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7 Books Written By Native and Indigenous Authors to Share With Your Family
As a part of barre3’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we have a book club that meets weekly to discuss content focused on race and racial injustice. As we dive deeper into content that challenges our perspectives, we’ve become more mindful of the books we’re sharing with our families as well.
Guided by that intention, we’ve made a list of beautiful and impactful children’s books written by Native and Indigenous authors. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and if there are others that you’re reading with your own families, we encourage you to share them in the comments. We hope that these suggestions serve as a jumping off point and that the books listed here inspire and bring about meaningful discussions with your children during this season and beyond.
Recommended for ages 1 – 3
Photo courtesy of Orca Book Publishers
Richard Van Camp, best-selling author of Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, writes this warm and poetic book that illustrates and celebrates the gift of every child. Lines like, “You are life and breath adored” serve as an important reminder of everyone’s inherent value.
Richard Van Camp is a celebrated DogribTłı̨chǫ writer of the Dene nation. He teaches creative writing with an aboriginal focus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Recommended for ages Baby – 2
Photo courtesy of Orca Book Publishers
This stunning board book by Cree, Lakota, and Scottish author Monique Gray Smith recounts the many moments and memories in our lives that bring us joy. Each page calls us to reflect upon and treasure the small, seemingly unremarkable parts of our days that fill us with happiness. My Heart Fills With Happiness was written to support the wellness and well-being of Indigenous children and families.
Recommended for ages 3 – 8
Photo courtesy of Greystone Books
Julie Flett is a celebrated Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist, and in Birdsong, her images reflect the vibrancy of this powerful story. A young girl moves to a small town where she befriends an elderly neighbor. A friendship blossoms, and her neighbor shares with her a love of arts and crafts. Julie Flett’s story touches upon the beauty of intergenerational friendships and the deep bonds that shared passions create.
Birdsong was named a Best Book of the year in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book. It is an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Title and was shortlisted for the 2019 Governor General’s Award.
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
Recommended for ages 3 – 6
Photo courtesy of Roaring Brook Press / Macmillian Publishers
Fry bread is food. Fry bread is sound. Fry bread is us. These refrains echo throughout Maillard’s book, celebrating this simple dish with a vast historical and cultural significance as well as its ability to connect families and friends. The spare and simple text makes this a must-read for young readers, and its lessons resonate with audiences of all ages.
Fry Bread is a winner of the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Awards and the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal.
Recommended for ages 8 – 12
Photo courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
Inspired by her own family history, Christine Day tells the story of Edie, who dives into her family’s secrets to discover the truth of her Native American identity. I Can Make This Promise is Day’s debut novel and was named a best book of the year from NPR, the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal. It is also a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book and an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. Christine Day is an enrolled citizen of the Upper Skagit tribe.
Recommended for ages 8 -12
Photo courtesy of Lee & Low Books
In Indian No More, the late Charlene Willing Mcmanis draws upon her own Umpqua heritage and her family’s experiences to write the story of 10-year-old Regina Petit. Regina’s family is relocated from their home on the Grande Ronde Tribe’s reservation to Los Angeles after their tribe is terminated. In her new home, Regina comes face-to-face with questions of identity and is forced to navigate the complexities of racism for the first time in her life.
Indian No More is the recipient of many awards, including the winner of the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Middle Grade Book. Author Charlene Willing Mcmanis passed away in 2018, and her friend and author Traci Sorrell completed the manuscript’s revisions. You can learn more about the book on The Children’s Book podcast.
Recommended for ages 12 – 17
Photo courtesy of Groundwood Books
Looks Like Daylight is an anthology of stories shared by both American and Canadian Indigenous youth. For two years, Deborah Ellis traveled across the United States and Canada interviewing Native children, and in this collection she shares their stories of not only challenge and survival but also triumph and joy. Looks Like Daylight exposes us to children’s voices and stories that may have otherwise gone unread, and their experiences inspire empathy and compassion in all readers.
As a part of barre3’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we have a book club that meets weekly to discuss content focused on race and racial injustice. As we dive deeper into content that challenges our perspectives, we’ve become more mindful of the books we’re sharing with our families as well.
Guided by that intention, we’ve made a list of beautiful and impactful children’s books written by Native and Indigenous authors. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and if there are others that you’re reading with your own families, we encourage you to share them in the comments. We hope that these suggestions serve as a jumping off point and that the books listed here inspire and bring about meaningful discussions with your children during this season and beyond.
Recommended for ages 1 – 3
Photo courtesy of Orca Book Publishers
Richard Van Camp, best-selling author of Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, writes this warm and poetic book that illustrates and celebrates the gift of every child. Lines like, “You are life and breath adored” serve as an important reminder of everyone’s inherent value.
Richard Van Camp is a celebrated DogribTłı̨chǫ writer of the Dene nation. He teaches creative writing with an aboriginal focus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Recommended for ages Baby – 2
Photo courtesy of Orca Book Publishers
This stunning board book by Cree, Lakota, and Scottish author Monique Gray Smith recounts the many moments and memories in our lives that bring us joy. Each page calls us to reflect upon and treasure the small, seemingly unremarkable parts of our days that fill us with happiness. My Heart Fills With Happiness was written to support the wellness and well-being of Indigenous children and families.
Recommended for ages 3 – 8
Photo courtesy of Greystone Books
Julie Flett is a celebrated Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist, and in Birdsong, her images reflect the vibrancy of this powerful story. A young girl moves to a small town where she befriends an elderly neighbor. A friendship blossoms, and her neighbor shares with her a love of arts and crafts. Julie Flett’s story touches upon the beauty of intergenerational friendships and the deep bonds that shared passions create.
Birdsong was named a Best Book of the year in Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book. It is an American Indian Youth Literature Honor Title and was shortlisted for the 2019 Governor General’s Award.
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard
Recommended for ages 3 – 6
Photo courtesy of Roaring Brook Press / Macmillian Publishers
Fry bread is food. Fry bread is sound. Fry bread is us. These refrains echo throughout Maillard’s book, celebrating this simple dish with a vast historical and cultural significance as well as its ability to connect families and friends. The spare and simple text makes this a must-read for young readers, and its lessons resonate with audiences of all ages.
Fry Bread is a winner of the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Awards and the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal.
Recommended for ages 8 – 12
Photo courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers
Inspired by her own family history, Christine Day tells the story of Edie, who dives into her family’s secrets to discover the truth of her Native American identity. I Can Make This Promise is Day’s debut novel and was named a best book of the year from NPR, the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal. It is also a Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book and an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book. Christine Day is an enrolled citizen of the Upper Skagit tribe.
Recommended for ages 8 -12
Photo courtesy of Lee & Low Books
In Indian No More, the late Charlene Willing Mcmanis draws upon her own Umpqua heritage and her family’s experiences to write the story of 10-year-old Regina Petit. Regina’s family is relocated from their home on the Grande Ronde Tribe’s reservation to Los Angeles after their tribe is terminated. In her new home, Regina comes face-to-face with questions of identity and is forced to navigate the complexities of racism for the first time in her life.
Indian No More is the recipient of many awards, including the winner of the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Middle Grade Book. Author Charlene Willing Mcmanis passed away in 2018, and her friend and author Traci Sorrell completed the manuscript’s revisions. You can learn more about the book on The Children’s Book podcast.
Recommended for ages 12 – 17
Photo courtesy of Groundwood Books
Looks Like Daylight is an anthology of stories shared by both American and Canadian Indigenous youth. For two years, Deborah Ellis traveled across the United States and Canada interviewing Native children, and in this collection she shares their stories of not only challenge and survival but also triumph and joy. Looks Like Daylight exposes us to children’s voices and stories that may have otherwise gone unread, and their experiences inspire empathy and compassion in all readers.
