It’s never too early for children to start reading. It’s also never too early for young readers to learn of the indigenous people who owned the land before anyone else. From fictional myths to real people marking their influence today, these reads will entice your young ones with beautiful picture books and vivid wordplay. If you wished you had these types of books during childhood, it’s not too late to learn of the many Indigenous cultures and people that came before our time. With cultures still prominent but untold, make your children aware with books they can appreciate and understand.
Sweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk
In a dreamlike poem written by Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, the author tells the story of a recently born baby and the gifts given to it by all the animals of the Arctic. Written with Inuit traditional values, this poem teaches us to appreciate and respect nature and the animals inhabiting the earth. The gorgeous imagery and visuals accompany the poem’s gentleness. Tender and peaceful, this bedtime poem is dedicated to new parents experiencing undying love for their newborn babies.
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
In another book about respecting nature’s gifts, Michaela Goade describes her memories of an island she knows by heart and a grandmother with enchanting wisdom. The book makes gathering food like salmon and picking berries a ritual experience, as only what’s needed is taken throughout the changing seasons. Goade shows her love and deep connection to the Earth with spectacular artwork of her and her grandmother, their adventures resulting in readers learning more about nature than ever possible. One example is the many types of berries picked to make delicious jams.
My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Grey Smith
This colorful picture book reminds children and adults to cherish simple but happy moments. Questioning what fills everyone’s hearts with happiness, the answer can be anything. From the sun’s warmth on your face to the smell of something delicious, anything goes as long as it fills you with joy. My Heart Fills With Happiness was written to support Indigenous families and all children to get children to think about what in their lives makes them happy. Listing what makes your children happy shows them how wonderful life is and how to enjoy it to the fullest.
Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
In a story centered around the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, we follow a young hunter traveling up a mountain to gather obsidian for knapping (making weapons). It’ll be hard as his two older brothers died while on the mountain. What the hunter couldn’t have imagined happening is meeting an eagle god named Savik, leaving him no choice but to follow the bird or else. Entering the home of the eagle gods, the young hunter learns about community, appreciating the past and the natural world. Based on a myth that created the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast, this could be a cultural lesson your kids can enjoy with the added flare of fantasy.
Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac
Okwaho was an ordinary twelve-year-old contributing to his tribe by hunting alongside his best friend. When his friend is kidnapped by a neighboring tribal nation, Okwaho seeks to get him back. Peacemaker depicts the historical events of The Five Nations of the Iroquois and their ongoing war that unfortunately pulls Okwaho in his anger for revenge. Before he can do anything with that anger, a man proclaiming peace talks to Okwaho, his words so convincing that it might stop the war between the five tribes. But are words enough to stop the years and years of fighting? Can the Peacemaker’s lessons unite the tribes into an era of peace?
Shaped By Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez by Anna Harber Freeman
Based on Native American Maria Povika Martinez’s real-life events, this picture book is a digestible children’s book that young readers will understand with its impactful visuals. Maria Martinez was a gifted potter at a young age. Learning from her aunt, Maria discovered a new firing technique that made her pottery shiny and black. This new technique made Maria famous, and her success illuminated through the pages. From San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, Maria brings her love of clay and pottery to the rest of the country with pride.
Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez by Belen Medina
Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramírez became famous for running and winning in her traditional Rarámuri clothes and rubber sandals. Representing her culture’s strong existence as “light-footed people,” Lorena competes in running competitions with determination. Against the modern styles of preparing to run with fancy gear, Lorena shows how it’s not needed to win. The book follows Lorena in her sixty-mile run, her childhood and adult life drawn in a very colorful and lively manner. To learn more about Lorena and her journey as a runner, check out the Netflix documentary Lorena, Light-Footed Woman.
As we get more strong, diverse authors writing based on their cultures and experiences, it’s a good time to introduce these stories to young readers. Broadening their horizons makes them more aware and welcoming to those different, hopefully creating unity in those unique differences.
Want more? Take a look at 8 Native American Picture Books for Young Readers for the family to enjoy!
Check out more Insightful Native American Reads to Widen Your Horizon!
