Kokila
Kokila (pronounced KO-ki-la) brings together an inclusive community of authors and
illustrators, publishing professionals, and readers to examine and celebrate stories that reflect the
richness of our world. By centering on historically marginalized stories and making space for
storytellers to explore the full range of their experiences, they deliver books that inspire readers
as well as add nuance to the way children and young adults see the world and their place in it.
Kokila publishes work for children and young adults across all formats and genres.
At the Mountain’s Base
ISBN
9780735230606
Publisher & Publication Year
Author
Illustrator
Summary
A family, separated by duty and distance, waits for a loved one to return home from a combat zone. An author’s note pays homage to the true history of Native American U.S. service members like WWII pilot Ola Mildred “Millie” Rexroat.
Notable Achievements
2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award – Picture Book Honor; 2020 American Library Association Notable Children’s Book; 2020 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People; 2020 Rise: A Feminist Book Project – Top Ten List; 2020 Notable Books for a Global Society Award List; 2020 Wisconsin State Reading Association Recommendation List; 2021-2022 The Great Texas Mosquito List; 2022 Notable Children’s Recordings List
Trade Reviews
School Library Journal: “Accessible to a wide range of young audiences and military families, this picture book is also a unique and specific recognition of the strength and courage of Indigenous women. A first-purchase for any library.”
Publishers Weekly: “In an author’s note, Sorell […] explains that Native women have served in the U.S. Armed Forces ‘at proportionately higher rates than all other Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Servicemembers.’ […] Sorell honors an Oglala Lakota pilot and holds up her courage in this expansive, intimate picture book.”
Kirkus: “…[T]he meditative text is lovely, and the artwork brings the small Cherokee abode to life with warmth and love. Children will find comfort in the story’s repetition as well as its message of prayer and peace.”
Booklist: “Sorell and Alvitre invite readers to think about intergenerational connections, the power of love, and the juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength that the women embody. With a message that is universal while also centering on Native women, this blend of fiction and nonfiction, the human and the divine, is simply brilliant.”
The Horn Book: “The book captures the emotions of families separated by war while introducing the reader to a part of history that is often erased.”
Educator Guide
As part of the #DisruptText collection of learning guides, individualized for eight separate books, the catered learning guide for At the Mountain’s Base offers extensive examinations of the picture’s books themes, history, as well as concepts, discussion questions, and guides for elementary, middle school, and high school readers.
Kapaemahu
ISBN
9780593530061
Publisher & Publication Year
Author
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu (Native Hawaiian), Dean Hamer, & Joe Wilson
Illustrator
Summary
Based on the similar titled Academy Award-contending animated short, Kapaemahu tells of the Indigenous legend about how four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or Mahu, brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii. In the 15th century, four Mahu sail from Tahiti to Hawaii and share their gifts of science and healing with the people of Waikiki. The islanders return this gift with a monument of four boulders in their honor, which the Mahu imbue with healing powers before disappearing.
Notable Achievements
A Stonewall Honor Book; A School & Library Journal Best Picture Book of the Year; A Shelf Awareness Best Children’s & YA of 2022; A Kirkus Best Book of 2022; A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2022; A Rainbow Book List 2023; A Notable Social Studies Trade Books List 2023; A Bank Street College of Education’s Children’s Book Committee’s; The Best Children’s Books of 2023
Trade Reviews
School Library Journal: “Every library should consider creating or augmenting sparse Pacific Islander collections with this work.”
Kirkus: “Filled with cultural details and beautifully illustrated in vibrant tropical colors, the book pays homage to Indigenous Hawaiian healing traditions and affirms two-spirit people. The fascinating backmatter provides background information about the original Hawaiian legend and Niihau dialect.”
Booklist: Subscription needed
Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series
ISBN
9780593406472
Publisher & Publication Year
Author
Illustrator
Arigon Starr (Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma)
Summary
The true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, who in 1911 became the first two Native professional baseball players to face off in a World Series. Charles Bender grew up on the White Earth Reservation in Northwestern Minnesota. John Meyers was raised on the Cahuilla reservation in Southern California. Despite their mutual respect for each other’s talents and their shared dedication to Native representation in baseball, the media was determined to pit them against each other. However, they never gave up on their dreams of being pro baseball players and didn’t let the supposed rivalry created by the media or the racism they faced within the stadium stop them.
Notable Achievements
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2023; A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023; American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL) Best of 2023 List; 2024 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List (Unanimous Recommendations); ILA 2024 Notable Books for a Global Society; 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor; NCSS-CBC 2024 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People; 2024 Bank Street Best Children’s Books; 2024 Carter G. Woodson Award – Middle Level Winner
Trade Reviews
Kirkus: “Though the author does give her stars’ later careers […] quick overviews, the story she tells is at least as much about racism as it is about baseball, with several references to ‘slights and slurs’ along with documented prejudicial quotes and headlines from the time identified as ‘insults.'”
Booklist: Subscription needed
The Horn Book: Subscription needed
Being Home
ISBN
9781984816030
Publisher & Publication Year
Author
Illustrator
Michaela Goade (Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)
Summary
A young Cherokee girl says goodbye to the house and the city she’s called home her whole life as she readies herself for the upcoming move. While her mother drives, the girl draws the changing landscape outside her window. She looks forward to the end of the journey, where she’ll eat the feast her family has prepared, play in the creek with her cousins, and settle into the new rhythm of home.
Trade Reviews
School Library Journal: “A grounded depiction of treasuring home and culture, skillfully presented by two artists of Indigenous backgrounds.”
Publishers Weekly: “An Indigenous child narrator looks forward to adjusting ‘our tempo’ in this expansive portrait of a family’s move away from metropolitan surrounds and to ‘our ancestors’ land / and to our people.’ […] Background characters are portrayed with various abilities, ages, body types, and skin tones.”
Kirkus: “…Goade’s (Tlingit Nation) breathtaking mixed-media artwork layers in emotion, transitioning from urban scenes dominated by dark, looming structures and impersonal silhouettes to vibrantly illustrated spreads teeming with the smiling faces of friends and family. Shimmering colors and geometric shapes bring to life the protagonist’s world.”
Booklist: “On the surface, Being Home is a simple story of a small family that leaves one home, takes a long road trip, and settles in a new place. But layered on top of that premise is a message of deep connections felt by the girl and her mother to their ancestors and land.”
