Picture Book Lists: Indigenous Voices

Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. This book presents a look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. (description from catalog)

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad, but he wants a name that's all his own. Just because people call his dad Big Thunder doesn't mean he wants to be Little Thunder. (description from catalog)

With playful text and vibrant illustrations, learn along with two young Nisga'a sisters about the oolichan, or saak--saviour fish of the Nass River. (description from book jacket)

Written in Anishinaabemowin and English, the story opens at harvest time. A child holds a mnoomin seed and imagines all the life that made a single seed possible―Mayfly, Pike, Muskrat, Eagle and Moose, all had a part to play in bringing the seed into being. What will happen if the seed sprouts? Underwater leaves will shelter young fish, shoots will protect ducklings, stalks will feed larvae, in turn providing food for bats…until finally mnoomin will be ready to harvest again. Provided from Amazon Books.

"A picture book homage to community and contemporary Native pride-intimately set in the comfort of an urban Native community center that is celebrating the inauguration of Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior on March 18, 2021"-- Provided by publisher.

When Uncle and Windy Girl attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow. (description provided by the publisher)

When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door, who shares her love of nature and art. As the seasons change, can the girl navigate the failing health of her new friend? A brief glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree-Métis words that appear in the text is provided on the copyright page. (description from catalog)

From chasing, chirping birds, to swimming, squirting whales, this book for young readers reminds them how animals play just like them. This picture book, with gorgeous images and sweet simple text, is a marvelous celebration of the interconnectedness of all creatures, and includes some Cree phrases. It is based on the Cree teaching of wahkohtowin, interconnectedness and play, and includes as well the English and Cree names of the animals in the book, all of whom are from 'Turtle Island' (North America) (description provided by the publisher)

Stolen Words captures the beautiful, healing relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks him how to say something in his language - Cree - her grandpa admits that his words were stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather regain his language. (description provided by the publisher)

As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back. (description from the catalog)

Amanda and Kara are cousins and best friends in an intertribal Native American family; but Kara's family leaves the city and moves back to the Rez, making both girls sad--but the summer reunion reminds them that they will always be cousins. Published from Catalog.

"In this happy, vibrant tribute to Rock Your Mocs Day, observed yearly on November 15, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and artist Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw) celebrate the joy and power of wearing moccasins-and the Native pride that comes with them. A perfect book for Native American Heritage Month, and all year round!"--Provided by publisher.

In this Own Voices Native American picture book story, a modern Wabanaki girl is excited to accompany her grandmother for the first time to harvest sweetgrass for basket making. (description provided by the publisher)

Picture book adaptation of US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's iconic poem, Remember. (description from the publisher)

Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. (description from catalog)

Folklore of Native North Americans. (description from catalog)

A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. (description from catalog)

One summer day, Lauren and her little brother, James, go on a trip to the lake with their Moshom (grandfather). (description from the publisher)

Under glowing morning sun and silvery winter moon, from speckled frogs croaking in spring to summer fields painted with fireweed, this meditative lullaby introduces little ones to the plants and animals of the Prairies and the Plains. Featuring stunning artwork by celebrated artist Carla Joseph, Forever Our Home is a beautiful and gentle song about our spiritual connection to the land. Published from Amazon Books.

A Native American woman describes how she loved her child before it was born and, throughout her pregnancy, gathered a bundle of gifts to welcome the newborn. (description from catalog)