Easy Reader

Josie dreams of dancing at next summer's powwow. But first she needs many special things: a dress, a shawl, a cape, leggings, moccasins, and, perhaps most important of all, her spirit name. To gather all these essential pieces, she calls on her mom,...

On Christmas Eve on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Coyote wants to find some people to trick out of a hot meal. Sneaky Coyote is known by Native Americans as the Trickster. He knows that there’s one character people can’t refuse on...

While picking berries with her mother, a little girl wanders too far into the woods. When she realizes she is lost, she begins to panic. A large grey wolf makes a sudden appearance between some distant trees. Using his sense of smell, he determines where...

An innovative re-telling of the classic Christmas tale, this full-color picture book takes a whimsical look at what Christmas Eve might be like for an American Indian family when Old Red Shirt (the Indian Santa Claus) comes a-calling with his team of...

A stunning picture book biography of a 19th century Hidatsa woman, from award-winning author and illustrator S. D. Nelson Buffalo Bird Girl (ca. 1839-1932) was a member of the Hidatsa, a Native American community that lived in permanent...

When a young girl moves to her new home far away from the sea, 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...

Twelve Native American kids present historical and contemporary laws, policies, struggles, and victories in Native life, each with a powerful refrain: We are still here!Too often, Native American history is treated as a finished chapter instead of...

When We Are Kind celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives. Celebrated author Monique Gray Smith has written many books on the topics...

This unique baby book sings with Native cultural detail, while striking a universal chord in its celebration of the blossoming of love that comes with expecting and welcoming a new baby--with art by New York Times bestselling illustrator and...

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption―a bold and lyrical picture book written by Carole Lindstrom...

Knocked from her mother’s safe embrace by an attacking owl, Stellaluna lands headfirst in a bird’s nest. This adorable baby fruit bat’s world is literally turned upside down when she is adopted by the occupants of the nest and adapts to...

I'll teach you everything I know, and guide you as you learn and grow, because you are my baby. A mama coyote sings moon songs through the night just as a mama human cuddles her baby and lays her down to sleep. This precious story illustrates that the...

Sitting Bull (c. 1831–1890) was one of the greatest Lakota/Sioux warriors and chiefs who ever lived. From Sitting Bull’s childhood—killing his first buffalo at age 10—to being named war chief to leading his people against the U.S...

"Nooko's spirit is there in the stars," says Niigaanii to his younger brother, Bineshiinh, as they sprawl in a meadow, gazing skyward. "Uncle said when Nooko':s spirit left this world it went there." Nooko was their grandmother, and they...

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.Fry...

When a young girl helps tend to her grandmother’s garden, she begins to notice things that make her curious. Why does her grandmother have long, braided hair and beautifully coloured clothing? Why does she speak another language and spend so much...

Irene and her family live together on Nipissing First Nation, until the day a government agent comes to their door to take Irene and two of her brothers away to live at a residential school, very far from home.  Irene's parents don't want to send...

Stands-by-Herself lives with her grandmother in a buffalo-hide tipi among their Cheyenne people on the Great Plains. Other children make fun of her because she is always by herself dreaming. One day she finds a strange egg-shaped rock and senses...

Windy Girl is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle she gathers stories of long-ago traditions, about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself–about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat...

The determined story of an Ojibwe grandmother (nokomis), Josephine Mandamin, and her great love for nibi (water). Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect nibi for future generations and for all life on the planet. The walks are full of...

Paul Goble has pulled together six of his best Iktomi stories and compiled them into a compendium of trouble, disaster, fun, and examples from which to learn. Iktomi is the Lakota name for the American Indian Trickster who appears in the stories of...

How did horses first appear to the peoples of the North American plains?According to the legends of the Blackfoot Indians, a wise man dreamed of strange animals in a far off land: they were as tall and strong as elk, but could be tamed like dogs and...

Red Cloud (1822-1909) was a great warrior and chief of the Lakota . Told from his perspective, Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender describes the events that brought him to prominence as a leader of his people and how he came to surrender them...

This retelling of an ancient Native tale relates the story of Star Boy, son of Morning Star and an earthly bride. It is considered a reverent, eye-catching rendition of an important Indian story. As a symbol of the Sun's disapproval for his mother's...