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Highly Recommended: THE PENCIL by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula
The PencilWritten by Susan Avingaq (Inuk) and Maren Vsetula (not Native)Illustrated by Charlene Chua (not Native)Published in 2019Publisher: Inhabit MediaReviewer: Jean MendozaReview Status: Highly...
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Highly Recommended! A first look at Yáadilá!: Good Grief!, Written by Laurel...
Yáadilá! Good Grief! Written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara)Illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné)Published in 2025Publisher: Heartdrum (HarperCollins)Reviewer: Debbie ReeseReview...
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Highly Recommended: BETWEEN THE PIPES
HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDBetween the PipesWritten by Albert McLeod (ancestry from Nisichawayasihk Cree, and Cross Lake and Norway House Metis) with Elaine Mordoch (not Native) and Sonya Ballantyne (Swampy...
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Thank you, Native writers who gave us books about Secretary Deb Haaland!
As Deb Haaland finishes her term as Secretary of the Interior, I am grateful to her for initiatives she took up during her four years working for President Joe Biden. The work she did made a...
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Three Recommendations for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2025
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday observance is a day to remember and honor all those whose labor and sacrifice built the Civil Rights movement, and those who maintain that seemingly never-ending...
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CHOOCH HELPED by Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz wins the...
Most readers of American Indians in Children's Literature know that the Caldecott Medal is a big deal. It and the Newbery Medal are regarded as the most prestigious book awards in children's...
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2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Byron Graves
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Byron Graves delivered when he...
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Angeline Boulley and Eric Gansworth's Books on Saturday Night Live
On January 25, 2025, Saturday Night Live did a skit called AI Software. It was set in a high school classroom. Along one wall were shelves of books. I did a screen capture of it because on the shelves...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Arigon Starr
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Arigon Starr delivered when she...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Traci Sorell
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks given by Traci Sorell when she...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Christine Day
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Christine Day delivered when she...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Kim Rogers
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Kim Rogers delivered when she...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Laurel Goodluck
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Laurel Goodluck delivered when...
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2024 American Indian Literature Award Medal Acceptance: Jonathan Nelson
Editors Note: On January 25, 2025, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) held its Youth Literature Award Ceremony in Phoenix. I am pleased to share the remarks Jonathan Nelson delivered when...
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Highly Recommended: Yáadilá! Good Grief! More to say about this wonderful book!
Back in January, I did a first-look 'highly recommended' post about Yáadilá!: Good Grief! I heaped praise on the way Laurel Goodluck and Jonathan Nelson presented the story. At the end of that post, I...
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Highly Recommended: WE WEAVE by Daniel W. Vandever and Deonoveigh Mitchell
We WeaveWritten by Daniel W. Vandever (Diné)Illustrated by Deonoveigh Mitchell (Diné)Published in 2024Publisher: South of Sunrise CreativeReviewer: Debbie ReeseReview Status: Highly Recommended****Why...
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Notes about proposed Netflix show, Little House on the Prairie
Some time back I read that Netflix was going to do a reboot of Little House on the Prairie. I groaned. I'm going to use this page to keep track of what I see. April 10, 2025:Most recently I saw this...
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Highly Recommended! FIERCE AUNTIES! by Laurel Goodluck and Steph Littlebird
Fierce Aunties!Written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara)Illustrated by Steph Littlebird (member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes)Published in 2024Publisher: Simon &...
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Notes on Core Knowledge's Language Arts Unit 8 Activity Book on Native Americans
A few teachers have written to ask me about the Native Americans unit in Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) for grade 5. For them and others interested, I've downloaded it and will make notes here as...
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Indigenous Food Knowledge in 2 New Books
Dad, Is It Time to Gather Mint? Celebrating the SeasonsWritten by Tyna Legault Taylor (Attawapiskat First Nation)Illustrated by Michelle Dao (Vietnamese Canadian)Published in 2025Published by Portage...
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Not Recommended: Gooney Bird and the Room Mother, by Lois Lowry
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry came out in 2002. In 2005, Gooney Bird and the Room Mother came out and there are a few more Gooney Bird books since then. Of course, Lowry has written many books --...
View ArticleWhy I am not recommending children's books by Thomas King
Why I am no longer recommending books by Thomas King? Because I am no longer confident that he is Cherokee. When I was teaching at the University of Illinois (as a grad student, a post doc, and then an...
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Will Native Presence at Alcatraz by removed or covered up by Trump...
On June 13, 2025 The New York Times published an article titled National Parks Are Told to Delete Content that 'Disparages Americans.' Here's the first four paragraphs of the article by Lisa...
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Highly Recommended: REDress
HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDREDress: Art, Action, and the Power of PresenceEdited by Jaime Black-Morsette (Metis)Published by Portage and Main PressPublished in 2025Reviewer: Jean MendozaReview Status: Highly...
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Art by Rebecca Lee Kunz (Cherokee Nation) on Cover of THE HORN BOOK MAGAZINE
What a delight this morning (July 5, 2025) to see art by Rebecca Lee Kunz (Cherokee Nation) on the cover of the July/August 2025 The Horn Book Magazine! As I study the cover, I see a Cherokee child,...
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