Indigenous Reads for Young Children

A selection of recent Indigenous stories with illustrations.

Updated June 2, 2025
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Biindigen! : Amik says welcome
Cooper, Nancy
Paper Book
Busy beavers have a family reunion in this story that celebrates Indigenous perspectives It's a special day for Amik the beaver and her little sister, Nishiime. Their cousins are coming to visit! Amik is excited, but Nishiime feels nervous about meeting new people, and when the cousins...
What if bedtime didn't exist?
Cunningham, Francine
Paper Book
A Quill & Quire Best Book of the Year! A whimsical and lyrical celebration of imagination and exploration if we simply asked, "What if . . ." Follow two siblings through their day as they let their imaginations run wild in this joyful story about all the possibilities a...
Spring's miracles
Curtice, Kaitlin B.
Paper Book
A vibrantly illustrated children's book about an Indigenous girl who discovers the miracles that blossom each spring and learns how Creator's gift of courage can transform the way we see the world and ourselves. It's time to welcome a new season, and this spring is going to be...
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...
Let's Go
Flett, Julie
Paper Book
A Sheila Barry Best Picturebook of the Year 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...
Benjamin's Thunderstorm
Florence, Melanie.
Paper Book
A thunderstorm evokes a boy's family traditions, in this rainy-day story from award-winning author Melanie Florence. Benjamin loves the rain. He loves splashing through puddles in his bright yellow rain boots and watching the colors of a rainbow in the water as they ripple around...
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...
Circle of love
Gray Smith, Monique
Paper Book
Everyone is welcome in the circle. In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother's wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends...
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...
When We Gather (Ostadahlisiha): A Cherokee Tribal Feast
Rogers, Andrea L.
Paper Book
Inclusion in Heartdrum Educator's Guide  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 marketing digital hub  ...
Runs with the stars
Whitecrow, Darcy
Paper Book
"Elders say they were always here. The horses were small, but strong." "Like me?" "Like you." 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,...

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