Books to Read This Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month! To celebrate, here are ten books we recommend reading this month. These books can be found and purchased using the links below. Happy reading!

Heartdrum Curated by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins, publishes books for children and young adults that includes heartfelt stories by Native creators that center around intertribal voices and visions. These books emphasize the present and future of Indian Country and the strength of young Indigenous heroes. Here at TBIR we love the picture book Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young.

Powwow Day Written by Traci Sorell and Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

River is a young indigenous girl who wants to dance at her tribal powwow but is recovering from an illness that prevents her from doing so. This picture book follows River’s journey of learning to connect with her tribe in other ways while learning about the healing powers of community.

Tallchief Written by Maria Tallchief with Rosemary Wells and Illustrated by Gary Kelley

A picture book biography that tells the story of ballerina Maria Tallchief’s childhood on an Osage reservation, the development of her love of dance, and her rise to becoming a prima ballerina.

Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen

Carry: A Memoir on Survival on Stolen Land, by Toni Jensen, is a memoir in essays, on a range of topics but with violence as a common theme. Through the sixteen essays, Jensen conveys what it means to exist as an Indigenous woman in America. 

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

A young adult historical fiction following Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker in World War II. Code Talker illuminates the crucial efforts of the Navajo code talkers who saved countless lives.

Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

An introduction to the climate change crisis from the perspective of an Indigenous youth environmental activist and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. A great inspiring call-to-action and a reminder that climate change is a human issue that cannot be ignored.

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

A young adult mystery and fiction book following Daunis Fontain, a biracial and unenrolled tribal member, who witnesses a shocking murder that thrusts her into a criminal investigation. After agreeing to go undercover, the threat begins to strike too close to home and her community on the Ojibwe reservation. 

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants Written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Adapted by Monique Gray Smith, and Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt

In her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass, botanist and Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer showed readers how there are gifts and everyday lessons in all living things. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition further breaks down complex concepts bringing Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.

Elatsoe Written by Darcie Little Badger and Illustrated by Rovina Cai

In a world where paranormal beings walk among us, the story follows Elatsoe, a Lipan Apache teen who can raise the spirit of the dead. When her cousin appears to her in a dream and claims to have been murdered, Elatsoe sets on solving the mystery of his death. 

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

A young adult story about a futuristic and dystopian world where everyone except North America’s Indigeous people have lost the ability to dream. Their marrow holds the cure for others but will lead to the death of the unwilling donors leading to a story of a fifteen-year-old and his companions struggling for survival.