Native American History Month for Kids

Ages 3-6

Through lyrical, symbolic language and striking illustrations, Lindstrom and Goade describe the importance of water to life on Earth, the danger of oil pipelines (depicted as “black snakes”) to the environment, and the efforts of Indigenous protesters to protest the contamination of their water and the destruction of their sacred land. In the afterword, both collaborators offer notes on their process and the political context for the book.

Ages 3-6

Starting with a simple list of ingredients, this picture book shows the importance of food to tribal history, culture, and the bonds within a family. Maillard also includes a recipe and a more detailed explanation of what fry bread means to his own family and people.

Ages 4-8

A young boy accompanies his Moshom (grandfather) to the trapline, a site where older generations hunted, gathered, and camped together. As they travel, Moshom tells stories of his childhood, the harsh environment of boarding school, and the challenges and rewards of depending on the land for food.

Ages 4-8

Wandering through the forest, overlooking the river, and reverently quilting in her chair, a mother-to-be collects sacred items to include in the medicine bundle with which she will welcome her baby.

Ages 3-6

A young girl’s desperation to find drinkable water in any of the houses in her neighborhood, tells the story of a much more widespread and complex problem facing Indigenous communities.

Ages 8-12

When COVID-19 disrupted the world, Malian’s visit with her grandparents turned into a much longer stay. This narrative in verse tells of an isolated life on their Wabenaki reservation, Malian’s friendship with a dog named Malsum, and the ways that she and her loved ones – human and otherwise – take care of each other.

Ages 8-12

When twelve-year-old Edie finds letters and photographs in her attic that change everything she thought she knew about her Native American mother's adoption, she realizes she has a lot to learn about her family's history and her own identity.

Ages 8-12

After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.

Ages 10-14

Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present.

Ages 8-12

Native writers celebrate their heritage and community through interconnected poems and stories of an intertribal powwow.

Ages 8-12

In this modern retelling of a classic story, fantastical visitors from Neverland lure stepsisters Lily and Wendy away from the difficult changes in their family. If they want to find their way home, they must overcome ruthless pirates and the dangerous whims of Peter Pan himself.

Ages 8-12

When a Choctaw girl becomes friends with an enslaved boy on a Mississippi plantation, she convinces him to cross the river for a new and free life with her tribe.

Ages 9-12

Ten-year-old author Aslan Tudor tells the true story of his experiences at Oceti Sakowin Camp at Standing Rock, protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline alongside his family.

Ages 9-12

Aimee Craft’s small but powerful book offers a meditation on the spoken and unspoken agreements between people, animals, and all parts of nature.

Ages 10-13

This volume documents the history of Indigenous people before the colonization of the land now called North America, and corrects myths and misconceptions about their lives up through the present day.

Ages 8-12

Thirty-two short stories chosen from the tradition of ghost stories from American Indian cultures across North America, featuring witches, walking dolls, hungry skeletons, skinwalkers, and other supernatural beings.

Ages 7-10

A group of Native American kids from different tribes presents twelve historical and contemporary time periods, struggles, and victories to their classmates, each ending with a powerful refrain: “We are still here!”

Ages 7-10

As a boy, Chester Nez was taught his native language and culture were useless, but he was later called on to use his Navajo language to help create an unbreakable military code during World War II.

Ages 5-9

Using rhyming lyrics from a previously written rap song, Midewin author, Manitoba politician, and creator Kinew tells the stories of diverse Indigenous heroes both historical and contemporary from the U.S. and Canada.

Ages 8-12

Author/illustrator S.D. Nelson narrates the true story of Lakota chief Red Cloud, his conflicts with the settlers who invaded his tribal land, and the treaty that relocated his people to the Great Sioux Reservation in 1868. Drawings, quotes, and photographs enhance Nelson’s account.

Ages 7-11

Traci Sorell and Natasha Donovan chart the life of Mary Golda Ross, from her school days in the 1920s, to her early career as a teacher of math and science, to her work as the first female engineer for a major aircraft company and her contributions to the American space program.

Ages 5-9

In collaboration with children’s book creator Rosemary Wells, Maria Tallchief tells the story of her upbringing on an Osage Indian reservation, her lifelong passion for music and dance, and her journey to a career in the world of ballet.