begrudgingly! -- in this picture book written by Walter Award-winner Andrea L. Rogers and featuring gorgeous collage illustrations from debut artist Rebecca Lee Kunz. Sissy's younger...

Cherokee (Picture Book Age 4-8)

When we gather = (Ostadahlisiha) : a Cherokee tribal feast
Rogers, Andrea L.
Paper Book
Nothing welcomes spring like a wild onion dinner! As the dirt warms and green sprouts poke up, a Cherokee girl joins her family in the hunt for green onions. Together, they pick enough to bring to a feast, which is cooked with love and shared by their community. ...

Cherokee (Picture Book Age 4-8)

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 (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Clack, clack! Smack! : a Cherokee stickball story
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
Vann, a struggling stickball player, competes in a game on the Cherokee Nation. Can he help his team win? Written by award-winning Cherokee author Traci Sorell, sports lovers ages 4 to 7 are sure to love this action-packed book. Vann loves playing his tribe's...

Cherokee (Picture Book Age 4-8)

It bears repeating
Tagaq
Paper Book
Beginning with 1 proud polar bear standing tall and ending with 10 bears waving goodbye, this delightful counting book shows polar bears in all their forms: slippery and fast, crafty and cool, hungry and proud. Tanya has created a story meant to be read aloud, incorporating simple Inuktitut words...

Inuktitut (Picture Book Age 4-8)

The good game
David, Arihhonni
Paper Book
How can the small mouse and squirrel play lacrosse with the big animals? A fun Native American tale that first graders can read on their own. A game of lacrosse is about to begin--with the four-legged animals facing off against the winged animals. Mouse and Squirrel want to join!...

Haudenosaunee (Early Reader Level 1)

Rule school
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
It is good to follow the rules. But there are just so many! In this fourth book in the beloved Jo Jo Makoons chapter book series, Jo Jo's talents may not quite include following her substitute teacher's rules... Jo Jo and her classmates are excited that the Elders' Tribal...

Ojibwe (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky
Daniel, Danielle
Paper Book
Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp. But when...

Ojibwe (Children\'s Fiction Grades 3-5)

The luminous life of Lucy Landry
Johnson, Anna Rose
Paper Book
Lucy, a spirited French-Ojibwe orphan, is sent to the stormy waters of Lake Superior to live with a mysterious family of lighthouse-keepers--and, she hopes, to find the legendary necklace her father spent his life seeking... Selena Lucy Landry (named for a ship, as every sailor's...

Ojibwe (Children\'s Fiction Grades 3-5)

Red Bird danced
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
With lyrical verse and powerful emotion, Dawn Quigley (Ojibwe) tells the story of urban Native kids who find strength in connection with those who came before and in the hope that lets them take flight. Ariel and Tomah have lived in the city's intertribal housing complex all...

Ojibwe (Children\'s Fiction Grades 3-5)

On a wing and a tear
Smith, Cynthia Leitich
Paper Book
A living legend roosting in the backyard. An unmissable game. A hair-raising mystery. A road trip full of adventure and danger. And all the overlapping circles that connect us throughout Creation. Melanie "Mel" Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations...

Muscogee (Children\'s Fiction Grades 3-5)

Buffalo dreamer
Duncan, Violet
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST An illuminating novel about the importance of reclaiming the past, based on the author's family history Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom's family lives. But this year...

Cree (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The Flicker
Edgmon, H. E.
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of The Marrow Thieves, Hatchet and The City of Ember, H.E. Edgmon's middle grade debut offers a bittersweet tale of hope and survival, a modern classic for the climate change generation. One year ago, a solar flare scorched the Earth and...

Seminole (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The other side of perfect
Florence, Melanie
Paper Book
Two kids from two different worlds form an unexpected friendship in this lens into the interworking of empathy. Told in alternating narratives, The Other Side of Perfect is infused with themes of identity, belonging, and compassion, reminding us that we are all more than our circumstances,...

Cree (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Toypurina: Japchivit Leader, Medicine Woman, Tongva Rebel
Stone, Cheyenne M.
Paper Book
Tired of being subjected to Spanish colonization, medicine woman Toypurina led a revolt against the San Gabriel mission in California on October 25, 1785. This bold picture book highlights an important, lesser-known leader in Indigenous history. Lushly illustrated by Tongva artist Katie Dorame.<...

Tongva (Children\'s Nonfiction Age 4-8)

The Cherokee syllabary = Tsalagi digoweli tsunoyvgi : an illustrated key to the Cherokee language
Wagnon, Brad
Paper Book
The Cherokee Syllabary: An Illustrated Key to the Cherokee Languageis a tool for parents and educators to introduce Cherokee children to the syllabary of their native language. Adults as well can appreciate the simplicity of the format to help become familiar with their Native speech. On...

Cherokee (Children\'s Nonfiction Age 4-8)


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