Native American, American Indian, First Nations Canadian, and Indigenous Books for Kids.
This we know; the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Chief Seattle’s Thoughts In honor of Native American Heritage Month, I rounded up some newly published books that speak to the speech made…
I went for the first time to Plimoth Plantation as a chaperone for my son’s third grade field trip. I somehow managed to avoid it for my girls. It was really a great trip and the kids were very well prepared. My son said that he preferred learning about the Native Americans (and Wampanoags specifically)…
Since reading about Children of the Tipi: Life in the Buffalo Days by Michael Oren Fitzgerald and hearing pushback by Debbie Reese that the contemporary life of Native Americans was not included, it got me thinking. While the premise of Children of the Tipi was to document life in the bygone buffalo days, she has…
Have you been following the brouhaha on Twitter: #WeNeedDiverseBooks ? This is what went down: “Last week, BookCon announced their event’s lineup of blockbuster kid lit panelists. Jeff Kinney, James Patterson, Rick Riordan, and Lemony Snicket, four white men, will be starring as luminaries in the field for this event. Even the invited panelists have…
I chose a Creek folk tale today for Picture Book of the Day and wanted to explore both the story, and its influences, and make connections to learn more about the Muscogee (Creek) people. I hope you enjoy this exploration! The Muscogee (Creek) people are descendents of a remarkable culture that, before 1500 AD, spanned…
This is part 2 of the 3 part series on Top 10: Best Native American Children’s Books by Debbie Reese. For her Top 10 list of Picture Books, please click here.
In eerily similar circumstances, young Navajo Americans were forced to relocate to attend boarding school where great attempts were made by the school to purge them of their ethnic identity, particularly their language. Both children’s books that are featured talk about harsh punishments for speaking in their native tongue. This forced relocation is not unlike the Japanese Americans during WWII. Is this really America, the home of the free?! This is the ugly underbelly that doesn’t get much press coverage. Am I the only one who didn’t learn about the Navajo Code Breakers at school in U.S. History? I am glad for these books to teach a new generation, and our nation, that the differences that make us unique make our country more powerful. Imagine if that boarding school were successful in wiping out the Navajo language? It’s really not inconceivable if the timing of the war were different!