Our friends at Seattle Public Library shared an article which includes a curated list of recommended children’s books by Indigenous authors and illustrators. The list was curated by The Conscious Kid Library and American Indians in Children’s Literature, in partnership with Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
The article opens with a statistic that should sound the alarms in children’s publishing offices across the U.S., and shines light on the extreme disparities in Indigenous representation and authorship in children’s books:
Only 1% of the children’s books published in the U.S. in 2016 featured Indigenous characters, and even fewer (1/4 of the 1% = 8 books total) were written by Indigenous authors.
Debbie Reese, Nambe Pueblo, of American Indians in Children’s Literature, explains that the representations that do exist are often distorted, promoting Indigenous erasure, stereotyping, and bias:
Most of what kids see in books today are best sellers & classics that stereotype & misrepresent Native people in history. There’s a lot of bias in them. The books that I recommend are ones that can counter that bias in several ways. One, they’re not stereotypical. Two, most of them are set in the present day, which is important in countering what we see in a lot of children’s & young adult literature, which says that we vanished, we didn’t make it to the present day, and of course we did.
All of the titles featured in the list are available for checkout in our catalog, and can previewed below:
Little You by Richard Van Camp
Richard Van Camp, internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author of the hugely successful Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, has partnered with award-winning illustrator Julie Flett to create a tender board book for babies and toddlers that celebrates the potential of every child. With its delightful contemporary illustrations, Little You is perfect to be shared, read or sung to all the little people in your life—and the new little ones on the way!
Check the CatalogWhen We Were Alone by David Robertson
When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother's garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully colored clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much time with her family? As she asks her grandmother about these things, she is told about life in a residential school a long time ago, where all of these things were taken away. When We Were Alone is a story about a difficult time in history, and, ultimately, one of empowerment and strength.
Check the CatalogDragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway
Cree brothers Cody and Joe, their parents, and their dog Ootsie spend the summers on the shores of a lake in Manitoba, where the boys play with the objects they find, make pets of the animals, and fly the dragonflies like kites.
Check the CatalogJingle Dancer by Cynthia L. Smith
Jenna, a member of the Muscogee, or Creek, Nation, borrows jingles from the dresses of several friends and relatives so that she can perform the jingle dance at the powwow. Includes a note about the jingle dance tradition and its regalia.
Check the CatalogSaltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light by Tim Tingle
Choctaw author Tim Tingle tells the story of his famly's move from Oklahome Choctaw country to Pasadena, Texas. Spanning fifty years, the book describes the problems encounted by his Choctaw grandmother from her orphan days at an Indian boarding school to hardships she met at her new home on the Texas Gult Coast. It is the story of one family's efforts to honor the past while struggling to gain a foothold in modern America.
Check the CatalogWe Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp
This celebration of the bond between parent and child captures the wonder new parents feel as they welcome their new baby.
Check the CatalogWild Berries / Pikaci-mīnisa by Julie Flett
Clarence, a young Cree Indian, and his grandmother pick blueberries together as they sing, look out for the animals, and enjoy sampling the fruit.
Check the CatalogWhen I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton
This book chronicles the unbreakable spirit of an Inuit girl while attending an Arctic residential school.
Check the CatalogHiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson
Hiawatha, a Mohawk, is plotting revenge for the murder of his wife and daughters by the evil Onondaga Chief, Tadodaho, when he meets the Great Peacemaker, who enlists his help in bringing the nations together to share his vision of a new way of life marked by peace, love, and unity rather than war, hate, and fear.
Check the CatalogI Am Not A Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis
A picture book based on a true story about a young First Nations girl who was sent to a residential school. When eight-year-old Irene is removed from her First Nations family to live in a residential school she is confused, frightened, and terribly homesick. She tries to remember who she is and where she came from despite the efforts of the nuns to force her to do otherwise. Based on the life of Jenny Kay Dupuis' own grandmother, I Am Not a Number brings a terrible part of Canada's history to light in a way that children can learn from and relate to.
Check the CatalogMy Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith
A board book that celebrates happiness and invites children to reflect on the little things in life that bring them joy. The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This beautiful board book, with illustrations from celebrated artist Julie Flett, serves as a reminder for little ones and adults alike to reflect on and cherish the moments in life that bring us joy.
Check the CatalogSweetest Kulu by Celina Kalluk
An Inuit mother sings to her Kulu--or baby--about animals and other elements in their Arctic world and the gifts they bring to the child, from the summer sun's warm light to Arctic hare's love, muskox's power, and caribou's patience.
Check the CatalogYou Hold Me Up by Monique Gray Smith
An evocative picture book intended to foster reconciliation among children and encourage them to show each other love and support.
Check the Catalog
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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