Picture Books: Freedmen & Black Natives
There isn’t one way to be Native, and that includes the intersectionality of Native identity. Freedmen and Black Natives are part of Native communities. For Freedmen, their complex histories are tied back and woven throughout the Five Tribes—Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole—who enslaved people of African descent.
Each culture enriched the other. In their shared anguish as survivors of colonial conquest, Native and Black tribal people in the southeast came to depend upon one another in every facet of life, forging kinships and an inseparable bond, whether acknowledged or not, that continues to this day.
In this list, you will find books by or about Freedmen that introduce the history, joy, anguish and pride of their identities, as well as books by Black Natives who celebrate their familial traditions.
Braided Roots: The Interweaving of History, Family, and a Father’s Love
Author
Pasha Westbrook (Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen)
Illustrator
Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw)
Summary
As a young girl’s father lovingly yet painstakingly braids her hair, he weaves a story about the strength and resilience of their ancestors, Freedmen who walked the Trail of Tears from Mississippi to Oklahoma.
In this enchanting picture book, past and present come together in a tale about endurance, history, and love. With beautiful, sweeping illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight and debut author Pasha Westbrook’s lyrical writing, Braided Roots tenderly explores the unwavering love between a father and daughter.
Magnolia Flower
Author
Illustrator
Summary
Born to parents who fled slavery and the Trail of Tears, Magnolia Flower is a girl with a vibrant spirit. Not to be deterred by rigid ways of the world, she longs to connect with others, who also long for freedom. She finds this in a young man of letters who her father disapproves of. In her quest to be free, Magnolia must make a choice and set off on a journey that will prove just how brave one can be when leading with one’s heart.
The acclaimed writer of several American classics, Zora Neale Hurston wrote this stirring folktale brimming with poetic prose, culture, and history. It was first published as a short story in The Spokesman in 1925 and later in her collection Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick (2020). Tenderly retold by #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi, Magnolia Flower is a story of a transformative and radical devotion between generations of Indigenous and Black people in America. With breathtaking illustrations by Loveis Wise, this picture book reminds us that there is no force strong enough to stop love.
Beautiful You, Beautiful Me
Author
Tasha Spillett-Sumner (Cree and Trinidadian)
Illustrator
Summary
Izzy’s favorite place to be is in Mama’s arms—skin to skin, safe and warm. One night, cuddled up on Mama’s lap, Izzy notices something she’s never noticed before: her skin is the color of chocolate, but Mama’s skin is the color of sand. When Izzy realizes she’s different from Mama in other ways, too, she feels sad and confused. She wants to be beautiful like Mama! But Mama addresses Izzy’s disappointment with a gentle, loving refrain: You’re part of me, and I’m part of you. I’m beautiful like me, and you’re beautiful like you. Finding lessons from nature and repeating her affirming message, Mama encourages Izzy to see her own unique beauty.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
Author
Kevin Noble Maillard (Seminole Nation of Oklahoma)
Illustrator
Juana Martinez-Neal (Peruvian American)
Summary
Told in lively and powerful verse by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread is an evocative depiction of a modern Native American family, vibrantly illustrated by Pura Belpre Award winner and Caldecott Honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.
George Crum and the Saratoga Chip
Author
Illustrator
Summary
Growing up in the 1830s in Saratoga Springs, New York, isn’t easy for George Crum. Picked on at school because of the color of his skin, George escapes into his favorite pastimes – hunting and fishing.
Soon George learns to cook too, and as a young man he lands a job as chef at the fancy Moon’s Lake House. George loves his work, except for the fussy customers, who are always complaining! One hot day George’s patience boils over, and he cooks up a potato dish so unique it changes his life forever.
Stronger Than (2026)
Author
Nikki Grimes & Stacy Wells (Choctaw Nation)
Illustrator
E.B. Lewis (Lenni Lenape)
Summary
When Dante struggles with nightmares, his mother believes learning his family’s history will help him cope. The roots on both sides of his family tree run deep, with stories of survival through events Dante’s mother calls “daymares.” Taking discovering his heritage into his own hands, Dante finds out hard truths—but also a love that shines through generations and, finally, a strength to sleep through the night.
Conclusion
Knowing Freedmen’s histories and ties to Native heritage and communities helps broaden our understanding of the diversity of what it means to be Native. It’s important for Freedmen descendants and Black Native youth to see themselves and their multi-layered experiences authentically reflected in children’s literature. The following stories shed light on what it means to be of mixed-heritage in Indigenous communities, thereby giving a unique and fulfilling lens to readers, a perspective into a world not popularly known.
About the Authors
Pasha Westbrook, Stacy Wells, & Cynthia Leitich Smith
Pasha Westbrook, a Chickasaw and Choctaw Freedmen descendant, lives among the Arizona cacti with her husband and three beautiful boys. Braided Roots is her debut picture book. Stacy Wells (Choctaw Nation) is a youth librarian serving children from birth to teens. Her debut picture book, Stronger Than co-authored with Nikki Grimes and illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Lenni Lenape), is forthcoming in 2026 from Heartdrum. Cynthia Leitich Smith (Mvskoke Nation) is a New York Times-bestselling author of books for young readers, including Hearts Unbroken, which won the American Indian Library Association’s Youth Literature Award. She is also the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books.
