Children’s books by Indigenous authors
In honor of Indigenous People’s day, we have a short round up of great children’s books written by Native authors. Native Americans make up about 2% of the US population, but only are only represented in about 1% of Children’s books written (according to the 2018 publishing study by the Cooperative Children’s book Center, School of Education, at the University of Wisconsin, Madison).
These recommendation are personal, as well as from a list on FirstNations.org and the Tutu Teacher. When we can, we link to Better World Books, a B-Corp which sells used and new books, donates books and money to people in need around the world, and ships sustainably. If you purchase via the Better World Book links we’ve provided, we receive an affiliate payment, which we then donate back to Better World Books. When we can’t link to Better World, we link to an Independent bookstore.
Written by Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, this a sweet bedtime story for little ones.
This tells the story of Sharice Davids (by Sharice Davids!), one of the first two Native Women elected to Congress.
This crowd-sourced photo book by Debbie Slier, this shows the creative, beautiful and different ways Native people carry their babies. This book also allows people to write in their own language!
This is a call to action by Carole Lindstrom, telling the story of an Ojibwe girl who fights against the Dakota Access Pipeline with beautiful illustration.
***When researching this post, I found out that a book I had assumed was by a Native Author, was not. That author, Byrd Baylor, is interesting and polarizing. “On Buffalo Medicine’s website, a New Mexico-based retailer of specialty books, another critic writes that while her work is “culturally accurate, it should never have been printed. No Anglo should be allowed to write anything about any Native. Period,”—a sentiment not uncommon in debates concerning Native literature.” More here.
