Skip to main content

Display: Native American Authors & Illustrators

 
By Cherie Dimaline
Los Angeles: Disney Press, 2023. Fiction. 283 pages.

Tiger Lily and her community, the Indigenous people of Neverland, possess a unique ability: they can choose to grow up. But for now, Tiger Lily is enjoying being thirteen, spending time with her grandmother and exploring alongside her horse and her friends. Then Tiger Lily uncovers a plot by two of Captain Hook's pirates, who are searching for a mysterious, powerful treasure. Determined to protect Neverland, Tiger Lily sets out on a very grown-up mission: find the treasure first, and keep it out of the pirates' reckless hands. As her journey takes her from Mermaid Lagoon to the Lost Boys' secret fort and beyond, Tiger Lily will need to become the brave leader she has always wanted to be. Can she save her home and people she loves before it's too late? --Publisher

By Christine Day 
New York: Heartdrum, 2023. Fiction. 249 pages.

Wesley's hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples' Day (and asking her crush to the dance) go all wrong-until she finds herself surrounded by the love of her Indigenous family and community at the intertribal powwow. --Publisher

Edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
New York: Heartdrum, 2021. Fiction. 310 pages.

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. --Editor

Written by Traci Sorell
Illustrated by Arigon Starr
New York: Kokila, 2023. Informational. 

The true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, who in 1911 became the first two Native American pro baseball players to face off in a World Series, teaches important lessons about resilience, doing what you love in the face of injustice, and the fight for Native American representation in sports. --Publisher

By S.D. Nelson
New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2023. Picture Book.

Clara spends her summer visiting her grandma and cousin on Standing Rock reservation, where Clara and her family set up the ancestral tipi and grow closer together as they tell stories, sing songs, and learn about their Lakota roots. --Editor

Written by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry, and Alexis C. Bunten
Illustrated by Garry Meeches
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, 2022. Picture Book.

Wampanoag children listen as their grandmother tells them the story about how Weeâchumun (the wise Corn) asked local Native Americans to show the Pilgrims how to grow food to yield a good harvest--Keepunumuk--in 1621. --Editor

By Michaela Goade
New York: Little Brown and Company, 2022. Picture Book.

As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back. --Editor

By Jenny Kay Dupuis
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Winnipeg, Manitoba: HighWater Press, 2023. Picture Book.

On a visit to her granny, Maggie is excited to begin her first-ever beading project: a pair of strawberry earrings. However, beading is much harder than she expected! As they work side by side, Granny shares how beading helped her persevere and stay connected to her Anishinaabe culture when she lost her Indian status, forcing her out of her home community--all because she married someone without status, something the men of her community could do freely. As she learns about patience and perseverance from her granny's teachings, Maggie discovers that beading is a journey, and like every journey, it's easier with a loved one at your side. In this beautifully illustrated book, children learn about the tradition of Anishinaabe beadwork, strawberry teachings, and gender discrimination in the Indian Act. --Publisher

Written by Brittany Luby
Illustrated by Michaela Goade
New York: Little Brown and Company, 2019. Picture Book.

Awakened gently by Sun, Sailor sets off to explore new lands where he meets Fisher, and although they speak and dress differently, they find they have much in common. Includes author's note about the first encounter between a European explorer and a Native North American. --Editor



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Five Faves: WWII Spies and Codebreakers

I can't help but assume I'm not the only kid who grew up playing spies. As a child, my imaginative playtime was filled with covert espionage largely derived from the Spy Kids movies. As an adult, my interest in spycraft has never wavered. In fact, the older I get, the more I am intrigued by spies, ciphers, and codes. Combine that with a love of rich historical settings and untold stories of people from history, there are few things I find as satisfying as a historical spy story. If you're anything like me, you'll love this list of stories -- real and fictional -- starring spies, codebreakers, and cryptanalysts. Max in the House of Spies By Adam Gidwitz New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2024. Fiction. 320 pages. After Kristallnacht, Max Bretzfeld's German Jewish parents decide to send him to England via the Kindertransport. Now accompanied by two invisible-to-all-but-him spirts -- a dybbuk and a kobold -- Max is desperate to return home to Berlin. As Max adjusts

Five Faves: Mysterious High-Low Intermediate Books

Intermediate Mystery books are a gold mine. High-low books refer to titles that are of high interest to readers, but contain low level vocabulary. These titles are clever, action-packed, and have several books in the series to keep the mystery alive. These intermediate mystery books are the first in their series and are sure to appease any mystery loving reader. The Ghost Tree Written by Natasha Deen Illustrated by Lissy Marlin New York: Random House Children's Books, 2022. Intermediate. 95 pages. With a dash of paranormal mixed with mystery, this book introduces Asim, a Guyanese American fourth grader who moves to a new town. After a visit to a graveyard, an evil spirit is unleashed. Asim works with new friends, Rokshar and Max, to save their town. With scarily cool illustrations to accompany this text, this book is great for any amateur sleuths who love a touch of creepy. Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Illustrated by Dan San

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co