As you grow your classroom library and use Booksource Classroom’s LibraryLens^® tool to improve its diversity, make sure you are including books from Native American authors and illustrators. Today’s most influential titles reflect both historic and current events experienced by Native Americans. These books often raise awareness for important contemporary Native American causes. Including more books from Native American authors will help your non-Native students to better understand communities outside of their own, while helping your students with Native American heritage feel represented.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, here are 25 of our favorite titles from Native American voices for students P-12.

1. Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard

Interest level: P-2
Fry bread is so much more than just a dish for Native American families, it is a symbol of the past and present. It represents time, family togetherness and many tribes across the land. Share this beautifully illustrated slant-rhyme story, complete with a glossary of terms and historical context.

2. At The Mountain’s Base
by Traci Sorell

Interest level: P-3
Inspire students with this tale honoring female Cherokee pilots who made history serving in the U.S. service. A family sits together weaving, cooking and singing as they endure trials at home while waiting for their loved one to return from war. The author’s note pays homage to Native American U.S. service members such as WWII pilot Ola Mildred “Millie” Rexroat.

3. Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-To-Be Best Friend
by Dawn Quigley

Interest level: K-2
Say Boozhoo (“Hello”) to Jo Jo Makoons, a spirited and self-assured Ojibwe girl. Jo Jo thinks only being pals with her cat Mimi is not going to cut it. She worries her school best friend, Fern, may not want to be friends anymore! Students will love seeing the world through Jo Jo’s eyes and laugh along with her age-appropriate mistakes.

4. Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story
by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten

Interest level: K-3
When celebrating Thanksgiving, many Americans think of the Pilgrims narrowly surviving their first winter. Without the generosity of the local Wampanoag tribe, these Pilgrims would never have made it.

Share this Wampanoag story told in a Native tradition with students for a Native American perspective on the first Thanksgiving.

5. We are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom

Interest level: K-3
“Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all.”

Following the movement at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline and inspired by the many other Indigenous-led movements across North America, Carole Lindstrom shares a timely story about protecting the Earth’s resources. The vibrant illustrations will tug on students’ heartstrings and ignite their passion for environmentalism and community.

6. First Laugh: Welcome, Baby!
by Rose Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood

Interest level: K-3
The First Laugh Ceremony welcomes a new baby as a member of the Navajo community. Who will make the baby laugh first, and therefore host the First Laugh Ceremony? Children will giggle watching the baby’s mother, sister, grandfather and more try to get a laugh from the young child.

7. Bowwow Powwow
by Brenda J. Child

Interest level: K-3
Uncle, Itchy Boy and Windy Girl attend a powwow, where Uncle shares inspiring stories and they eat delicious food around a fire with family and friends. As Windy drifts off to sleep, Uncle’s stories prompt visions of a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. Readers will love this playful twist on a traditional ceremony that teaches very real elements of the celebration.

8. The Day the Earth Rose Up
by Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo

Interest level: 1-3
Seven Lokota sisters enter the woods looking for chokecherries but are discovered and chased by a giant bear! Huddling together on a rocky ledge, they pray for help. The Earth answers, rising up and lifting them high above the threat.

One Lakota Nation author adds her version of events to the many sacred narratives about the Seven Sisters. Use this book to discuss Native American oral storytelling traditions.

9. We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
by Traci Sorell

Interest level: 2-5
Native American culture is not a finished chapter in history. Native American life is ongoing today, and there’s a lot that not everyone knows about it. Join twelve Native American kids as they share past and current laws, policies, struggles and victories in Native life, reminding us that “We are still here!” This title is a perfect supporting text for your history or social studies classes, and may even teach educators a thing or two about Native American people’s past, present and future.

10. Siha Tooskin Knows the Strength of His Hair
by Charlene Bearhead and Wilson Bearhead

Interest level: 3-6
Paul Wahasaypa, aka Siha Tooskin, is learning about how to build a strong mind, heart and spirit thanks to Nakota teachings from his Ena (mom) and Ade (dad). When he starts at a new school, it’s hard to remember these lessons, especially when Paul’s culture and values are disrespected. This book is a great lesson on respecting others’ cultures for middle grade readers.

11. Healer of the Water Monster
by Brian Young

Interest level: 3-7
Nathan is sure visiting his grandma, Nali, on the Navajo reservation this summer will be pretty relaxing. He loves spending time with Nali and his uncle Jet, despite Jet bringing trouble wherever he goes. Things get interesting when Nathan, lost in a nearby desert, stumbles across a holy being, a Water Monster, who needs his help.
 
Teach students about the Navajo creation story and complex family dynamics when you add this title to classroom libraries.

12. I Can Make This Promise
by Christine Day

Interest level: 3-7
Edie has always known her mother was adopted by a white couple, making her Native American heritage a mystery. Edie has given up on getting answers, until she discovers a hidden box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who could be her twin. Edie is bursting with questions, including if she can trust her parents who hid this secret from her all her life.

13. Sisters of the Neversea
by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Interest level: 3-7
Stepsisters and best friends Lily and Wendy’s parents are fighting, so they will have to spend the summer apart. They have no idea a mysterious boy intends to take them away from home forever. Get lost in this modern retelling of Peter Pan, where sisters in a Native American and English blended family take on dangerous obstacles and wonders beyond compare on their journey back to their loved ones.

14. Mary and the Trail of Tears: A Cherokee Removal Survival Story
by Andrea L. Rogers

Interest level: 3-7
Mary, a twelve-year-old Cherokee girl, is forced out of her home as U.S. soldiers enforce the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Mary is separated from her family, struggling against horrors like internment, violence, disease and harsh weather. Can young Mary keep her family and friends together until they arrive at the new Cherokee Nation?

15. Peacemaker
by Joseph Bruchac

Interest level: 4-7
The five tribes of the Iroquois have been at war with each other for as long as anyone can remember. Can they find a way to build a peaceful future? 

Twelve-year-old Okwaho has been through intense trauma that turned his world upside down. Okwaho went hunting with his best friend, only for the friend to be kidnapped by marauders from a neighboring tribe. As Okwaho plots revenge, a mysterious visitor brings a message of peace. The Peacemaker tells the boy he can convince the warring leaders to unite.
 
Give students a window into history when you share this historical fiction novel based on the creation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

16. The Case of the Missing Auntie
by Michael Hutchinson

Interest level: 4-7
The Mighty Muskrats are prepping to visit the Exhibition Fair in the city. Chickadee learns that Grandpa’s little sister went missing like many Indigenous children and was adopted by strangers without her parents’ permission. The Mighty Muskrats are determined to track down their long-lost auntie, uncovering the truth about how their country treated First Nations kids and families. This story demonstrates that the mistreatment of Native Americans is not some distant past and is a great supplement to your American History and social studies lessons.

17. A Man Called Horse: John Horse and the Black Seminole Underground Railroad
by Glennette Tilley Turner

Interest level: 5-9
Discover the incredible true story of John Horse, a Black Seminole warrior, chief and diplomat who forged the route on the Underground Railroad to achieve freedom for his people. A political and military leader of mixed Seminole and African heritage, Horse defended his people from the U.S. government, other tribes and slave hunters. This biography includes black and white archival photos as well as a map and a timeline.

18. The Barren Grounds (the Misewa Saga Series)
by David A. Robertson

Interest level: 5-9
Morgan and Eli are two Native American children forced away from their families who meet in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Feeling cut off from their culture, they struggle to fit in at their new home or at school. All that changes when they find a secret place in an unfinished attic bedroom. Suddenly they are transported into another reality, where their guide Askí introduces them to frozen barren grounds and a lone fisher named Ochek who teaches them traditional ways to survive. Will the pair endure the dangerous winter?

19. Apple (Skin to the Core)
by Eric Gansworth

Interest level: 7-12
This YA memoir-in-verse details the author’s life as a member of an Onondaga family living among Tuscaroras and how destructive government boarding schools were on Native Americans. The title reflects a reclaimed Anti-Native American slur meaning “red on the outside, white on the inside.” High school readers will connect with Gansworth’s emotional recounting and appreciate the art interspersed.

20. An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People
by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Interest level: 7-12
This 400-year history showcases Native American resilience and the fight against imperialism. The original academic text is adapted for middle grade and young adult readers, providing discussion topics, archival images, original maps, recommendations for further reading and more. This text encourages students and educators alike to examine their place in history.

21. Man Made Monsters
by Andrea L. Rogers

Interest level: 7-12
This heartwarming, funny and scary illustrated novel by Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers has it all: vampires, zombies and Cherokee legends! Following one extended family across centuries and into the future, each story delivers a slice of a particular time period that will leave readers longing for more.

A recent Booksource Book Club read, we highly recommend it! Get more suggestions for spooky and funny books for kids.

22. A Snake Falls to Earth
by Darcie Little Badger

Interest level: 7-12
Nina is a Lipan girl in our world who believes the old stories of her people. Oli is a cast-out cottonmouth kid from the land of spirits and monsters, living on the banks of a bottomless lake. When catastrophic events bring the worlds together, the kids meet.

Beloved author Darcie Little Badger draws on traditional Lipan Apache storytelling to weave a memorable tale of monsters, magic and family.  

23. The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
by Jen Ferguson

Interest level: 8-12
Lou is facing a stressful and confusing summer. She will be forced to work with her recent ex-boyfriend, who she realizes she was never attracted to. Her former best friend, King, is back after disappearing for years without a word. Lou’s biological father who went to prison also reaches out, and Lou is inclined to ignore him.
 
Can a rekindled bond with King help Lou decide what to do?

24. A Girl Called Echo (Series)
by Katherena Vermette

Interest level: 8-12
We love this series so much, we couldn’t pick just one book! Meet Echo Desjardins, a 13-year-old Metis girl adjusting to a new home and school while separated from her mom. During what should have been an ordinary history class, Echo is transported to bison hunt on the Saskatchewan prairie, and then back to the present. She begins slipping back and forth in time, learning about Native American history first-hand.

25. The Marrow Thieves
by Cherie Dimaline

Interest level: 9-12
In a dystopian world wrecked by global warming, everyone has lost the ability to dream, except for North America’s Native people. In a search for a cure to the widespread madness, non-Native people hunt Native Americans for their bone marrow. A teen and his friends flee for their lives, struggling to survive and avoid “recruiters” after their very bones.

Which of the above titles from Native American voices best supports your curriculum? How will you share these titles with your students in honor of Native American Heritage month?