Happy Native American Heritage Month! Each November, we observe National Native American Heritage Month. During this month, we all should be engaging in the history, heritage, and current events of the first people of America. It is important that we do this throughout the whole year but particularly during this month that was advocated for by the community and activities.
Our keiki (children) and haumāna (students) have an innate love to learn about the world around them, including the people and cultures. As a teacher and now a māmā, it is so beautiful to see the energy and love little ones have for others. Our job should be to keep cultivating that energy by recognizing these heritage/history months and teaching true heritage and history year round.
Below is a list of Diverse Picture Books for Native American Heritage Month 2022 and beyond. Every book is written by an Indigenous author because I believe it is incredibly important to support Native authors and authors that have the community knowledge and lived experience needed to write these books. It is important to get the full breadth of history, heritage, and representation so I have organized the list into three sections:
- Picture Books About Native American Heritage and History
- Picture Books about Native American Stories & Tales
- Picture Books with Native American Representation & Exploration
Pick some of these picture books and let’s honor 2022 Native American Heritage Month this November!
Picture Books About Native American Heritage and History
Be a Good Ancestor, by Leona Prince & Gabriell Prince; and illustrated by Carla Joseph
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 3-5 years old
Be a Good Ancestor is a picture book written to pass down Indigenous teachings about how we are all connected to the world around us. It shares messages of “Be a good ancestor to ___” and each couple of pages fills in that blank with a part of the world and how our connection with it can spur joy and more life. Leona Prince and Gabrielle Prince are from the Lake Babine Nation and Nak’azdli Whut’en and belong to the Likh Tsa Mis Yu (Beaver) Clan.
The message is delivered in small spurts that are perfect for younger to older readers. You could consider doing a project about how your children or students think they can be good ancestors and pair it with a mural or art project.
Jingle Dancer, by Cynthia Leitich Smith; and illustrated by Ying-Hwa-Hu and Cornelius Van Wright
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-8 years old
This is a very joyful picture book that explores the story of Jenna who loves the tradition of jingle dancing. Your students and you will be able to explore one piece of extensive Native culture. Cynthia Leitich Smith is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation.
Powwow Day, by Traci Sorell; and illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-8 years old
Powwow Day is a fictional story that showcases many cultural aspects of a Powwow. The story is about River, who is recovering from a major illness and cannot dance at Powwow Day. She first feels isolated but then leans into the community and culture around her, which ends up feeling healing and restorative. At the end of the book, Traci Sorell includes a couple pages of information about Powwows and the traditions within them. Traci Sorell is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
I Am Not a Number, by Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis & Kathy Kacer; and illustrated by Gillian Newland
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Conversation
Age Range: 9-12 years old
Dr. Jenny Kay Dupuis, a proud member of the Nipissing Nation, and Kathy Kacer wrote I Am Not a Number. This picture book follows Irene Couchie as she is stolen from her First Nation and forced into a residential school (the Canadian term for “Indian Boarding Schools”). Irene’s story is a devastating one that will bring up strong emotions in any reader. However, no matter how hard it is to face this part of history, we MUST teach it to our students in order to redress it and make sure it never happens again. There is also a copy that is bilingual in English and Ojibwa.
When We Were Alone, by David A. Robinson; and illustrated by Julie Flett
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Conversation
Age Range: 4-8 years old
This is another wonderfully-illustrated picture book about the impact of residential schooling on generations. A young girl asks about why her grandmother, her kókom, has her hair long and wears beautiful, colorful clothing. The grandmother begins to explain that people took those things away from her when she was little, so now she wears them proudly. David A. Robinson is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and a famous indigenous graphic novelist and writer. There are also copies that are bilingual with an indigenous language.
We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom; and illustrated by Michaela Goade
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Conversation
Age Range: 3-6 years old
This beautiful picture book is about the Indigenous-led movement to protect the Earth and water. It follows a young Indigenous girl that talks about the “black snake”, which is a metaphor for the oil pipelines that her people and her are advocating against. Carole Lindstrom is Anishinabe/Metis and is a proud member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians. I read this in my classroom this last month and my students loved it! They were able to get the metaphor quickly especially when paired with Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock and very intentional vocabulary teaching. At the end of the book, there is a Water Protectors Pledge that has a beautiful poem where students can sign their name at the end.
Young Water Protectors: A Story About Standing Rock, by Aslan Tudor and Kelly Tudor
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Conversation
Age Range: 9-12 years old
Like I said above, this is a great pairing with We Are Water Protectors. This picture book is written by Aslan Tudor, an eight-year old Native American Activist, and his mother. Aslan details his experience in the Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock. He tells about them advocating against the pipeline and shows that even children can stand up for what is right. I use this picture book in my classroom every year either to teach about activism from a youth perspective or specifically about Native American Activists and Environmentalists.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, by Kevin Noble Maillard; and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 3-6 years old
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story talks about a family tradition of fry bread. Each couple pages talks about what fry bread is and stands for. It also writes about a Native American family making fry bread. I love the diverse illustrations that depict a Native American Family enjoying making a fun food! Kevin Noble Maillard is a member of the Seminole Nation, Mekusukey band.
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, by Traci Sorell; and illustrated by Frane Lessac
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 3-7 years old
We Are Grateful explains the Cherokee people’s saying, “otsaliheliga”, which they use to express gratitude. It talks about how the community reflects on gratitude, their experiences, and challenges throughout the year and season. This picture book includes a glossary and words written in the Cherokee language. The author, Traci Sorell, is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes, by Wab Kinew; and illustrated by Joe Morse
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Depends on the person, but mostly Conversation
Age Range: 5-9 years old
In this picture book, Wab Kinew writes about historic and modern-day Indigenous Heroes from the US and Canada. Each hero has a few pages that describes their contributions to history in verse and has beautiful illustrations of them. Go Show the World includes Indigenous Heroes such as Sacagawea, John Herrington, Crazy Horse, and many others. In the back of the book, the writer and illustrator include mini biographies of each of the Indigenous Heroes. This is a perfect book to introduce a wide range of Indigneous Heroes to your little ones! The author, Wab Kinew, is indigenous and was originally from the Onigaming First Nation.
We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, by Traci Sorell; and illustrated by Frané Lessac
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Conversation
Age Range: 7-10 years old
We Are Still Here! pushes back on the fact that often people teach Native American history and heritage as something just from the past, which is completely wrong! The picture book shares pieces of Native American history and current events. Each couple pages has an important term, a detailed, age-appropriate explanation of it, and an accompanying illustration. The author, Traci Sorell, is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.
It would be great to do a lesson on each couple of pages! Educators could use each section to introduce the lesson.
Dancing With Our Ancestors, by Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson; illustrated by Janine Gibbons
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 6-8 years old
In Dancing With Our Ancestors, readers are taken through the tradition of a potlatch in Hydaburg, Alaska. Sara Florence Davidson writes about the potlatch that her father and stepmother hosted to give dance screens to each clan. The book describes that potlatch in detail and gives a window to this significant part of Haida culture. Author Sara Florence Davidson (Sgaan Jaadgu San Glans) is a Haida/Settler Assistant Professor.This picture book is a part of a four picture book series, titled the Sk’ad’a Stories Series. Sara Florence Davidson does an informative workshop titled “Making Meaning From Stories: The Sk’ad’a Stories Series” to support educators in bringing Indigenous stories into their classrooms. It is available via YouTube.
Picture Books about Native American Stories & Tales
Lovebirds – The True Story of Raven and Eagle, by Sondra Simone Segundo
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-7 years old
Sondra Simone Segundo wrote and illustrated this picture book to pass down the story of Raven and Eagle, the Lovebirds, based on her own grandparents. In Lovebirds, Raven and Eagle fall in love and want to be together forever, so Raven uses a trick to turn them into small pine needles and then two Haida women swallow each of them. Then, each woman gave birth to a baby within the Eagle Clan and the Raven Clan. Eventually, the two children fall in love and become “lovebirds”, which is when someone from the Eagle Clan and someone from the Raven Clan fall in love. Sondra Simone Segundo integrates Haida language and a song into this book seamlessly. Sondra Segundo-Cunningham is a multi-faceted Haida Language Warrior and Preserver.
A Man Called Raven, by Richard Van Camp; and illustrated by George Littlechild
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-7 years old
Richard Van Camp is a member of the Dogrib tribe in Canada and wrote this folktale picture book. His book, A Man Called Raven, is about two little boys who are told a story after an older man sees them hitting and chasing after a raven. The story tells the lesson of a man who mistreated a raven and then was transformed into one. The artwork is beautiful and you can see the strokes and hard work it took to illustrate this book. I have used this book a lot in my own classrooms!
Shanyaak’utlaax – Salmon Boy (Baby Raven Reads), edited by Johnny Marks, Hans Chester, David Katzeek, & Nora and Richard Dauenhauer; and illustrated by Michaela Goade.
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 5+ years old
Shanyaak’utlaax – Salmon Boy is a retelling of an ancient Tlingit story. The story is of a little boy who commits a taboo by flinging away salmon. Then, the little boy is taken to the land of the Salmon People. He ends up spending a few years with them and learns from his mistake before being returned to his family. The illustrations in the picture book are absolutely gorgeous and whimsical.
This book is a part of an amazing program called Baby Raven Reads, which promotes early literacy development for Alaskan Native families with children up to age five. They have some other beautiful books that help to pass down cultural knowledge and increase representation.
Baby Rattlesnake, by Te Ata; adapted by Lynn Moroney; and illustrated by Mira Reisberg
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-7 years old
Baby Rattlesnake is about a little rattlesnake who cries and cries until he finally gets his own rattle. Unfortunately, Baby Rattlesnake ends up scaring the wrong creature with it and has to learn how to use it properly. Lynn Moroney is of Chickasaw and Cherokee heritage and studied storytelling under Te Ata Fischer of the Chickasaw Nation.
The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales: A Haida Story (Baby Raven Reads), illustrated by Janine Gibbons
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 4-7 years old
An ancient Haida story is shared in this picture book titled, The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales. It is about when a woman named K’uljáad is whisked away after her husband Nanasimgit catches a silvery sea otter without giving thanks for the sea otter’s life. Nanasimgit goes on a journey to find and rescue his wife from the Killer Whale House. The book’s illustrator Janine Gibbons is a Haida artist.
This book is a part of an amazing program called Baby Raven Reads, which promotes early literacy development for Alaskan Native families with children up to age five. They have some other beautiful books that help to pass down cultural knowledge and increase representation.
Rabbit’s Snow Dance, by Joseph Bruchac & James Bruchac; and illustrated by Jeff Newman
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Exploration
Age Range: 3-5 years old
Joseph and James Bruchac, proud Nulhegan Abenaki citizens, wrote this funny picture book about a Rabbit who loves winter and decides to make it snow earlier than normal with an Iroquois drum and dance. In this folktale, Rabbit has to learn about patience, seasons, and listening to others.
Picture Books with Native American Representation & Exploration
May We Have Enough to Share, by Richard Van Camp
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Between Representation & Exploration
Age Range: 0+ years old
May We Have Enough to Share is a cute board book that shares the message of “May We Have Enough to Share”. It shares gratitude for the community, connections, nature, and love all around us. It features loving photographs featuring Indigenous families. Richard Van Camp is a member of the Dogrib tribe in Canada.
You Hold Me Up, by Monique Gray Smith; and illustrated by Danielle Daniel
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Representation
Age Range: 3-5 years old
Make sure to include Representation books in your Native American Heritage Month observations and beyond! We want our students to realize that Indigenous People are still vital to our community and have well-established sovereign nations today! This picture book can help you do so! It is a short picture book that encourages the readers to show love in many different ways using Indigenous representation. Monique Gray Smith is of Cree, Lakota, and Scottish descent. There is also a copy in the Cree language and English.
Birdsong, by Julie Flett
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Representation & Exploration
Age Range: 3-8 years old
Birdsong is a picture book that explores intergenerational friendship and change. A young girl named Katherena moves to a new home. Her mom encourages her to visit their elderly neighbor, Anges. Katherena and Anges bond over shared passions. Accompanied with beautiful illustrations, Birdsong conveys the cultural value of intergenerational and elders while also interweaving Cree words throughout the story. The publisher also has a “Companion Guide for Teachers and Parents” that has a glossary and pronunciation guide for the Cree words as well as other activities and lessons. The author and illustrator, Julie Flett, is Cree-Metis.
When We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo, by Monique Gray Smith; and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
The Spectrum for Multicultural Lit.: Between Representation & Exploration
Age Range: 5-8 years old
When We Are Kind is a short picture book that is centered around kindness that features illustrations of Indigenous peoples. In the beginning, each page details an act of kindness people do. The last section is all about how we feel when someone is kind to us. The book ends by stating, “When we are kind, we remember we are all related”. I love the focus on collectivism in this line and throughout the whole book!
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