Book Lists

This book list contains ten upcoming titles with publication dates between August 2023 and June 2024. Educators will find that these titles are great additions to their libraries and classrooms because Native students will see themselves represented in literature, while non-Native students will have the opportunity to learn about Native history and culture.

This book list contains ten upcoming titles with publication dates between August 2023 and June 2024. Educators will find that these titles are great additions to their libraries and classrooms because Native students will see themselves represented in literature, while non-Native students will have the opportunity to learn about Native history and culture.

This book list contains ten upcoming titles with publication dates between August 2023 and June 2024. Educators will find that these titles are great additions to their libraries and classrooms because Native students will see themselves represented in literature, while non-Native students will have the opportunity to learn about Native history and culture.

Families come in all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and configurations. Novels that depict family life offer a glimpse into the beauty of everyday life, the struggles and joys of familial relationships, and the deep effects of strong intergenerational relationships. The basis of family is connection, love, and support. These Native characters all have varying types of families, from divorced parents with little to no contact with one another to blended families to intergenerational households. Blended families, intergenerational families, found family—each valuable, each treasured, each important to represent.

Strength. Resilience. Courage. Tenacity. Tenderness. Vulnerability. Growth. These are all qualities found in stories that focus on overcoming adversity, and these values are inherent to the characters who live in these books. This book list will explore themes of middle grade characters overcoming internal and external adversity in a way that aligns with their cultural values. These books explore changing family dynamics, dealing with grief, and processing world events, from personal loss to tribal termination.

Indigenous creators have been using the graphic novel medium to introduce young people to Indigenous traditional stories with great success. The majority of books found in this list will feature characters found in many of our traditional stories. In addition to being a great medium for telling our traditional stories, they are also a great way to introduce reluctant readers to books in a form they may find more appealing than a traditional novel. Graphic novels can be used to help struggling readers strengthen their vocabulary, build reading confidence, and develop an appreciation for the art of storytelling.

Indigenous peoples have deep connections with their lands and communities which can contrast starkly with the colonial values of individual ownership and privatization. Our relationship with the animals and environment around us are as important as our relationship with one another. In this list, you will find titles which highlight the connections we form with those in our communities, as well as the animals and environment around us.

Historical events marked by colonization have profoundly shaped Native tribes and people. Our collective history serves as a springboard to reclaim our rights, safeguard sacred lands, and revitalize indigenous traditions and language. By embracing history, we forge a future of our making that honors our cultural richness and empowers our communities. These titles provide a range of avenues for exploring the impacts of colonization on Native communities and people, for both old and young Native readers and beyond. But they also pave the way for a future crafted by our own hands—one that not only pays homage to our abundant cultural heritage but also strengthens and uplifts our communities.

This book list contains ten upcoming titles with publication dates between August 2023 and June 2024. Educators will find that these titles are great additions to their libraries and classrooms because Native students will see themselves represented in literature, while non-Native students will have the opportunity to learn about Native history and culture.

Storytelling is a defining hallmark of Native culture, it has deep-rooted significance as an integral part of our rich traditions. It is crucial not only to depict Native stories from past and present perspectives, but to also incorporate the unique lens of speculative fiction into those narratives. Within this genre, readers are exposed to an expansive array of themes, such as fantastical or futuristic settings, space exploration, supernatural elements, apocalyptic scenarios, reimagined historical narratives, and much more.

This book list provides an overview of dozens of exciting middle grade and chapter book titles that were published in 2022.

In this book list, educators will find a plethora of chapter books and middle grade stories that were published in 2021.

2024 New Picture Book Releases This book list contains new and upcoming picture books with publication dates in 2024. These diverse titles include depictions of Native children in the contemporary world, retellings of traditional Native stories, accounts of historical Native heroes, and much more. Readers are invited to join a Samoan girl as she [...]

Picture Books: New and Upcoming Releases 2023-2024 This book list contains new and upcoming picture books with publication dates between September 2023 and May 2024. While the majority of these upcoming titles depict Native children living in contemporary times, there is one non-fiction title that honors the life of Clarence Tinker. These picture book [...]

Intergenerational learning can help us broaden our understanding of the world and help us see that we have a lot in common with one another. In Indigenous communities, Elders, grandparents, and older community members are highly respected people who all play a part in ensuring traditional knowledge passes on and continues to live within future generations. In this list, you will find a number of books that touch on various aspects of a child’s relationship with their grandparents, Elders, and older community members.

Friendships require care to nourish and grow. But we all mess up sometimes, and learning how to navigate these disagreements is also important in order to be a good friend. Here you will find books which emphasize friendships in all forms. They also delve into some of the issues that may arise between friends and offer suggestions on how one may navigate these conflicts.

Young Indigenous readers need to find positive role models that they can look up to and who can inspire them to dream. Native role models may include tribal leaders, scientists, athletes, elders, military members, and others in local communities. Many Indigenous role models have impressive, yet untold, life stories and have contributed to society in important ways.

Tribal events bring people together in celebration, in honor of, or in memoriam. Traditions can celebrate a culture and provide a thread throughout generations of families. With nearly six hundred federally recognized Tribal Nations in the United States, events like powwows filled with delicious food, powerful drums, meaningful songs, and fantastic dancers unite each community in their own unique way.

Native people believe their livelihood comes directly from the earth. Nations use the term Mother Earth or Grandmother Earth, and believe that she gives us gifts, like food, medicine, shelter, and other necessities, all the things we need. If we (humans) respect these gifts and take responsibility to care for them. Mother/Grandmother Earth shares with us and teaches us the values of reciprocity and generosity.

Storytelling is an essential part of Indigenous culture. Oral tradition is a way of knowing, where values, traditions, and history about culture are passed from one generation to the next. Elders are the wisdom keepers who share their knowledge in the form of stories. Native/Indigenous/First Nation authors and illustrators pass down their perspective in books, connecting ancestors of the past with younger generations of today and in the future.

Young Indigenous readers need to find positive role models that they can look up to and who can inspire them to dream. Native role models may include tribal leaders, scientists, athletes, elders, military members, and others in local communities. Many Indigenous role models have impressive, yet untold, life stories and have contributed to society in important ways.

The bonds of kinship, family, and community are often themes in the work of Native creators. Although individual tribal cultures are unique and distinct, they can share similarities, like a reverence for elders and ancestors, along with the importance of extended families and kinship networks. The picture books highlighted in this list explore the connections between children, their families, their ancestors, and their wider cultural communities.

This list covers nearly 40 picture books that were published in 2022. These stories will take readers on journeys throughout North America, into the Andean foothills and the Caribbean island of Dominica, and beyond.

Check out the following picture book that were all published in 2021. The titles include fascinating biographies, memoirs, myths, and much more.