7 Books That Celebrate Native American and Indigenous Stories

1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving, by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac
First published in 2004, 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving is the best place to start with your children for a more historically accurate presentation of the first Thanksgiving. This kid-friendly photo-essay, which utilizes the Plimoth Plantation museum project’s resources, goes into the details of the three-day harvest celebration in 1621 and what really went down between Native Americans and the European pilgrims. It also makes a great present to teachers who may be struggling with what to teach in the lead-up to the holiday!

The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich
Did you know Louise Erdrich wrote middle grade novels? Known best for her adult books, this lyrical Native American author made a splash into historical middle grade fiction with The Birchbark House. The year is 1847 and Omakayas, an Ojibwa girl who lives around Lake Superior, struggles alongside her tribe to survive a smallpox epidemic. Think of The Birchbark House as what should be in the hand of every child you’ve ever given Little House on the Prairie—or for any kid who loves Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever.

Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message, by Chief Jake Swamp
If your kids are in that early reader stage—too stubborn to read picture books, but not quite ready for a novel—than Giving Thanks is the perfect pick for something to read on Thanksgiving morning. Penned by Chief Jake Swamp, Good Morning highlights a traditional Iroquois celebration of Mother Earth. While this version reimagines the “Thanksgiving speech” for children, a version is still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois today!

The People Shall Continue, by Simon J. Ortiz
It’s a modern classic. No, I’m not joking—The People Shall Continue just celebrated its 40th anniversary and comes in a shiny new edition from Lee & Low Books. The People Shall Continue uses the rhythm of traditional oral storytelling to recount the tale of the Native tribes of the United States—referred to, collectively, as the Nations of the People—from creation to the destruction of their lands. How did the tribes come to exist? And how did they survive to today?

The Hunter’s Promise: An Abenaki Tale, by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
If the only story you know about Native Americans is the one about Thanksgiving, it’s time to broaden your horizons—and if you haven’t seen a picture book by Native people before, you should run and grab your wallet. Joseph Bruchac and illustrator Bill Farnsworth work together to tell a traditional Abenaki tale. A hunter, lonely during his long winter hunting trip, runs into a beautiful woman who makes him promise not to forget her. They begin their own family, but when spring arrives, the woman disappears, forcing the hunter to go back to his tribe. He plans to keep his promise not to forget her… and then the chief’s daughter casts a spell on him! The tale will keep kids on their toes and open up great discussion opportunities about what it means to promise something and about our connection to the world around us.

Trickster: Native American Tales, edited by Matt Dembicki
Graphic novels are all the rage these days, and lucky for you, there’s a collection to hand to your kid who refuses to read anything else. Trickster: Native American Tales compiles—you guessed it—Native American tales from 24 different Native writers and 24 different comic artists across the United States. A 2011 Eisner Award Nominee, Trickster highlights the various trickster tales across Native traditions, from coyotes to ravens, from serious to laugh-out-loud funny. Kids can binge the whole collection or sample the ones that stand out most to them.

Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids, by Deborah Ellis
Native tribes are far from gone. Deborah Ellis’s anthology highlights the experiences of over forty Indigenous kids in both America and Canada, letting them share their own opinions and their own stories. A Haida Gwaii boy shares his family’s history of residential schools, while a Cree high schooler talks about traditional drumming and a Seminole girl talks about how she overcame fear of flying to compete in a national competition. There’s a window and mirror for every child who dives into the book, and it absolutely squashes the notion that Native people are only a thing of the past.