Bowwow Powwow : bagosenjige-niimi'idim

by Brenda J. Child; translated by Gordon Jourdain; illustrated by Jonathan Thunder

When Uncle and Windy Girl attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Uncle's stories inspire visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers--all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow.

Birdsong

by Julie Flett

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? Acclaimed author and artist Julie Flett's textured images of birds, flowers, art, and landscapes bring vibrancy and warmth to this powerful story, which highlights the fulfillment of intergenerational relationships and shared passions. A brief glossary and pronunciation guide to Cree-Métis words is provided.

Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock

by Dallas Hunt, Amanda Strong

As young Awâsis searches for the ingredients to make Kohkum's world-famous bannock recipe, they run into a variety of other-than-human relatives that help them along in their journey. Includes a pronunciation guide and Kohkum's world-famous bannock recipe at the back of the book."

We Are Water Protectors

by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.

Fry Bread: a Native American Family Story

by Kevin Noble Maillard; illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

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. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognized tribes.

The Forever Sky

by Thomas Peacock

Two young Ojibwe brothers, Niigaanii and Bineshiinh, look to the stars and spin stories, some inspired by Uncle and some of their own making, as they remember their grandmother.

Jingle Dancer

by Cynthia Leitich Smith ; illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

Tink, tink, tink, tink, sang cone-shaped jingles sewn to Grandma Wolfe's dress. Jenna's heart beats to the brum, brum, brum, brum of the powwow drum as she daydreams about the clinking song of her grandma's jingle dancing. Jenna loves the tradition of jingle dancing that has been shared by generations of women in her family, and she hopes to dance at the next powwow. But she has a problem--how will her dress sing if it has no jingles?

At the Mountain's Base

by Traci Sorell ; illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre

At the mountain's base sits a cabin under an old hickory tree. And in that cabin lives a family--loving, weaving, cooking, and singing. The strength in their song sustains them through trials on the ground and in the sky, as they wait for their loved one, a pilot, to return from war.

First Laugh: Welcome, Baby!

by Rose Ann Tahe and Nancy Bo Flood; illustrated by Jonathan Nelson

A Navajo family welcomes a new baby into the family with love and ceremony, eagerly waiting for that first special laugh. Includes a brief description of birth customs in different cultures.

I Can Make this Promise

by Christine Day

When twelve-year-old Edie finds letters and photographs in her attic that change everything she thought she knew about her Native American mother's adoption, she realizes she has a lot to learn about her family's history and her own identity

The Case of Windy Lake

by Michael Hutchinson

Sam, Otter, Atim, and Chickadee are four inseparable cousins growing up on the Windy Lake First Nation. Nicknamed the Mighty Muskrats for their habit of laughing, fighting, and exploring together, the cousins find that each new adventure adds to their reputation. When a visiting archeologist goes missing, the cousins decide to solve the mystery of his disappearance. In the midst of community conflict, family concerns, and environmental protests, the four get busy following every lead. From their base of operations in a fort made out of an old school bus, the Mighty Muskrats won't let anything stop them from solving their case!

In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

by Joseph Marshall III, illustrated by Jim Yellowhawk

Teased for his fair coloring, eleven-year-old Jimmy McClean travels with his maternal grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, to learn about his Lakota heritage while visiting places significant in the life of Crazy Horse, the nineteenth-century Lakota leader and warrior, in a tale that weaves the past with the present.

Indian No More

by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell

When Regina's Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and her family must relocate from Oregon to Los Angeles, she goes on a quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home.

"A Girl's Best Friend"
by Cynthia Leitich Smith

from The Hero Nextdoor
edited by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

The main character in "A Girl's Best Friend" is a 12-year old named Sophie Bigheart who is Muscogee-Osage and a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She lives with her mom in a tiny apartment in Austin. Sophie spends a lot of her free time looking at dogs on the animal shelter website, wishing she could get one--but that's against their landlady's rules.

Unstoppable: How Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Defeated Army

by Art Coulson; illustrated by Nick Hardcastle

In the autumn of 1912, the football team from Carlisle Indian Industrial School took the field at the U.S. Military Academy, home to the bigger, stronger, and better-equipped West Points Cadets. Sportswriters billed the game as a sort of rematch, pitting against each other the descendants of U.S. soldiers and American Indians who fought on the battlefield only 20 years earlier. But for lightning-fast Jim Thorpe and the other Carlisle players, that day's game was about skill, strategy, and determination. Known for unusual formations and innovative plays, the Carlisle squad was out to prove just one thing--that it was the best football team in all the land.

When the Rain Sings : Poems by Young Native Americans

collected by the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution

A collection of poems written by young Native Americans, inspired by or matched with photographs of artifacts and people from the National Museum of the American Indian.

We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga

by Traci Sorell ; Illustrated by Frané Lessac

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. A look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Putuguq & Kublu and the Qalupalik!

by Roselynn Akulukjuk and Danny Christopher ; illustrated by Astrid Arijanto

What creatures lurk beneath the sea ice? In this graphic novel, siblings Putuguq and Kublu are about to find out! On their way to the shoreline, Putuguq and Kublu run into their grandfather, who has a stern warning for the pair: always beware when playing on the shore, because you never know if a qalupalik, a mythical creature that kidnaps children, is lying in wait under the ice. Kublu is pretty sure their grandfather is just trying to spook them with a scary story from the past… but maybe not?