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 he received the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the picture book category for Forever Cousins.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Jonathan Nelson
Ya'at'eeh! Shi ei yinishye. Kiyaa'aanii doo Naakai dine'e baschichiin. Hooghan lani da shicheii doo Táchii’nii da shinali.
Hello. My name is Jonathan Nelson. I am of the Towering House clan, born for the Mexican clan. My maternal grandparents are of the Many Hogans clan and my paternal grandparents are of the Red-Running-Into-The-Water clan.
I’m grateful and honored to be here with you all and among the creators listed on the agenda for the American Indian Youth Literature Awards.
I’ve been awarded 2 awards and, yes, I was curious about giving the same speech twice. Thanks to Charlesbridge and Laurie Goodluck to share my talents on Forever Cousins. I also want to thank Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins, and Kim Rogers for giving me the opportunity to collaborate on A Letter for Bob.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been back to Phoenix, the homelands of the of the Akimel O'odham (Pima), Piipaash (Maricopa), and Yavapai people. It’s great to see some of them here along with everyone else and these heavy hitters. I'm grateful and honored to be sharing this space and time with you.
In sharing my process I’d like to share some work I did back in 2009. I painted a series of six vinyl records I labeled Ewe-volution. You as in sheep. Get it? It’s a story about a mother and her son, a ram. The mother is the first to ever realize that she's a being, a person.
Her son begins to grow and he doesn't have to think about his own existence. He knows who he is and he has aspirations and goals. You can see how he grows. It relates with how I’ve gone through life and how the younger generations perceive education.
I got my start in art as a young kid drawing Garfield, Snoopy, then Spiderman, Hulk, and Batman. In high school, I began painting. Today, I work as a graphic artist, web designer, and illustrator.
In 2001, I had just met, my partner, Dr. Christine Nelson in Scottsdale and began dating. All the way from the Rez, she’s from Farmington and I’m from Hogback. I was working as a skycap at Sky Harbor and 9/11 happened and everything came to a halt. I needed to find work right away. We looked at different options and suggested I go back to school. We toured Al Collins Graphic Design School in Tempe and that’s where I got my start in graphic design and illustration. I didn't know I could do that with my art as I finished high school.
So, Dr. Chris and I have a 14-year-old son, Olin. He’s back in Denver and couldn’t be with us. So, he is kind of like the ram along with the younger generations we’re watching grow. He’s been seeing and hearing our work since he was a baby. Dr. Nelson with her research and writing contributions to papers, journals, and books. He’s watched me paint, sketch, and draw on canvas and iPad. He’s been with us on work trips to conferences and comic book conventions where we’ve presented and showcased. He hears about our research, projects, and discussions on higher education, career, and activist art among other topics in our fields.
I’m grateful to work with these authors, designers, and educators, and, more so, within various Indigenous communities, companies, and student organizations. Olin and the youth are seeing us do this work. We’re giving them pathways they could follow, something to shoot for. I illustrate that in my books. Olin, and my nieces and nephews, the youth, can see themselves in these books. I draw these characters for my wife, my son, my nieces and nephews, grandmas and grandpas and so on and so forth. I hope you can also see them for yourselves and your communities.
Thanks to Charlesbridge and Heartdrum & HarperCollins. Thanks to my agent, Nicole Gieger at Full Circle Literary. And thanks to American Indian Youth Literature Awards for these honors and inviting me here for this ceremony.
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 she received the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the picture book category for Forever Cousins.
****
 |
| Naomi Bishop (left) presenting Laurel Goodluck (right) with award for Forever Cousins |
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Laurel Goodluck
Greetings,
Dosha – Hello, friends. It’s wonderful to be spending the morning with you all. Writing a book for children is a privilege, a responsibility, and a lot of fun.
BUT…
I wasn’t one of those kids who said I wanted to be a writer, but I grew up with oral storytelling.
- My storytelling journey began with my family around the kitchen table in the SF Bay Area in California on weekends with my parents, uncles, aunties, grandmas, and cousins. The grown-ups told us stories of their adventures as children growing up in our homelands in North Dakota and Alaska. Stories of brown bears, gathering cedar bark, their father singing lullabies in Hidatsa and playing Stardust on the Sax, and trading horses for bikes with the town kids in Elbowoods.
- As cousins, these stories were adventures that we wanted to live up to. So, when we ventured home to North Dakota each summer, we were determined to have similar escapades and did. We jumped off logs in the lake, and when wild ponies wandered on our farm, we corralled them and played rodeo; we found rattlesnakes in the garden, and in solemn moments, we gathered around the tipi rings dotting the land and imagined our ancestors’ lives on the prairie.
- But the stories that were told around the kitchen table that later informed all of us cousins as adults were the stories about our chiefs and my grandfather, who was tribal chairman of Fort Berthold. My grandfather, Martin Old Dog Cross, bravely fought against the government to stop the Garrison Dam, which eventually flooded our ancestral lands. Martin would meet with Senators in Washington DC and proclaim, “There is no price for our land.”
- With this legacy of leadership through oral storytelling, I learned that these powerful stories offered keys to resilience. So, with a career in education and mental health and near retirement, I decided to write for children. I wanted to provide all the kids with what my family offered me through oral storytelling.
It began with FOREVER COUSINS.
- It is a story of my family and many families who experienced the Indian Relocation Act. Who knew a picture book format could offer all of this? I didn’t initially; this was my first attempt at a picture book. I soon discovered I could tell a universal story of love and friendship between cousins with all the beauty of our Native culture sprinkled through the story as organically as we live. And the back matter, the author’s note could express my need to tell the untold history and tribal and native cultural relevance. It also began with a lovely team of allies.
- I found Debbie Reese on social media. I Instant Messaged her and asked her many questions. She directed me to Tracy Sorell, who spent over an hour on the phone with me, passing on her wisdom. Later, Traci and I were paired together as mentors and mentees through WNDB (We Need Diverse Books), and everything began to change.
- Tracy introduced me to freelance editor Karen Boss, who was patient and professional and helped me edit Forever Cousins. Then she said, “I don’t say this to everyone; I’d like you to submit this to Charlesbridge.”
- At the same time, I met Nicole Geiger, agent extraordinaire with Full Circle Literary Agency. I knew I wanted to be with this agency, which supported diverse creatives in children’s literature for decades.
- My community expanded through the Kweli Children of Color Conference with Laura Pegram’s leadership, Native writing intensives sponsored by Heartdrum and WNDB with editor Rosemary Brosnan and Cynthia Leitich Smith, Highlights Native retreats with Tracy Sorell, and international online Native writing critique groups. We are a solid Native community of support and a soft nest to retreat to.
Closing
- So, Forever Cousins was created with this circle of support and belief. And with a talented illustrator, Jonathan Nelson, who made the beautiful, vibrant, and playful art. I will forever be grateful to these allies and the community we continue to grow and nurture with many unique tribal voices and needed stories.
- Thank you, American Indian Library Association, for this honor of best picture book, which I’m thrilled to share with Andrea Rogers and her brilliant story.
- And last, I thank my family, who offered stories that run as deep as the tipi rings still outlined on our prairie.
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 received the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the picture book category for A Letter for Bob.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Kim Rogers
This is my first trip to Phoenix. It’s a wonderful reprieve from the freezing Oklahoma winter. Last week, during single digit temperatures, I was trying to thaw out our frozen shower with a portable space heater. Phoenix is a lot warmer, and I am grateful!
I am delighted to be here with you today to celebrate this special occasion in Native American Children's Literature.
Thank you so much for that kind introduction and warm welcome. Thank you to the American Indian Youth Literature Award committee members. I am grateful for the work you do. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible.
I am honored to receive this recognition along with many brilliant creatives whose work I admire.
Congrats to Laurel Goodluck and Jonathan Nelson. I am honored to share this recognition with you both.
My love of stories began at a young age when my Wichita grandmother and aunties would sit around my grandma’s living room and tell stories. They had me mesmerized.
They talked about all kinds of things. And maybe some things I wasn’t supposed to hear. They told stories about the men they’d dated, the latest gossip in town, and ghost stories on our tribal lands. Listening to them made me feel grown up and a part of them—a strong circle of women. And believe me, I learned a lot from those stories as you might imagine! Wow!
From the time I could read, I’d be lost in books. And I recruited others too. In my bedroom, I would line up my stuffed animals and pretend that I was a school teacher and read them picture books. Then I started writing my own.
I’d even illustrate the pages. I would staple them together and read them to my stuffed animal friends too. Yes, they were all ears!
In first grade, I wrote my first poem. It was raining that day and it filled me with so much emotion. I had to get the words on the page. I wrote it on a worksheet and drew a picture of a girl under an umbrella. My teacher commented later that she liked my poem and that it touched her. That’s when I learned the power of words.
In fourth grade, our teacher gave us the assignment of writing stories from our spelling word list. She would often ask me to read mine in front of the class. She told me I would be a writer someday. I laughed because I thought that something so fun could not be a real job. I thought jobs had to be miserable.
I am thankful for those wonderful teachers who encouraged me and were my first writing cheerleaders. They are part of the reason I stand here before you today.
For a long time, I was hesitant to write from my Wichita perspective. I grew up during a time when it did not feel safe for me to do so. With the start of 2025, it feels like that all over again.
But our work is incredibly important. It’s essential for our Native youth to see themselves in books. We must push back against book bans and efforts to silence our voices. We must continue on and write our stories for the sake our children and future generations.
Thank you to my friend Cynthia Leitich Smith, author - curator of Heartdrum who is another cheerleader in my life. Years ago, she had reached out to me on social media encouraging me to write about my Wichita heritage when I was writing everything else but that. She helped me find the courage to share my voice.
Thank you to my friend and agent Tricia Lawrence. I appreciate everything that you do for me!
Thank you to my editor and friend Rosemary Brosnan who had planned to celebrate with us today but could not be here. Sending you well-wishes and hugs. Thank you for your kindness and believing in my stories. Your brilliant editing makes every manuscript shine.
Thank you to all the wonderful people at Heartdrum. I am thrilled that I get to work with each one of you.
Thank you to Jonathan Nelson for bringing A LETTER TO BOB to life. I love seeing the beauty, humor, and relationships that you created in the illustrations of Katie and her family. And of course Bob the car.
Thank you to my family for your love and support, even those who are with me in spirit. Mom, I miss you each and every day.
Thank you to our sons for the memories of the many vacations, car rides, and adventures that helped me write the scenes in A LETTER FOR BOB.
Thank you especially to my husband, the love of my life and my biggest supporter and ultimate cheerleader who continues to tell everyone how proud he is of his wife—even our dentist! And I'm honestly a little embarrassed.
Thank you to everyone who advocates for Natives stories including librarians and teachers. YOU are my heroes.
I am so grateful to you all. So:ti:c?a. Thank you.
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 received the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the middle school category for We Still Belong.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Christine Day
Good morning, everyone. It’s a beautiful day to be here, to share space with you all in this incredible venue, and to celebrate the immense talent and diversity of our Native kid lit community.
For those of you who don’t know me: Hi. I’m Christine. I’m a citizen of the Upper Skagit Tribe, which is one of the signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliott in western Washington State. My maternal grandmother, Lorraine, was Upper Skagit and Nooksack. She was also a teenager when she carried my mother. Lorraine spent part of her pregnancy in a group home for unwed mothers in Seattle. And while she was there, she wrote letters to her family. Most of her letters recounted ordinary things, such as her math and world history lessons, and she often asked after the wellbeing of her younger siblings. But sometimes, her writings would reveal the way things were in that home. In one letter, postmarked August 29 th , 1960, she wrote: “Hi! I hope all of you are fine, I’m doing okay… I didn’t call because most of this week the girls have got into trouble for using the telephone too much, and some of the girls had their telephone privileges taken away… We have phone monitors to time each girl on the telephone, so all of us girls can talk five minutes. If we take over five minutes, we get called down to the housemother and she gives the girl an hour of work for talking over time on the telephone. I thought if I called you, I would’ve probably talked over five minutes, so I didn’t call…” I had a similar thought when I was writing this speech, actually. Is it possible for me to acknowledge my people in only five-to-seven minutes? Don’t know. We’ll see.
Anyway. Her letter continues: “There are about twenty girls coming here at the end of this month, and it's crowded already. Some of the girls that are new are sleeping on the davenport… The ages that we have here are 13, 14, 15, 16, and all the way up to 33 years old. All the girls are nice to me and I get along with everybody. I still have a good record, haven’t got into trouble at all, and I’m going to keep it that way. Well, I hope everybody’s okay. I hope everybody’s fine. I have to get ready for bed now, and I’ll write sooner if I’m not too busy, tell everybody I said hello. Tell all the kids I said hello. Lots of Love, Lorraine.”
My mother was born in September of 1960. But unfortunately, the Indian Child Welfare Act would not pass in Congress until 1978. Therefore, my mother spent the first six months of her life in an orphanage, despite the fact that she wasn’t technically an orphan. And during those six months, she had no legal name. Someone at some point gave her the nickname “Christy.” But when her adoptive parents came along, her new mother opted for “Susan,” because she already had a cousin named Christy, whom she did not like. Which is fair enough, I suppose.
And that is how I came to be Christine. My parents chose it in honor of my mother’s first nickname. And they gave me Lorraine, as my middle name, in honor of my mom’s young birth mother, whom we never got to meet.
So, all my life, I have carried these women and their stories with me. This is part of the reason why I write the books that I write. It’s also one of the reasons why this award means so much to me. Because the American Indian Youth Literature Award committee isn’t only honoring me: you have chosen to honor them, as well. Lorraine and Sue, their stories are separate yet inseparable from mine, like three strands of the same braid. I would not be here without them. And through my writing, I always strive to pay tribute to them. So I’d like to thank you all, truly, for seeing something worth recognizing in my work.
Additional thanks are due to my team at the Heartdrum imprint. Rosemary Brosnan couldn’t join us today, which makes me sad, because I miss her. But alas. Here is what I’d planned to say to her: Rosemary, seven years ago, you changed my life with your belief in me. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your guidance, your patience, and your profound respect for the creative process. I am so grateful to call you my friend, as well as my trusted editor and mentor. Cynthia Leitich Smith, I am deeply grateful for your kindness and friendship as well, and your dedication to building community and bringing folks together. I am incredibly proud to be a Heartdrum author.
I also need to thank my team at the Philomel imprint. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to share Maria Tallchief’s life story with young readers. I’m grateful to Chelsea Clinton for creating the She Persisted series. Thanks to Jill Santopolo and Talia Benamy for their wonderful editorial work. Thanks to Gillian Flint for her beautiful illustrations. And thanks to the Osage Nation Language Department, for providing some text in their syllabary.
And of course, I need to acknowledge my husband and kids. Every book I write is also a love letter to you. You are the light that brings the dawn. You are my whole world.
Thank you all again for being here. I’ve heard rumors that this will be the last ALA midwinter conference, which I find a bit shocking and sad. But alas. One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from the book Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee. It’s the very first sentence, which says: “History has failed us, but no matter.” What a line. What a revelation, really. And it feels especially true for those of us ensconced in the world of children’s literature. Either in schools and libraries, or as parents and writers.
History has failed us, but no matter. May we stay attuned to our own creativity and curiosity and empathy. May we strive to honor our ancestors, and empower our descendants. May we write and share the books that want to be written. And may we uplift all children, everywhere, by doing so.
Thank you.
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 received the American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award in the picture book category for Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series, and the Honor Award in the middle school category for Mascot, and for She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Traci Sorell
ᏏᏲ ᏂᎦᏓ. Traci Sorell ᏓᏆᏙᎠ. ᏥᎡᏥ. ᏥᎩᎶᎯ. ᏥᏗᎪᏪᎵᎩ.
Wado for the warm welcome. It is wonderful to be here at the American Indian Youth Literature
Awards (AIYLA) in community with tremendous storytellers from Native Nations across this
continent. I am humbled and honored.
Although my family is back home supporting my son in his school competitions, nothing I create
is done without them, my ancestors, my community, and ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎢ.
As many of you know, I did not come to writing for young people as anything other than a
mother seeking to solve a problem. In many ways, I’m grateful for that naïveté. Had I known the
vulnerability the creative life would require, I assure you that I would have been less enthusiastic
about figuring out this industry and how to write. But forces greater than myself are in charge, so
here I am.
With that, I owe a deep ᏩᏙ to the American Indian Library Association (AILA) for their work,
their independence, and their commitment to honoring Native created stories. I always tell others
that your recognition and what I hear directly from readers mean the most to me. It’s the truth.
I want to quickly say how thankful I am that AILA selected five previous titles I worked on for
recognition. We couldn’t have an in-person ceremony for those with the pandemic, so I offer my
gratitude to those previous AIYLA committees now.
My literary agent Emily Mitchell has assisted me in ways too numerous to list. ᏩᏙ, Em!
For the three books honored this year:
Wilma Mankiller, a chapter book about my shero, was incredible to write. I had planned a PB bio
about her when Jill Santopolo at Philomel reached out to ask if I was interested. How could I not
accept? I had all the research ready and loved the She Persisted series’ focus on the person’s
younger years laying the foundation for future accomplishments. ᏩᏙ to Jill and Talia Benamy at
Philomel, Illustrators Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint, Penguin’s School & Library team
(especially Summer Ogata), and Chelsea Clinton for creating the series.
Contenders, the dual biography of pro baseball players Charles Bender (Ojibwe) and John Tortes
Meyers (Cahuilla), wouldn’t exist without my mother giving me a love of the game and my
husband telling me about the accomplishments of these incredible athletes. The book would not
be the beautiful, strong story it is without Arigon Starr’s incredible art. She was the only person I
wanted to co-create with, and I’m grateful that our editor Namrata Tripathi and baseball loving
art director Jasmin Rubero agreed. Arigon’s line work, ability to make each person’s face unique
(a rarity in most kidlit books), and her centering of each man’s Native identity took the story
beyond anything I dreamed possible. Our all-woman team at Kokila enjoyed making this book
together. Shout out to Tessa Meischeid, our Penguin publicist, for connecting the book with
NPR’s Weekend Edition and several broadcasts in Canada including the CBC. I’m grateful to the Tulsa Artist Fellowship for bringing Arigon to live temporarily in Tulsa, so we could meet in the
first place.
Mascot wouldn’t exist without poet Charles Waters who dreamt up the idea for this verse novel
and asked if I’d co-author with him. It’s our pandemic creation. Our Charlesbridge editor
extraordinaire Karen Boss made this book as polished as possible. It’s the magic she does with
any story she reads – as evidenced by other books among AIYLA’s present, past and, I suspect,
future awardees. Nicole Neidhardt’s incredible cover art draws readers to open the book, and
Diane Earley’s design with gritty-feel cover are top notch too. Meg Quinn, Donna Spurlock,
Jordan Standridge, Jaliza Burwell, and the rest of the Charlesbridge sales and marketing team
never failed to get this book into all the right hands.
Again, my profound gratitude to the AIYLA committee for all the hours you devote to this work.
ᏩᏙ to Penguin for supporting me to attend this wonderful ceremony. To celebrate with so many
Natives who live here locally makes this extra special. ᏩᏙ!
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 received the American Indian Youth Literature Honor Award in the picture book category for Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series. Starr did the illustrations; the book is by Traci Sorell.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Arigon Starr
Thank you to everyone at AILA, Kokila Books and especially Traci Sorell. This was my first picture book and hopefully not my last.
I come from a matrilineal baseball family. My Grandmother and her sister took my Mom to Tulsa baseball games in the 1940s, while she loved listening to St. Louis Cardinals baseball as a young girl. Mom and my sister Gay were San Diego Padres fans – while me and my Dad liked the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Editor Namrata Tripathi and art director Jasmin Rubero supported my artwork and let me run wild! It was an honor to represent these pioneers (Charles Bender & John Meyers) in baseball and celebrate their achievements.
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 are books by Native writers, Angeline Boulley and Eric Gansworth!
The students were viewing what was presented as an AI generated video that was a mess, which is why the girl in my screen cap has that expression on her face (the word 'What?' is due to the the closed caption option I use).
I am delighted to see Native-authored books on the SNL stage! That's a big one! I'm adding it to
AICL's Milestones page. I know librarians, teachers, and writers are zooming in to see what else is on those shelves. Books matter so much to so many of us. Being represented like this: way cool!
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 received the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the young adult category for Rez Ball.
****
AIYLA Medal Acceptance Remarks
Byron Graves
Rez Ball was inspired by fond memories of playing basketball for my high school basketball team on the Red Lake Reservation.
Our basketball team was a beautiful distraction from the tough, cold, dark winter months. We were something to cheer for, something to talk about, something to look forward to.
Sometimes life on our reservation can be tough for a wide variety of reasons. But basketball has always been what brought us together, what made us all smile no matter what we might be going through.
As I wrote Rez Ball, I delved into more memories. Some of love, some of pain. The excitement and the thrill of winning under bright lights in the biggest of moments. The crushing heartbreak of losing the final game.
For a long time, I felt like I had let my family, friends, teammates and community down when we lost the state tournament. That disappointment and frustration lingered. It was a weight that held me down. More loss and failure followed. Dreams that I chased, fell apart. My community was devastated by a school shooting. Some of my best friends and myself faced challenges with drugs and alcohol. Cancer stole My father and nephew, who was an upcoming basketball star.
There was a point in my life, when I began to believe that I wouldn’t ever win. At anything.
But basketball reminded me that life isn’t about the final score, it’s about the battle we face within. My younger sister and my niece, both were versions of Rez Ball’s main character, Tre Brun. In the middle of a school year, in the heart of their basketball seasons, they battled grief while staying in school and working hard, all the while, continuing to shine on the basketball court.
I cheered as they splashed deep three pointers and made flashy no look passes. But in my heart is where I cheered the loudest.
In awe of their strength, their bravery, their courage. Watching my family and reservation cope with loss and grief by playing a game, and cheering for each other inspired me to write Rez Ball. It inspired me to believe in myself again. It made me chase my dreams, with courage and excitement. Unafraid of the final score. Knowing it was about much more than that.
Rez Ball was a love letter to my family, my teammates, and my reservation. It is a shout out to all Indigenous communities across the country, where basketball, hoop dreams, carry us above the rim and lifts us when we need it most.
This book was all about teamwork. I couldn’t have done this without my team.
My father, for showing me tough love, pushing me beyond what I thought were my limits, and instilling in me, an undying work ethic.
My mother, for nourishing my creative interests. Instead of reading me bed time stories, she used to make them up as she went. Until I began to interject, with proposals I had for ideas of where the story should actually go next. And asking for multiverse cameos, as I believed her story could really use the star power of the smurfs and scooby doo.
She told me this, and it’s probably the biggest reason I’m standing up here today. “Christ, why don’t you just make up your own stories then?” And that was the end of story time, but the beginning of me creating my own stories. Thanks Mom!
My little sister, Bimwewe, who always was my biggest fan, and made me like an award winning author, well before I deserved such praise. But her love and support, tricked me into believing in myself during some of my darkest times.
My basketball teammates and coaches for the lessons, friendships and memories.
My reservation, for the unwavering support they show to young student athletes.
My best friend, Dalton Walker, and his amazing family, Taté and Ohíya. These three are the epitome of brilliance, of giving, of learning, of caring. I hold them near and dear in my heart in dark times, as they are a lighthouse of good in this world. They are my north star, guiding me towards the type of person I would love to be.
Rez Ball would not have been possible without the amazing, kind, and talented Cynthia Leitich-Smith. She taught me how to write. She saw my vision for Rez Ball, for the characters, the story, and the deeper meanings.
Cynthia helped me shape those threads, tighten them, sharpen them. Rez Ball has her fingerprints all over it. Miigwech Cynthia.
Rosemary Brosnan, for being an integral part of an imprint like Heartdrum even existing in the first place. For having bravery, a vision, and for being an ally as we tell our stories.
Thank you to everyone involved with the American Indian Youth Literature Awards for your countless hours of reading, thinking, and conversation. This is an unbelievably important and much needed space and stage that you have carved out for Indigenous authors.
Winning this award is the honor of my lifetime. This category had some of my all time favorite authors. I’m so damn proud to even be in their company, to be considered alongside them. My author heroes and friends. I’ve looked up to them for a long time, and strive to be as skilled as they are some day.
Rez Ball being ultimately chosen, is as a testament of how a game, how a book, how losing over and over in life, can show us all, what winning is actually all about. It’s about staying humble, fighting the good fight, uplifting your peers, accepting help, loving your community, finding a purpose beyond the superficial, and especially, never, ever giving up on yourself or your dreams.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Miigwech
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 literature. That means every single library in the country will get a copy. It means visibility in a major way!
When I heard Rob Bittner say aloud "Chooch Helped" --- well, I felt an incredible jolt of adrenaline.
Children in schools whose teachers and librarians feature this Caldecott-winning book in lesson plans, read alouds, and library programming will identify with a big sister's many frustrations with a younger sibling, but along the way they will learn the names of a Cherokee author--Andrea L. Rogers--and a Cherokee illustrator--Rebecca Lee Kunz.
And they will learn some Cherokee words!
That page says "Elisi painted a mural." Beneath the word elisi is its pronunciation. There's also a glossary in the back.
Look at the mural. Each page in the book has Cherokee-specific details. Information about them is in the back.
In the author's note, Rogers tells us about Cherokee artists who did murals and large paintings. She tells us their names and what they did. In the illustrator's note, Kunz tells us that the birds are inspired by heron patterns incised on vessels at an archeological site. These are opportunities to dig in and learn more about Cherokee people, culture, and history.
That's all I got for now. I want to bask in the possibilities radiating from this news!
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 march toward a more just society. Today, I want to honor them by recognizing and recommending three recent books for young people, by Native creators, that explore in different ways the themes of standing one's ground and making a positive difference in one's community. The books are:
We Need Everyone by Michael Redhead Champagne (Shamattawa First Nation), illustrated by Tiff Bartel (Viet Canadian)
Little By Little: You Can Change the World by Sonya Ballantyne (Swampy Cree), illustrated by Rhael McGregor (Metis and settler heritage) and Toben Racicot (not Native)
Surviving the City, Vol. 3: We Are the Medicine by Tasha Spillett (Cree and Trinidadian), illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Metis and white)
All three were published during 2024 by Highwater Press, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We Need Everyone is a picture book intended for children ages 6 - 8. Little By Little is a graphic novel for ages 9 - 12. Surviving the City, Vol. 3, also a graphic novel, is for teens and up. I'm not going to do full reviews of these books -- just summaries to encourage you to look for yourself!
We Need Everyone is by a community activist, Michael Redhead Champagne. Here's what the publisher says about it: "We Need Everyone empowers children to identify their gifts and use them to overcome challenges, achieve goals, and strengthen communities. Inspiring and uplifting, this interactive picture book celebrates diverse cultures, perspectives, and abilities through playful illustrations. Perfect for reading aloud." It's a colorful, encouraging look at making one's world larger, and better. The publisher provides a free We Need Everyone teachers' guide, and a book trailer, too.
Little By Little: You Can Change the World is biographical, briefly telling part of the life story of Michael Redhead Champagne, author of We Need Everybody. The focus is on how Michael began, as a pre-teen, to call out misinformation and prejudices regarding homeless people. In the back of the book, Michael himself writes about how he came to be adopted by the Champagne family, after being born to a mother who struggled with untreated trauma and could not care for him. There's a free Little By Little teachers' guide, too.
Surviving the City, Vol. 3 concludes Spillett's & Donovan's series featuring Indigenous teens and friends living in Winnipeg. As the story begins, the teens are stunned by news that the remains of hundreds of children were discovered at former Indian residential schools. The publisher states, "The teens struggle with feelings of helplessness in the face of injustice. Can they find the strength to channel their frustration into action toward a more hopeful time?" Some of the teens are arrested during a protest and endure harsh unjust treatment at the hands of the police. They wonder what is necessary to make an action effective, and what price activism can exact from individuals. Of the three, this is the most hard-hitting, depicting police violence against a peaceful protest, and the personal aftermath for the characters involved.
All three of the books end with optimism about the necessity of being actively involved in one's community, and the potential for positive change through cooperation and creative approaches. All provide opportunities for meaningful discussions of such questions as, "What might make you want to get involved to help your community? What abilities and interests do you have that might make you effective? Who is is interested in the same issues? What important things need to be done? Does getting involved result in suffering, for some of the characters in these books? How are they able to go on?"
Educators, librarians, family members, and community activists -- please get to know these books and share them with the young people you know -- Native and not Native! Now and in the near future, the well-being of so many in our communities is going to call for well-informed, inspired, caring, and courageous people of all ages to speak out for themselves and those around them. We have our work cut out for us, striving to make sure that the arc of the moral universe bends continually toward justice. These three books can help young people decide, if good trouble is needed, how (and whether) they might make it.
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 difference! More people know about boarding schools because of her. Across the country, place names changed from the derogatory "squaw" to names that do not denigrate people--and more people understand why those name changes are necessary.
Because of the work I do as an advocate for children's books that accurately reflect Native people, I am taking a moment to thank the Native writers who wrote books about her. I hope every school library in the country has them. If not, put an order in right away!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Between the Pipes
Written by Albert McLeod (ancestry from Nisichawayasihk Cree, and Cross Lake
and Norway House Metis) with Elaine Mordoch (not Native)
and Sonya Ballantyne (Swampy Cree)
Illustrated by Alice RL (Ojibwe) and Kielamel Sibal (not Native)
Published in 2024
Publisher: Highwater Press
Reviewed by Jean Mendoza
Not long ago, one of my favorite people on earth posted their reaction to a scene in a popular streaming series that lovingly affirmed LGBTQ+ experience in a way that felt specific to their life. They remembered how deeply they had needed such affirmation and acceptance during their childhood and youth. We know that representation matters, that young LGBTQ+ people need to see themselves reflected in media. But to see someone you love speak from the heart about it, with such vulnerability, resonates at another level.
I had recently read the 2024 graphic novel Between the Pipes, from Highwater Press. We put it on AICL's list of best books we read in 2024. It's a great example of LGBTQ+-affirming media for young people that can support those who, like my dear one, are often discouraged in their search for accurate, positive representation.
Here's what publisher Highwater Press says about Between the Pipes:
Thirteen-year-old Chase’s life and identity should be simple. He’s the goalie for his hockey team, the Eagles. He’s a friend to Kevin and Jade. He's Kookum's youngest grandchild. He’s a boy. He should like girls. But it’s not that simple. Chase doesn’t like girls the way that the other boys do. It’s scary being so different from his peers. Scarier still is the feeling that his teammates can tell who he is—and that they hate him for it. If he pretends hard enough, maybe he can hide the truth.
Real strength and change can’t come from a place of shame. Chase’s dreams are troubled by visions of a bear spirit, and the more he tries to hide, the more everything falls apart. With the help of an Elder and a Two-Spirit mentor, can Chase find the strength to be proud of who he is? Between the Pipes explores toxic masculinity in hockey through the experiences of an Indigenous teen.
Note: I typically use "LGBTQ+", but the authors use 2SLGBTQI+. The 2S stands for 2-Spirit. I've been using the GLAAD Media Guide's glossary of terms to keep up with appropriate terms. Here's what they say about "2-Spirit":
Two-Spirit: An adjective used by some Indigenous and First Nations people as an umbrella term to describe people who are not straight and/or cisgender. Many Indigenous communities have specific words in their language to describe these experiences, but some do not. This term should not be used to describe people who are not Indigenous. Only use it for an Indigenous person if they use it to describe themselves.
You may already know that an academic term for such multiple-factor identity is "intersectionality." The term 2-Spirit reflects intersectionality. Some of the creators of Between the Pipes are Indigenous and identify as 2-Spirit. The author's bio, from the publisher, says
Albert McLeod is a Status Indian with ancestry from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the Métis communities of Cross Lake and Norway House in northern Manitoba. He has over thirty years of experience as a human rights activist and was one of the founders of 2-Spirited People of Manitoba. Albert is a member of the team who designed "Thunderhead," the winning concept for the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument in Ottawa.
Collaborator Sonya Ballantyne is Swampy Cree, and illustrator Alice RL identifies as a "non-binary Ojibwe artist." So, we see First Nations affiliations and first-hand experience with issues facing 2SLGBTQI+ people. This all tells readers to expect a story with dual "insider" perspectives --Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+.
Co-author Elaine Mordoch explains in her author's note that Between the Pipes is the result of "an action research project to produce a graphic novel based on the lived experience of Two-Spirit people."
Back to the story! As the publisher's summary says, it explores hockey's culture of toxic masculinity (with its homophobic elements). Chase gets hassled about various aspects of his manliness, mainly by teammate Leo. As is too often the case for 2SLGBTQ+ kids, he internalizes all the negative messages, and tries to deny his feelings. He feels ashamed, afraid, and isolated. His attempt to find support from a clueless guidance counselor at school is especially groan-inducing.
He begins to reject his two highly supportive friends and even yells at his Kookum (grandmother) whom he lives with. She then arranges for Chase to meet a 2-Spirit Cree filmmaker he admires, and an Elder who is gay. He gradually responds to their good-humored, loving support, getting to know the First Nations community in between practicing hard to improve his game.
The artists' work is especially strong in several multi-panel pages in the storytelling. For just one example, take a close look at the hockey game sequence starting on p. 44. Some nice subtle details reveal Chase's growing comfort with who he is. First, we see him wrapping his hockey stick with rainbow tape. Then a panel shows the rainbow flag patch sewn on the sleeve of his uniform. His winning role in the game (a shut-out!) is shown in a rapid-fire sequence. Finally, we see him respond constructively to a taunt from Leo -- after which Leo quietly taps Chase's stick in acknowledgement, and Chase taps back. They might not be friends, but Leo has signaled that maybe he won't be such a jerk, going forward.
Be sure to read "A Word from the Authors" at the back, for the information, resources, and encouragement for those who want to support 2SLGBTQI+ young people. One of the best ways adults can show their respect, care, and love for kids like Chase is to make sure they have access to books like Between the Pipes. That's going to be challenging in the coming years, as homophobes in leadership positions try to ban all books with LGBTQ+ content from classrooms and libraries. So I urge teachers, librarians, and family members to do everything possible to make sure books like this one -- with the all-important message that they belong and deserve to be loved and understood -- stay available.
Yáadilá! Good Grief!
Written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara)
Illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné)
Published in 2025
Publisher: Heartdrum (HarperCollins)
Reviewer: Debbie Reese
Review Status: Highly Recommended
****
Back in 2016 I read a comic called The Wool of Jonesy -- and I loved it. Since then I've followed Jonathan Nelson's work. Again and again, his words and art are precisely what I want Native kids to have. Then in 2022, I read Laurel Goodluck's Forever Cousins. Her storytelling hits me like Jonathan's does. Her books are the ones I want all Native kids to have. He did the illustrations for Forever Cousins. If you've participated in webinars I do online, you know that I talk about their book a lot. And now, they're partnered up again in Yáadilá! Good Grief!
Imagine me opening Yáadilá! Good Grief! Then imagine my smile as I see the sheep in the endpaper art! Something about Nelson's illustrations of sheep appeals to me in ways I can't explain. There aren't any on the cover (shown above) but sheep are a significant part of the story Goodluck and Nelson give to us. On the cover, you see a family (a grandmother, parents, and two children).
Here's the synopsis:
Bahe and Dezba are helping their grandmother, Nali, move from her sheep camp home to their house. The family is packing up, carrying heavy boxes, and settling into a new life together, which isn’t always easy. At every frustration, they throw up their hands and exclaim, “Yaadila!” Good grief!
Bahe sees that this big change is hardest for Nali. But he has a secret plan. Whatever can he be doing with a bucket of water, all that yarn, and Dezba’s dollhouse?
In this heartwarming and quintessentially Navajo (Diné) story, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and illustrator Jonathan Nelson (Diné) together show a big change for an Elder made easier with a creative gesture of love and care.
In my webinars, I tell participants to go right to the end matter in a book to study the author's notes. Those pages are packed with information that teachers, parents, librarians -- anyone who is going to use the book -- need to fully engage the story.
When you flip to the back of this book to find the Author's Note, the first thing you'll is a large red box with a note (white text on a red background) from the "Helpful Narrator" who says
Shhh. Don't tell Bahe, but I'm sneaking back. Wow, wasn't that a fun story? You learned how to yáadilá. You saw how a little sister could be annoying when you're busy doing something nice for your nali. And how cool was it to learn new Diné words? Now it's that time in a picture book when you learn about the author. The author--
In the midst of that sentence, we see an interruption in black text: "Excuse me? What are you doing here?" and then, the final sentence in the red box:
The author has a few words to share on her own. Yáadilá! I'm really done. Hágoónee'.
And beneath that red box/note from Helpful Narrator, we find the Author's Note.
We first met Helpful Narrator in the opening pages. There, it tells us (the readers) how to say yáadilá and how to convey it, too, with body language. As soon as I get a hard copy of the book, I'll be back with some screen captures to show you how this all plays out.
Helpful Narrator's purpose is to speak to us in ways that resonate with me. Within Native communities--and yours, too, perhaps--a reading or storytelling has moments when the reader/speaker steps out of the story to say something. It is a natural way of storytelling. In film, that's called "breaking the fourth wall" and it annoys some people, but I like it because it feels right to me. Storytelling is not strictly a performance! Storytellers might perform but they also engage their audience. That's what Helpful Narrator does in the opening pages, and at the end, too.
I'll be back with more to say about this wonderful book. Obviously I am delighted with it which means I'm highly recommending that you get it for your public and school libraries, and for your classrooms, and your home library, too!
The Pencil
Written by Susan Avingaq (Inuk) and Maren Vsetula (not Native)
Illustrated by Charlene Chua (not Native)
Published in 2019
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Reviewer: Jean Mendoza
Review Status: Highly Recommended
After Debbie and I published our list of the best books we read in 2024, I came across a forgotten gem that will have a place on our 2025 list, though it's an older title. The Pencil by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula had been hiding between two larger books on my shelf for a few years. Published in 2019, it's one of those "little" stories that seems simple but offers a lot to think about.
Here's what the publisher, Inhabit Media in Nunavut (part of what's currently called Canada) says about it:
Susan loves watching her anaana write letters to people in other camps. Anaana has one precious pencil, and she keeps it safe in her box for special things. One afternoon, Anaana leaves the iglu to help a neighbour, and Susan and her siblings are left with their ataata. They play all their regular games but soon run out of things to do -- until Ataata brings out the pencil! As Susan draws and draws, the pencil grows shorter and shorter. What will Anaana think when she comes home?
This is one of AICL's "short and sweet" reviews -- a brief summary and four reasons we recommend the book.
Reason #1 to recommend The Pencil: Family situations children and adults can relate to.
Many a child has run out of things to do while waiting for something to happen. Many an adult has wondered what fun ideas they can offer next. Maybe that's less of a problem in these days of screens and apps, but even those can lose their charms after awhile.
It's too cold to go outdoors, and as the text and illustrations imply, the family does not have a lot of possessions. Susan reveals a truth that many families experience: "It was nice to spend some time with Ataata. Sometimes he even let us do things Anaana didn't let us do..." The illustration shows him telling a scary story.
To keep his children occupied after they exhaust their repertoire of indoor fun, Ataata has to think outside the box -- or in this case, inside the box of Anaana's special things. He takes out her only pencil and last sheet of paper.
Those two precious objects open up a world of engagement. Susan, Rebecca, and Peter enchant each other and Ataata with their drawings. I especially like the way the authors express Susan's delight as she begins to draw.
When Anaana returns, she's dismayed at first to see what happened to her pencil. (I could recall similar feeling, arriving home and seeing what our crew had been up to.) She reminds the family, "We won't be able to get another until we return to the trading post" -- which obviously is not something they can do every day. But Anaana also sees what a positive experience it was for them. She smiles, praises their drawings, and is glad they had a good time.
Reason #2: The storytelling -- words and pictures
The Pencil is based on Susan Avingaq's childhood experiences. Contemporary sources I found say that iglus aren't used much as homes any more, but they remain an important part of Inuit cultural history.
The plot and setting may seem uncomplicated, but the storytelling -- text and illustrations together -- feels masterful. The narrator and the other characters are very likable. Subtle details in the illustrations and text convey important details. An ulu, a specialized knife, is shown. One of their sled dogs who is outside wants Anaana's attention when she leaves the iglu, and when she returns. These are not indoor dogs. The children wear what might seem like a lot of clothing for people who are indoors, and they warm their hands over a small, contained fire, suggesting a cool indoor temperature.
Few other furnishings are depicted. The pencil commands the reader's attention on the pages where it appears, just as it holds the attention of the characters. The end papers are also part of the story, featuring child-like drawings the three siblings showed their mother.
The narrator says, "Our iglu was a very cozy place. We didn't have much, so our parents told us to use what we had wisely," but there is no sense that the family is deprived. The illustrations are full of joy, comfort, and affection. And I love the final illustration: a full moon shines down on the small community of iglus, their ice windows glowing in the night.
The story ends with the narrator remarking that "something as small as a pencil" had brought the family joy. She says she would always remember Anaana's reminder to use things wisely and take care of what they did have.
Reason #3: "Food for thought"
This is a story about a resourceful family. Anaana's absence is an aspect of the community's resourcefulness -- women who know about having babies are a resource for women who are having them. Susan and her siblings use all their play resources (dolls, games) to keep themselves entertained while she's gone, and Ataata resourcefully produces the pencil and paper just in time.
Teachers or caregivers sharing this story could ask children about times when they have been resourceful.
What might they do for fun if they had to stay indoors and not go anywhere? What if they had no phones or screens? What might they need to do to get along with the people with them?
The narrator makes two key points at the end of the story: that small, simple things can bring much joy, and that it's important to wisely use the things we have. People accustomed to a society of Plenty (perhaps Too Much), may think Susan and her family have "too little." It would be interesting to ask elementary-age kids to talk about small things that have brought them happiness, and about what "enough", "a lot" and "too little/few" mean to them.
For an expanded perspective on those ideas, Richard Van Camp's wonderful May We Have Enough to Share would be a good companion book.
Reason #4: The potential for further research and learning
Sharing
The Pencil with children outside of an Arctic environment might require laying some groundwork. I have the impression that curricula in Canada include factual information about Inuit culture and history, but many children in the US may not have access to such knowledge. In fact, they may be exposed to stereotypes and misinformation instead. There's a
teacher's guide for grades K-3 that looks very helpful.
The glossary at the back defines and gives pronunciations for Inuktitut words used in the story, such as qulliq (oil-burning lamp) and inuksuit (traditional stone marker). You could also introduce some other children's books with reliable information about life in the Arctic, such as How to Build an Iglu and Qamutiik: Inuit Tools and Techniques (by Solomon Awa) or Inuksiutiit: Inuit Tools. Both are published by Inhabit Media, and provide stereotype-free facts about items depicted in The Pencil.
Related activities could include drawing with pencils, and acting out the story. This is one of those books that makes me wish to be back in the classroom!
The Pencil was published shortly before the COVID pandemic. I can imagine it brightened the days for children and families homebound during the worst of it, and would be an inspiration now for those stuck indoors because of winter weather. Teachers, librarians, parents -- get this book and the others I mentioned, and enjoy them with the kids!
A reader asked if I have done or know of a critical analysis of The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin. Illustrated by David Shannon, the book came out in 1992. I have not done a critical analysis and wasn't able to find one to share with the reader. This post, then, is the start of my analysis. Here's the book description:
From Algonquin Indian folklore comes a powerful, haunting rendition of Cinderella.
In a village by the shores of Lake Ontario lived an invisible being. All the young women wanted to marry him because he was rich, powerful, and supposedly very handsome. But to marry the invisible being the women had to prove to his sister that they had seen him. And none had been able to get past the sister's stern, all-knowing gaze.
Then came the Rough-Face girl, scarred from working by the fire. Could she succeed where her beautiful, cruel sisters had failed?
And, here's the author's note:
To see good rewarded and evil punished, or justice, is rare. Stories, however, pass on the realities not of the everyday world but of the human heart. One way in which the universal yearning for justice has been kept alive is by the many tales of Cinderella. Indeed, some 1,500 or so version of the basic Cinderella story-type have been recorded so far. In each, the cruel and thoughtless at last get their just reward, as do those who are kind and good.
The Rough-Face Girl, an Algonquin Indian Cinderella is, in its original form, actually part of a longer and more complex traditional story. Brief as it is, however, The Rough-Face Girl remains one of the most magical, mysterious, and beautiful of all Cinderellas. Grown on native soil, its mystery is rooted in our own place. I am happy to pass it on to children and parents today.
In my analyses of books labeled as folktales, myths, or legends, one question I ask is about the source for the story being told. So, what is Rafe Martin's source? His note refers to an "original form" of the story, and it also refers to a "longer and more complex traditional story." He doesn't name his source.
Back in 1993, Betsy Hearne published an article called "Cite the Source" in School Library Journal. It it is her Source Note Countdown, which she created to help people review or analyze a book like Martin's. (Write to me if you want a copy.) It came out a year after his book did, so perhaps it is unfair to apply her countdown to his book. It could apply, however, to subsequent printings of it. On her countdown, we would say his note is #5, "The nonexistent source note." She wrote:
The worst case is easy to describe. The subtitle or jacket copy of a book makes a vague claim to be a "Korean folktale," for instance-which is faithfully picked up and authoritatively echoed in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication (CIP) statement, there to remain forever engrained as fact. The source of this tale is Korea. It's a little abstract, isn't it? But, it's the closest we'll ever get to context, thanks to sloppy thinking on the subject of persons who may have exerted the most meticulous effort on text, art, publication, and distribution."
Poking around online, I may have found the source Martin used. "The Invisible One (Micmac)" is in The Algonquin Legends of New England or Myths and Folk Lore of the Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Tribes by Charles G. Leland, published in 1884 by Houghton, Mifflin and Company. In the preface, Leland writes that Reverend Silas T. Rand, of Hantsport, Nova Scotia, lent him a "collection of eighty-five Micmac tales". I found a copy of Rand's book, titled Legends of the Micmacs published in 1894 by Longmans, Green, and Co.
I think Rafe Martin primarily used Leland. His version and Leland's end at the same place, but Rand's is much longer. I think Leland chose to ignore the second half of the story Rand gave him because it did not fit with his idea that this is a Cinderella variant. In the Rand version, half the story is similar to the one we see in Rafe Martin's book, but the other half is a different story entirely. It doesn't end with the happily ever after married couple.
What I share in these next sentences is much-condensed. In Rand's version, the married couple have a son. He's a little boy who has a maul (hammer). When left unattended, he smashes a bunch of things, including a moose leg that is in the wigwam. The husband (invisible one) is out hunting, and when his sister (seems like she lives with them and has told the wife they must take care of the moose leg) sees what the little boy has done, the three (Rough Face girl, invisible one's sister, and the son) set off to find the husband. They find him sitting beside a load of moose meat. His leg is broken. He tells the rough face girl to take their child and go live with her father because he can no longer support her. She leaves. He tells his sister to go get an ax and kill him because he will never be the same again. She does. See how different the complete story is? There's more. You can
read it yourself if you wish. My point is that the original story -- from Rand -- is much more than what ends up being given to young readers as a Cinderella story. I think it points to the problems in trying to center European stories and bend stories told by people who are not European into ones that look like, in this case, Cinderella stories. And of course, we can ask questions about Rand's source. At the very end of his, he writes that it was "Related by Susan Barss, and written down from her mouth in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in the winter of 1848, and translated from the original, May, 1869, by S. T. Rand. Who was she?!
Below is a table of notes I am working on, doing my best to compare the three versions. The fourth column is for my comments. At some point I will do more with these notes. For now, I share them with anyone interested in Martin's story and I welcome your comments about the notes below or what I've said above. If something doesn't make sense, let me know! And as always, I appreciate your feedback on typos.
MARTIN The Rough-Face Girl, published in 1992 | LELAND “The Invisible One (Micmac)” in The Algonquin Legends of New England or Myths and Folk Lore of the Micmac, Passamaquody and Penobscot Tribes, published in 1884, available here. | RAND “The Invisible Boy” in Legends of the Micmacs, published in 1894, available here. | Debbie’s notes and comments |
Once, long ago, there was a village by the shores of Lake Ontario. | There was once a large Indian village situated on the border of a lake. | Nameskeet’ oodun Kaspemku (a large Indian village, was once situated on the borders of a lake). |
|
Off from the other wigwams of this village stood one great huge wigwam. | At the end of the place was a lodge… | At the extreme end of the village… |
|
Painted on its sides were pictures of the sun, moon, stars, plants, trees, and animals. |
|
| The paintings on the wigwam are not in Leland or Rand. |
And inside this wigwam there was said to live a very great, rich, powerful, and supposedly handsome Invisible Being. | … in which dwelt a being who was always invisible. | … lived a youth whose teomul was a moose. This youth had the power of assuming the form of a moose, and in addition to this, he could render himself invisible. |
|
However, no one could see him, except his sister, who lived there too. |
|
|
|
Many women wanted to marry this Invisible Being, but his sister said, “Only the one who can see him can marry him.” | He had a sister who attended to his wants, and it was known that any girl who could see him might marry him. | He offered to marry the first girl that could see him. |
|
Now, in this village there lived a poor man who had three daughters. | There dwelt in the village an old man, a widower, with three daughters. | Now it happened that in the village there resided an old man, a widower, who had three daughters, the youngest of whom was puny and often sick. |
|
The two older daughters were cruel and hard-hearted, and they made their youngest sister sit by the fire and feed the flames. | The youngest of these was very small, weak, and often ill, which did not prevent her sisters, especially the eldest, treating her with great cruelty. The second daughter was kinder, and sometimes took the part of the poor abused little girl, but the other would burn her hands and face with hot coals; | The others considered her a great source of trouble, and ill-treated her; the oldest girl on whom devolved the charge of the house after her mother’s death, was especially unkind to her. The second daughter was less unfriendly, and sometimes ventured to take the poor little girl’s part; but the oldest kicked and cuffed her about, and often burned her hands and face intentionally. |
|
When the burning branches popped, the sparks fell on her. | Yes, her whole body was scarred with the marks made by torture, |
|
|
In time, her hands became burnt and scarred. |
|
|
|
Her arms too became rough and scarred. |
|
|
|
Even her face was marked by the fire, and her beautiful long black hair hung ragged and charred. |
|
|
|
And those two older sisters laughed at her saying, “Ha! You’re ugly, you Rough-Face Girl!” | So that people called her Oochige-askw (the rough-faced girl). | The marks, scars, and scabs that covered her gave her the name of Oochigeaskw (the girl that is covered with scabs). | Leland and Rand write that the sisters – especially the older one – mistreated her but they do not mention the sisters verbally shaming the youngest one. Both Leland and Rand have passages with dialog later on. |
And they made her life very lonely and miserable, indeed. |
|
|
|
One day these two older sisters went to their father and said, “Father, give us some necklaces. Give us some new buckskin dresses. Give us some pretty beaded moccasins. We’re going to marry the Invisible Being.” | Now it came to pass that it entered the heads of the two elder sisters of this poor girl that they would go and try their fortune at seeing the Invisible One. | One day the older girls arrayed themselves in their finest clothes, |
|
So their father gave them these things. |
|
|
|
Dressed in their finest, the two girls marched through the village. | So they clad themselves in their finest and strove to look their fairest… | and went down to
|
|
All the people pointed and stared. “Look at those beautiful girls,” they said. “Surely they shall marry the Invisible Being!” |
|
| Leland and Rand do not have passages wherein the villagers stare or comment about the sisters appearance, or that ‘surely’ they will marry the Invisible Being. |
And if those two girls were proud and hard-hearted before, they were even prouder now. |
|
|
|
They walked haughtily through the village. |
|
|
|
At last they came to the wigwam of the Invisible Being. | … and finding his sister at home went with her to take the wonted walk down to the water. | …the wigwam of the Invisible Boy, whose name was Team’ (the Moose). |
|
And there was his sister, waiting. |
|
|
|
Why have you come?” she asked. |
| They spent the afternoon with his sister, and at the proper time she invited them to walk with her down to the borders of the lake, and watch for the coming of her brother. |
|
“We want to marry the Invisible Being,” they answered. That’s why we’re here.” |
|
| Neither source says the sisters said this directly to the Invisible ones sister.The reason for their visit is implied in the way they write about the invisible man and that women want to marry him. |
“If you want to marry my brother,” she replied, “you have to have seen him. Tell me, have you seen the Invisible Being?” | Then when He came, being asked if they saw him, they said, “Certainly,” … | They went; and when she saw him, she put the usual question, “Do you see my brother?” |
|
“Of course we’ve seen him” they insisted. “Can’t you see how pretty we are? Can’t you see the beautiful clothes we wear? |
| The eldest one said, “I do.” The next one said “I do not.” | Neither source includes content that indicates the sisters assert their prettyness and beautiful clothes as involved in being able to see him. |
Oh yes, anyone can tell that we’ve truly seen the Invisible Being.” |
|
|
|
“All right,” she said quietly, “if you think you’ve seen him, then tell me, “WHAT’S HIS BOW MADE OF?” And suddenly her voice was swift as lightning and strong as thunder! | … and also replied to the question of the shoulder strap or sled cord, | “Then tell me what his shoulder-strap is made of,” said the sister to the older girl | Martin uses capital letters in his book for the sister’s words throughout this section of his book,, and he says her voice was suddenly swift as lightning and strong as thunder.
It is a heightened drama that does not appear in Leland or Rand. |
“H-his b-b-bow?” they stammered in surprise. “His, uh, bow? We know! We know!” But turning turning desperately to one another, they whispered, “What shall we say? Let’s say its the oak tree.” So they said, “It’s the great oak tree.” | “A piece of rawhide.” | “Of a strip of raw-hide,” she replied. |
|
“No!” said the sister of the Invisible Being. “NO!” Oh, she saw at once how they lied. | In saying which, they lied, like the rest,... |
|
|
“Tell me,’ she continued, “if you think you’ve seen my brother the Invisible Being, then WHAT’S THE RUNNER OF HIS SLED MADE OF?” |
|
|
|
“Uh, we know, we know!” cried those two sisters. But whispering feverishly again they wondered, “What shall we say? What shall we say? Let’s say it’s the green willow branch.” |
|
|
|
“NO!” said the sister when she heard. “NO! You have not seen my brother. Now go home!” | … for they had seen nothing, and got nothing for their pains.
| They went home to the wigwam, and the hunter came. They saw the load of moose-meat which he brought, and the clothing of his feet, after it was removed, but him they saw not. They remained all night, and returned the next morning to their father’s house. |
|
“Just test us fairly!” they exclaimed. “We’ve seen him. Just don’t ask us all these silly questions!” |
|
| This “test us fairly” and framing the questions as "silly" does not appear in either source. |
The next day the Rough-Face Girl went to her father and said, “Father, may I please have some beads? May I please have a new buckskin dress and some pretty moccasins? I am going to marry the Invisible Being, for, wherever I look, I see his face.” | When their father returned home the next evening he brought with him many of the pretty little shells from which weidpeskool (M.), or wampum, was made, and they were soon engaged napawejik (in stringing them). | That evening, when the old man arrived, he brought a quantity of small, beautiful, variegated shells, out of which in former times wampum was manufactured, and for which, in these later times, glass beads are substituted, and called by the name weidpeskool. He gave the to the girls, and the next day they engaged in napawejik (stringing them up). | Neither source says that the Rough Face Girl went to her father to request these items.
The items were in their home. |
But her father sighed. “Daughter,” he said, “I’m sorry. I have no beads left for you, only some little broken shells. I have no buckskin dress, and as for moccasins, all I have left are my own old, worn, cracked, and stretched-out pair from last year. And they’re much too big.” | That day poor little Oochigeaskw’, the burnt-faced girl, who had always run barefoot, got a pair of her father’s old moccasins,... | That day little Oochigeaskw gets an old pair of her father’s moccasins, soaks them, and asks her sisters to give her some of the pretty shells, a few of each kind. The older sister refuses, and tried to prevent the other from giving her any. She calls her a “lying little pest,” and tells her sister not to mind her. “Oh!” she answers, “the poor little thing! Let us give her some, a few of each kind.” This is done. |
|
But she said, “Whatever you can spare, I can use.” |
|
|
|
So he gave her these things. |
|
|
|
Then she found dried reeds and, taking the little broken shells, she strung a necklace. |
|
|
|
She stripped birch bark from the dead trees and made a cap, a dress, and leggings. | And having no clothes beyond a few paltry rags, the poor creature went forth and got herself from the woods a few sheets of birch bark, of which she made a dress…
So she made a petticoat and a loose gown, a cap, legging, and handkerchief, and, having put on her father’s great old moccasins, – which came nearly up to her knees, – she went forth to try her luck. For even this little thing would see the Invisible One in the great wigwam at the end of the village. | Then she goes out and gets some sheets of birch bark, out of which she manages to construct a dress, making some figures on the bark, and fashioning out of it garments similar to those worn in ancient times by the Indian women, but which are now, to the great chagrin of some of the elder ones, rapidly degenerating into the fashion of their pale-faced sisters. She constructs a petticoat and loose gown, a cap, legging, and a handkerchief, and on her tiny feet she puts her father’s huge moccasins, which come up nearly to her knees, and thus arrayed she goes forth to try her luck in the celebrated wigwam at the remote end of the village. |
|
Then with a sharp piece of bone, she carved in the bark pictures of the sun, moon, stars, plants, trees, and animals. | …putting some figures on the bark. |
|
|
She went down to the lakeshore and soaked the moccasins in the water until they grew soft. | …and put them [moccasins] into water that they might become flexible to wear. | (No mention of doing anything to her father’s moccasins) |
|
Then she molded them to her feet. |
|
|
|
But they were still too big and they flap, flap, flapped like ducks’ feet as she walked. |
|
|
|
Then all of the people came out of their wigwams. They pointed and stared. | Truly her luck had a most inauspicious beginning, for there was one long storm of… | She has to undergo a continuous storm of… |
|
“Look at that ugly girl!” they laughed. “Look at her strange clothes! Hey! Hey! Hey! Go home you ugly girl! You’ll never marry the Invisible Being.” | … ridicule and hisses, yells and hoots, from her own door to that which she went to seek. Her sisters tried to shame her, and bade her stay at home, but she would not obey; and all the idlers, seeing this strange little creature in her odd array, cried “Shame!” | ridicule throughout the entire journey. Her sisters make sport of her, and order her not to go. They men and boys shout after her as she goes on in her funny dress, and cry, “Shame! Shame”! |
|
But the Rough-Face Girl had faith in herself and she had courage. She didn’t turn back. She just kept walking right through the village. | But she went on, for she was greatly resolved; it may be that some spirit had inspired her. | But she hears them not, nor regards them, but resolutely pushes on. She succeeds in her enterprise of course. |
|
At last she came to the lakeshore just as the sun was sinking behind the hills and the many stars came glittering out like a fiery veil in the darkening sky overhead. | Now this poor small wretch in her mad attire, with her hair singed off and her little face as full of burns and scars as there are holes in a sieve, was, for all this, | The little girl in her harlequin dress, her face covered with sores, and her hair singed off, |
|
And there, standing by the water’s edge, was the sister of the Invisible Being, waiting. | Most kindly received by the sister of the Invisible One; … | is kindly received by the sister of Team’.
|
|
Now, the sister of the Invisible Being was a wise woman. When she looked at you she didn’t see just your face or your hair or clothes. No. When she looked at you she would look you right in the eyes and she could see all the way down to your heart. And she could tell if you had a good, kind heart or a cold, hard, and cruel one. | … for this noble girl knew more than the mere outside of things as the world knows them. | Not found in Rand. | Martin takes the few words Leland has about the Invisible ones sister and makes them explicit, presumably for young readers. |
And when she looked at the Rough-Face Girl she saw at one that, though her skin was scarred, her hair burnt, her clothes strange, she had a beautiful, kind heart. And so she welcomed her dearly saying, “Ah, my sister, why have you come?”
|
|
|
|
And the Rough-Face Girl replied, “I have come to marry the Invisible Being.” |
|
| Neither source is explicit regarding what the girl said to the sister. All of that is implied. |
“Ah,” said the sister very gently now. “If you want to marry him, you have to have seen him. Tell me, have you seen my brother the Invisible Being?” | And as the brown of the evening sky became black, she took her down to the lake. And erelong the girls knew that He had come. Then the sister said, “Do you see him?” | When nightfall comes on, she is invited to take a walk down to the borders of the lake to watch the young man’s return. Presently the sister sees him coming and asks her companion if she can see him. |
|
And the Rough-Face Girl said, “Yes.” | And the other replied with awe, “yes I do, – and He is wonderful.” | She says she can. |
|
“All right then,” said the sister, “if you have seen him, tell me WHAT’S HIS BOW MADE OF?” | “But my sister,” said the other, “what is his bow-string?” | “Tell me, if you see him, what his shoulder-strap is made of.” |
|
And the Rough-Face Girl said “His bow? Why, it is the great curve of the Rainbow.” | “His bow-string is Ketaksoowowcht” (the Spirits’ Road, the Milky Way). | “A rainbow,” she exclaims. |
|
“AHHHH!” exclaimed the sister in excitement. “Tell me, she asked, “if you have seen my brother the Invisible Being - WHAT’S THE RUNNER OF HIS SLED MADE OF?” | “And what is his sled-string?” |
| Rand only has one question; Leland adds a second one, and Martin follows Leland. |
And the Rough-Face Girl, looking up into the night sky, said “The runner of his sled? Why, it is the Spirit Road, the Milky Way of stars that spreads across the sky!” | “It is,” she replied, “the Rainbow.” |
| Martin changes what Leland said.
Leland says “bow string” and it is a rainbow; Martin says “bow” and that it is a rainbow.
On second question, Leland says “sled string” and that it is a rainbow; Martin says “runner of his sled” and that it is the “Spirit Road, the Milky Way” |
AHHHH” cried the sister in wonder and delight. “You have seen him! Come with me!” | “Thou hast seen him,” said the sister. And taking the girl home, | “Ah! You can see him,” says the girl. “Now let us hasten home, and get ready for him.” |
|
And taking the Rough-Face Girl by the hand, she led her back to the great wigwam and sat her in the seat next to the entrance, the wife’s seat. |
| So home they hie, and the sister first strips her guest of the uncouth and uncomfortable robes, and administers a thorough ablution. All her scabs and scars come off, and her skin is beautiful and fair. She next opens her box and brings out a wedding garment, in which she directs her to array herself; then she comes her hair, braids it, and ties it up. The poor child things within herself, “I wonder what she is going to comb, for I have no hair on my head.” But under the magic tough of her friend’s hand, beautiful, flowing hair adorns her head. After she is thus prepared and arrayed, she is directed to go and occupy the side of the wigwam where the brother will sit, and to take the wife’s seat, next to the door. |
|
Then they heard footsteps coming along the path, closer and closer. The entrance flap of the wigwam lifted up, and in stepped the Invisible Being. |
| Immediately after this, the young man arrives, |
|
And when he saw her sitting there he said, “At last we have been found out,” Then, smiling kindly, he added, “And oh, my sister, but she is beautiful.” And his sister said, “Yes.” |
| comes in laughing, and says Wajoolkoes (“So we are found, are we?)? Alajull aa (“Yes”), she answers. |
|
The sister of the Invisible Being then gave the Rough-Face Girl the finest of buckskin robes and a necklace of perfect shells. “Now bathe in the lake,” she said, “and dress in these. | … she bathed her, and as she washed her… |
|
|
So the Rough-Face Girl bathed in the waters of the lake. |
|
|
|
Suddenly all the scars vanished from her body. | … all the scars disappeared from face and body. |
|
|
Her skin grew smooth again and her beautiful black hair grew in long and glossy as a raven’s wing. | Her hair grew again; it was very long, and like a blackbird’s wing.
Her eyes were like stars. |
|
|
Now anyone could see that she was, indeed, beautiful. | In all the world was no such beauty. Then from her treasures she gave her a wedding garment, and adorned her. Under the comb, as she combed her, her hair grew. It was a great marvel to behold. |
|
|
But the Invisible Being and his sister had seen that from the start. |
|
|
|
Then at last the Rough Face Girl and the Invisible Being were married. | Then, having done this, she bade her take the wife’s seat in the wigwam – that by which her brother sat, the seat next the door. And when he entered, terrible and beautiful, he smiled and said “Wajoolkoos!” “So we are found out!” “Alajulaa.” “Yes,” was her reply. So she became his wife. | So he takes her for his wife.
|
|
They lived together in great gladness and were never parted. |
| Rand’s version continues. In total the story appears on pages 101-109. From page 101 to 104, the story is much like what Leland tells. On subsequent five pages, the story of the couple is happy for a short while but then it takes tragic turns.
|
|
| | |
|
What a treat for December! The Birchbark House -- read aloud by Louise Erdrich -- is out! I've been waiting for it, with tremendous joy and anticipation. Why? Because the story Erdrich gave us in 1999 blew me away.
In children's literature we talk about voice. We seek books written by Native people. We believe that their identity can give readers stories with more depth when the characters are of that writer's tribal nation. Erdrich does that exceptionally well with the words I read in her books, and when I listen to her reading one of her books, those spoken words take everything to a dimension that I can't adequately describe. I highly recommend it!
Order and download
your copy from Birchbark Books, today! As you're out and about, give it a listen.
AICL'S YEAR IN REVIEW: 2024
As the last days of 2024 draw near, we are happy to share our annual list of books we read and recommended this year. Here's some photos:
 |
| Photo by Jean |
 |
| Sample of covers of electronic copies we read |
 |
Photo by Debbie
|
In the opening paragraphs of our annual lists, we usually point to significant moments of the year. If you want to jump to the list, please scroll down.
In October, Debbie, Jonna Paden (Acoma Pueblo, and President of the American Indian Library Association) and Cindy Hohl (Santee Sioux Nation, and President of the American Library Association) were leading voices in the media when a public library in Texas moved the nonfiction book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag) to the fiction shelves. That move drew national and international attention. In the end, the library reversed their decision. Her book was on our best books list, last year.
In November, Debbie and Jean were in Boston at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference. We were joined by Dr. Natalie Martinez (Laguna Pueblo) and Dr. Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) for a pre-conference clinic at Beacon Press. (Beacon published both An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (not Native) and our adaptation for young people.)* On the first day of the conference, Debbie and Jean went to the exhibit hall to see if we'd find books by Native writers on display. This was our first time going to an NCSS gathering. The exhibit floor was not as large as we've seen at other educator and librarian conferences but we were definitely encouraged by what we saw. The Penguin Random House booth had at least 13 books by Native writers! We were also delighted to see the painting of Maulian Bryant (Penobscot) at the booth for the organization, Americans Who Tell The Truth. She is well known for her activism about mascots.
More good news! Back in March, Debbie was thrilled to see the announcement in Publisher's Weekly that Trish Moquino's (Cochiti, Ohkay Owingeh, and Kewa) first book, The Land We Live On, will come out in 2028 from Candlewick (we apologize for incorrectly naming Charlesbridge as the publisher). She is from the Tribal Nations of Cochiti Pueblo, Kewa and Ohkay Owingeh. Her book will be a family story about Pueblo people and our relationship to the land. Many (most?) people think that all Native peoples were forced off their homelands and put on reservations. That is true for some tribal nations but not for us. Pueblo peoples are on the lands we've always been on. Gonna be hard to wait three years for her book!
Now, we turn to information about how our list is created.
Our emphasis is books by Native writers and illustrators whose Nations are on the continent we know as North America. Most are ones that came out in 2024. In some way, they've touched our hearts as parents of Native children or as former school teachers who want children to have accurate and honest books about Native peoples. As the number of books by Native writers grows, we are not able to read every one. If you are wondering about one that you don't see below, let us know. We may have not had a chance to read it.
In the US there is a growing awareness of pretendianism (also known as "wannabe"). In short, it refers to a person who -- believing they have an ancestor that is Native -- acts on that belief by speaking and writing as if they are Native. Most people in the US and Canada take that person's word when they claim to be Native but with growing awareness, we are seeing more challenges to such claims. Case in point: In the adult romance genre, Colby Wilkins's claim to being of Choctaw and Cherokee descent was challenged. She subsequently issued a statement saying "until I can prove my ties beyond a shadow of a doubt and in alignment with the Cherokee Nation's statement on Sovereignty and Identity, I will no longer be writing Native stories." At AICL we did not read or write about her books. We encourage you to read two books in our "Crossover" category below that are works of fiction written by Native writers who address the issue of pretendianism.
Pretendianism is about a specific individual who makes a claim to an actual tribal nation, but there is also growing attention to entire groups of people claiming to be a tribal nation. The case most prominent in the news is four groups in Vermont that claim to be Abenaki. In mid-April, the Abenaki of Odanak and of W8linak went to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to speak about the Vermont groups. Later that month, the University of Vermont hosted an event about the issue. There, a personal letter of support from Maulian Bryant (Penobscot; currently serving as Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance) was read aloud. We encourage you to read her letter because it provides context that can help you understand why this issue is so important.
We also encourage you to read a letter written by representatives of the Abenaki People of the Odanak First Nation and Wolinak First Nation. Their letter was to educators in Vermont, asking them not to platform or elevate specific individuals who are in the Vermont groups. They named Joseph Bruchac and his son Jesse, both of whom are known within children's literature. As Debbie's post in 2023 stated, we no longer recommend his books. Anthologies that include stories by him (and others who we no longer recommend) are a problem. In 2022, Ancestor Approved came out. It has a story in it by Bruchac. By then we were being cautious about several specific writers, and didn't feel comfortable recommending the book. There are, however, stories in it by writers that we do want you to know about. Look for a post about that in 2025. For now, you'll see "Indian Price" by Eric Gansworth in our list below.
For each book we recommend, we list the Tribal Nation of the author/illustrator and we encourage you to use that information when reading the book. For example, in the picture book category you'll see Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition). We encourage you to introduce the book by saying something like:
"Stitches of Tradition is written by Marcie Rendon, an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation. The illustrations are by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, who is a member of Wasauksing First Nation."
Share that information in whatever way works for you. The main point is that we want you to be tribally specific. That means you specify the author's and illustrator's Tribal Nation(s). If possible, show students the websites of the author/illustrator and of their Tribal Nations. We encourage you to learn how to say personal and tribal names that are new to you. Teaching Books has a huge audio archive of writers telling you how to say their names, as is the case with Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. Sometimes they tell you how that name came to be, as you'll see with Eric Gansworth (enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation).
And do take care to use present tense verbs when talking about Native people!
In our list you will find an author’s Tribal Nation in parenthesis after their name. We use an author’s identity as they name it (and the spellings/capitalizations of their personal names) on their own website (sometimes we write to them to ask for clarification). If they do not have a website, we use what their publisher uses. We are happy to make edits as needed! Let us know.
Though our list is organized by age/grade levels (plus a multi-age section for comics/graphic novels), we encourage you to use picture books with readers of any age, and we want every teacher and librarian to read all the books. They are far better than the books about Indigenous people most people read in their childhood. We welcome your questions and comments about these introductory paragraphs, or the books we list, below. Our list is incomplete. We're reading as much as we can. Our list is not a comprehensive. It is to tell you what we read. One example? Debbie is currently reading Richard Van Camp's (Tłı̨chǫ Dene) new young adult novel, Beast, and is waiting for some beautiful board books to arrive. Jean is also waiting for a shipment. These books will likely be on our 2025 list.
____________
*At AICL we strive to include a person’s identity, relative to being Indigenous, whenever we name a person. For example, we say Debbie Reese (Nambe Owingeh) and Jean Mendoza (not Native). When we note that we have failed to do so, we edit the post to reflect the person’s identity.
We also feel it important to address questions regarding Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s identity. When her book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States came out, Debbie saw that leading scholars and Native writers had endorsed it. Sometime later, she accepted an invitation to adapt the book for young readers.
In her book Dunbar-Ortiz said her mother was “part Indian, most likely Cherokee.” During the adaptation work, we began to see concerns about Dunbar-Ortiz’s identity and subsequently asked her about it. Dunbar-Ortiz decided to remove that information from the biographical note for the adaptation. We hoped she would make a public statement but to our knowledge, she has not.
****
Comics and Graphic Novels
Ballantyne, Sonya (Swampy Cree) and Michael Redhead-Champagne (Shamattawa First Nation). Little By Little You Can Change the World, illustrated by Rhael McGregor (Metis heritage) and Toben Racicot (not Native). Highwater Press (2024). Canada.
Crazyboy, Gitz (Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot)). The Rez Doctor, illustrated by Veronika Barinova (not Native), Azby Whitecalf (Plains Cree), and Toben Racicot (not Native). Highwater Press (2024). Canada.
McLeod, Albert (Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation/Metis), Elaine Mordoch (not Native), and Sonya Ballantyne (Swampy Cree). Between the Pipes, illustrated by Alice RL (Ojibwe heritage). Highwater Press (2024). Canada.
Magoon, Kekla (not Native) and Cynthia Leitich Smith (citizen, Muscogee Creek Nation). Blue Stars: Mission One: The Vice-Principal Problem, illustrated by Molly Murakami. Candlewick Press (2024). US.
Spillett, Tasha (Inninewak (Cree and Trinidadian). Surviving the City: Volume 3. We Are the Medicine, illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Metis). Highwater Press (2024). Canada.
Starr, Arigon (enrolled member, Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma). Super Indian, Volume Three, illustrated by the author. Wacky Productions (2024). US.
Storm, Jen (Ojibwe). Little Moons, illustrated by Ryan Howe (not Native), Alice RL (Ojibwe), Nicholej Villiger (not Native). Highwater Press (2024). Canada. [Our apologies for the error we made in Jen Storm's tribal affiliation. It is correct now.]
Van Camp, Richard (Tłı̨chǫ Dene). Roth: Wheetago War, illustrated by Christopher Shy. Renegade Arts Entertainment (2024). Canada.
Board Books
Sorell, Traci (citizen, Cherokee Nation). On Powwow Day, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw). Charlesbridge (2024).
Sorell, Traci (citizen, Cherokee Nation). We Are Grateful: Seasons: Fall - Uligohvsdi; Winter - Gola; Spring - Gogeyi; Summer - Gogi, illustrated by Frané Lessac (not Native). Charlesbridge (2024). [Note: this is a boxed set of four board books.]
Picture Books
Fairbanks, Ashley (White Earth Anishinabee). This Land: The History of the Land We're On, illustrated by Bridge George (Anishinaabe from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation). Crown Books for Young Readers/ imprint of Penguin Random House (2024). US.
Flett, Julie (Cree-Metis). Let's Go! haw ekwa!, illustrated by the author. Greystone Kids (2024). Canada.
Goodluck, Laurel (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara). Too Much: My Great Big Native Family, illustrated by Bridget George (Anishinaabe, from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2024). US.
Honyouti, Mavasta (Hopi). Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story, illustrated by the author. Levine Querido (2024).
Mills, Billy (Oglala Lakota) and Donna Janell Bowman (not Native). Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2024). US.
Pawis-Steckley, Mangeshig (member of Wasauksing First Nation). Boozhoo! Hello! illustrated by the author, translation by Mary Ann Corbiere (Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory). Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press. Canada.
Rendon, Marcie (enrolled member of the White Earth Nation). Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition), illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Anishinaabe; member of Wasauksing First Nation). Heartdrum/Imprint of HarperCollins (2024). US.
Rogers, Andrea L. (citizen of the Cherokee Nation). Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Knuz (citizen of the Cherokee Nation). Levine Querido (2024). US.
Rogers, Andrea L. (citizen of the Cherokee Nation). When We Gather/Ostadahlisiha: A Cherokee Tribal Feast, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Citizen of the Cherokee Nation). Heartdrum/Imprint of HarperCollins (2024). US.
Rogers, Kim. (Wichita) I Am Osage: How Clarence Tinker Became the First Native American Major General, illustrated by Bobby Von Martin (Choctaw). Heartdrum/Imprint of HarperCollins (2024). US.
Sorell, Traci (Cherokee Nation). Being Home, illustrated by Michaela Goade (Enrolled member of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and of the Kiks.adi Clan).
Thomas, Rebecca (Mi'kmaw). I'm Finding My Talk, illustrated by Pauline Young (not Native). Nimbus Publishing (2019). Canada.
Vandever, Daniel W. (Diné). We Weave, illustrated by Deonoveigh Mithcelle (Diné). South of Sunrise Creations (2024). US.
Early Chapter Books
Burbank, Danielle C. (Diné). Navajo Code Talkers. Dorling Kindersley (2024). US.
Quigley, Dawn (citizen, Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Jo Jo Makoons: Rule School, illustrated by Tara Audibert. Heartdrum/Imprint of HarperCollins (2024). US.
Vandever, Daniel W. (Diné). Behind Every Rug, illustrated by Lynne Hardy (Diné). Scholastic (2024).
Wells, Stacy (member of the Choctaw Nation). Tana Cooks With Care, illustrated by Maria Gabriela Gama Dos Santos (not Native). Picture Window Books (2024). [Note: we will likely add the other books in the series: Tana Cooks to Say Thanks, Tana Cooks a Valentine Surprise, Tana Cooks for a Special Veterans Day.]
For Middle Grades
Bruegl, Heather (citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and first-line descendant of Stockbridge Munsee). Boarding Schools: Racial Justice in America, Indigenous Peoples series. Publisher (2024). US. [Note: We will likely recommend additional books by Bruegl in this series, including
Duncan, Violet (Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation). Buffalo Dreamer. Nancy Paulsen Books (2024).
Gansworth, Eric (enrolled member of the Onondaga Nation). "Indian Price" in Ancestor Approved. Heartdrum/HarperCollins. [Note: we do not recommend the book in its entirety. Some of the stories in it are by people whose claims to being Native have been challenged.]
Hetxw'ms Gyetxw/Brett D. Huson (Gitxsan), The Bee Mother, illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Metis). Highwater Press (2024), Canada.
Hutchinson, Michael (citizen of the Misipawistik Cree Nation). The Case of Rigged Race. Second Story Press (2022). Canada.
Hutchinson, Michael (citizen of the Misipawistik Cree Nation). The Case of the Pilfered Pin. Second Story Press (2024). Canada.
Robertson, David (Norway House Cree), The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage. Highwater Press (2024). Canada.
Smith, Cynthia Leitich (citizen, Muscogee Creek Nation). On a Wing and a Tear. Heartdrum/Imprint of Harper Collins (2024). US.
For High School
Cobell, K. A. (enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation). Looking for Smoke. Heartdrum/HarperCollins. US.
Rogers, Andrea L. (citizen of the Cherokee Nation). The Art Thieves. Levine Querido (2024). US.
Treuer, Anton (Ojibwe). Where Wolves Don't Die. Cover and interiors drawn by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (member of Wasauksing First Nation). Levine Querido (2024). US.
Crossover Books (written for adults; appeal to teens/young adults)
Peters, Amanda (Mi'kmaq). The Berry Pickers. Penguin Random House (2023). US.
Rogers, January (Mohawk/Tuscarora from Six Nations of the Grand River.). Blood Sport. Turtle Back Publishing (2023).
vermette, katherena (tribe). real ones. Hamish Hamilton (2024).
The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage
Written by David A. Robertson (Norway House Cree)
Published by Highwater Press (Portage & Main)
Publication Year: 2024
Reviewer: Jean Mendoza
Review Status: Highly Recommended
It's good to see the publication of more stories for young people about Indigenous athletes, both fictional and real. Byron Graves' Rez Ball is a case in point; as Debbie pointed out in her review, basketball is a Thing in many Native communities. In what's currently called Canada, so I'm told, hockey is that Thing. The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage is a middle-grade novel about a young Cree hockey player who moves from the reserve to Winnipeg.
Here's what the publisher says:
Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex Robinson. After his father accepts a new job, Alex and his family move from their community to the city. For the first time in his life, he doesn’t fit in. His fellow students don’t understand Indigenous culture. Even a simple show of respect to his teacher gets him in trouble. Things begin to look up after Alex tries out for a local hockey team. Playing for the Kodiaks, Alex proves himself as one of the best, but he becomes a target because he’s Indigenous. Can Alex trust his teammates and stand up to the jerks on other teams? Can he find a way to fit in and still be who he’s meant to be?
Reason #1: A caring, perceptive Indigenous family. Alex is a likable character who brings kindness and humor to his family and peer relationships. They reciprocate, which gives Alex the strength to adjust to the move, a new school, and a new hockey team. When he experiences a tremendous hurt, compounded by an injustice, his parents and friends stage what he thinks of as an intervention, to persuade him that in fact he should continue with hockey.
Reason #2: Realistically portrayed racist micro-aggressions and full-on aggressions. For better or for worse, trash-talking seems to be part of sports. Anti-Indigenous insults and general ignorance or malice spoken aloud can make competitions a minefield for young Native athletes. Alex experiences several such incidents and must come to terms with how to handle them. He finds the courage to speak up when he needs to -- as when a teammate nicknames him Chief or an otherwise well-meaning coach uses terms like "low man on the totem pole." Still, the time comes when anti-Indigenous hatred directed at him by opposing players and adult fans is too much. Robertson shows how devastating such an experience can be for a child, and how important wise support from adults and peers can be at such times.
Reason #3: Exciting game play descriptions. I don't know much about hockey but Robertson put me right there on the ice with Alex.
Reason #4: First of a series, which the publisher is calling The Breakout Chronicles. Good news for young people, Native or not, who love a high-quality series! We hope teachers and librarians will buy copies of this one for their shelves, and keep their eyes open for the next Breakout Chronicles book.
Years ago, someone asked me about Kokopelli's Flute by Will Hobbs. It wasn't the first ask but it is on my mind lately. I can't get a digital copy. I am able to read the first chapters in Google books. Here's notes as I read:
The cover illustration is, without doubt, a rendition of Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde. In addition to the title, the cover includes these words: "Tep didn't mean to unleash the ancient magic..."
Chapter 1 of Kokopelli's Flute begins with "The magic had always been there." Magic again? Immediate response from me? Umm... what is he talking about?! I continue reading that first paragraph. The "magic" is in "the light" and in "the rock" in "the miniature city the Ancient Ones left perched in the cliffs." For years, the main character, Tep, has been trying to get closer to "the magic." We read "This would be the night I not only got close, but crossed over."
Again, what magic? And where or what does he want to cross over to in that "miniature city"? Pause to look up the book description:
THE MAGIC HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE. Tep Jones has always felt the magic of Picture House, an Anasazi cliff dwelling near the seed farm where he lives with his parents. But he could never have imagined what would happen to him on the night of a lunar eclipse, when he finds a bone flute left behind by grave robbers. Tep falls under the spell of a powerful ancient magic that traps him at night in the body of an animal.
Only by unraveling the mysteries of Picture House can Tep save himself and his desperately ill mother. Does the enigmatic old Indian who calls himself Cricket hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the past? And can Tep find the answers in time?
Back to chapter one, second paragraph. There we learn that a total eclipse of the moon will take place that night and Tep wants to see it from what he calls "Picture House." He's been there a lot, "puzzling over the secrets of the ancient pueblo." He thinks that maybe during the eclipse, if he listens hard enough, he might hear the footsteps of the Ancient Ones. Maybe even their voices. Maybe even dancers coming out of their kivas. Me: sighing, frowning, shaking my head. But there's more of that sort of thing on page three:
Eight hundred years ago the people came through all those little doorways for the last time, walked away, and left only stillness, silence, and secrets.
That wistful (if that's the right word) writing about any people makes me cringe, but especially when its a white character thinking about ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians.
On page four, as Tep and his dog wait for the eclipse, they hear voices. Turns out to be two men who are talking about how they're gonna make thousands of dollars digging at the site. Tep can't believe it. He sees the items they've dug up. One is a "seed jar" which struck me as odd. We call them seed pots.
"Picture House" Tep tells us, has not ever been vandalized because it isn't marked on maps and its hard to get to. The two men are in a room that Tep has been in many times. There's a back wall in that room that Tep says is built with a special purpose in mind, like to bury someone. Tep is only supposed to be a kid, but his character is created by an adult. Clearly, Tep doesn't like what the two men are doing but I don't like him going all through "Palace House" either, looking for the magic. Sheesh.
The two men have found "a burial" which is the body of what they call an albino because his skin is pink. There was a large pot with him that broke open. In that pot was a basket the two men call "a medicine man's bundle." So, the body is that of an albino medicine man. I really dislike this content. Hobbs (the author) seems to be telling us it is bad to do this, but in telling us the value of this activity, it doesn't jive. Especially when we read the next part.
Tep scares them off and then goes to see where they had been digging. They took the pot and the basket and most of its contents. In their rush they left behind a small polished flute. Tep thinks he should return it immediately to the albino medicine man but he is afraid of him and doesn't want to go into the room. He thinks the flute must be powerful. "Something told me I shouldn't put it to my lips" but he does it anyway, startled by how clear it sounds. Then he sees a packrat.
That's all I can see online. Reading the book's description, however, my guess is that "the magic" of the flute turns Tep into a packrat by night. Again, sigh.
At this point, I'm saying "not recommended." If I'm able to get a copy and have the wherewithall to read the rest of it, I seriously doubt I'd change my mind. This book is rife with do-gooder whiteness.
Why is it being assigned in schools? What educational purpose does it meet?!
Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition)
Written by Marcie Rendon (enrolled member of the White Earth Nation)
Illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Anishinaabe; member of Wasauksing First Nation
Published in 2024
Publisher: Heartdrum (Imprint of HarperCollins)
Reviewer: Debbie Reese
Review Status: Highly Recommended
****
Regular readers of AICL know that I urge them to look at author's notes whenever they pick up a book by a Native writer. Doing that gives you (teacher, parent, librarian, professor, reviewer...) information that you probably did not get in school or college. That information supports the reading you'll do when you flip back to the front of the book and start reading the words and looking at the illustrations.
Marcie Rendon's note for Stitches of Tradition is outstanding. Her note focuses on ribbon skirts. The second paragraph stands out to me:
Skirts are worn not only in traditional ceremonies but also as a political statement. There are many different teachings about the skirt, but the most important thing to remember is that the ribbon skirt says, We are here. We have survived genocide. We are resilient and beautiful.
Some words make me pump my fist and declare YES. Those words did precisely that. The dedication did, too. Rendon's is "For all the grandgirls." And the illustrator, Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's is "To the women who raised me, and to all the matriarchs guiding us to a brighter future." Imagine more loud declarations from me.
All right! So what is this story about? Here's the description:
An Ojibwe grandmother carefully measures and selects just the right colors of fabric, and her sewing machine hums whirr, whirr, whirr late into the night.
In the morning, her growing granddaughter has a beautiful new ribbon skirt to wear, a reminder of her nookomis and the cultural traditions that stitch together her family with love.
That basic scene repeats as that grandaughter gets older and her grandma makes another skirt. This part is especially dear because I can see it in my memory and imagine it in other Native homes across the country:
Nookomis whips out a measuring tape. She measures how round I am from my belly button back around to my belly button. She measures how long I am from my waist to my ankle. She says, "You're growing so tall."
Deep sigh--thinking about times when I was being measured or when I was doing the measuring for one of our traditional dresses--and for the time when I'll be measuring my granddaughter and reading this lovely book to that granddaughter!
Now for the political part. At various times as the granddaughter gets older, she needs a new skirt. About halfway through the story we read that her auntie, who is a lawyer, is becoming a district judge. The granddaughter and grandma need new skirts to honor her at the upcoming swearing in. So Nookomis gets out that measuring tape and measures her granddaughter. And then, she says:
"Noozhishenh, now you must measure me."
Sweet as can be! And oh so real!
Here's the swearing-in page:
This book is full of goodness and reality of who Native people are, culturally and politically, and there's layers to it, too, with deep significance for Native people. For those who are Ojibwe there's things in the illustrations that will call to them. Obviously, I highly recommend Stitches of Tradition!
Today (November 13, 2024), PEN America published an
interview Amulya Hiremath did for Native American Heritage Month:
I appreciate Hiremath's opening paragraph and am grateful for the opportunity to speak to PEN about my work. The interview is in the Banned Books category. Here's that first paragraph:
At the tail end of another year that has threatened and targeted books by Native Americans–from book bans to incorrect reclassifications–the work of Dr. Debbie Reese becomes extremely important. Her website, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL), is a repository of information on Native American heritage that acts, at once, as both an archive and a record, especially of misrepresentation of culture in literature."
I am also glad to see that they set up a page at Bookshop that features books from my "Banning of Native Voices" page where I talk about Native writers that have been banned or challenged.
Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome
by Nancy Cooper (Chippewas of Rama First Nation)
Illustrations by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Wasauksing First Nation)
Published in 2023
Publisher: Owl Kids (Canada)
Reviewer: Jean Mendoza
Review Status: Highly Recommended
This is a short-and-sweet review of a cool picture book from the shelves of one of my favorite local places, the Urbana Free Library in Urbana, Ilinois. It's a pleasure to know they offer some of the most current books by and about Indigenous people.
Here's what the publisher, Owl Kids, says about Biindigen!:
It’s a special day for Amik the beaver and her little sister, Nishiime. Their cousins are coming to visit! Amik is excited, but Nishiime feels nervous about meeting new people, and when the cousins finally arrive, Nishiime disappears.
Lively, immersive illustrations show Amik and her cousins as they search the woods for Nishiime. Each creature they encounter, introduced to readers using their Anishinaabe names, reveals how beavers help the forest community. A fish thanks them for digging canals in the mud that they swim through. A deer thanks the beavers for cutting down trees so they can reach the tastiest leaves. None of the creatures have seen Nishiime, but keen-eyed kids will have spotted her hiding in the background throughout the story....With the perfect blend of fact and fun, this salute to the industrious beaver is also an energetic celebration of Indigenous perspectives, languages, and diversity.
Reason #1 to recommend this book: the illustrations. AICL has reviewed several books illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, including Sharice's Big Voice. Readers will notice differences in how Pawis-Steckley approaches the subjects in each of the books. In Biindigen! the animals' bodies have some of the stylized lines and forms seen in Boozhoo! Hello!, but they have a somewhat different "feel." They are plump, sleek, and lively-looking. And it's fun looking for Nishiime after she vanishes from her sister's sight.
My only concern is that the inking on some of the pages in the copy I have is so dark that details can be hard to see. In the sample pages on the Owl Kids web site, the illustrations seem much brighter.
Reason #2: centering Indigenous knowledge. Author Nancy Cooper reveals in a non-didactic (yet accurate) way how beavers operate as a keystone species in the environments they occupy. This is an important understanding for children, as many people mistakenly view beavers as destructive -- cutting down trees, blocking streams, and so on. But the other animals that appear in the story express gratitude for the ways beaver activity benefits them.
Another fact implicit in Cooper's storytelling is that Native Nations interacted with each other for millennia, across distance and language differences, often using water routes on their journeys. The Beaver cousins do the same thing -- traveling far to get together, carrying or wearing items from their homelands and nations. That's something to point out when sharing the book with children.
Reason #3: promotion of Indigenous languages. The beavers know each other by their names in the languages of the places they come from, including Anishinaabemowin, Inuktitut, and Ayajuthum. Cooper's storytelling incorporates several Anishinaabe words (the meanings are apparent in context) and provides pronunciations and English definitions in the back matter. Seeing their language in good books is a big positive for Native children, and learning about Indigenous languages is important for non-Native kids, as well.
Reason #4: portraying shyness as okay. Amik and the cousins are eager to get together. Nishiime thinks she is, but is overtaken by shyness. She watches instead, as many young children do in new situations. She returns to Amik only when the cousins are about to depart, after she has determined that she will feel safe with them. Instead of scolding her or pointing out the joy she missed by not joining in, the older beavers are happy to see her and answer her questions before they head for home.
Biindigen: Amik Says Welcome can be an asset in several areas of the primary curriculum. I hope teachers and librarians will follow the example of my favorite library and get a copy -- or more than one -- for the bookshelves.
Chooch Helped
by Andrea L. Rogers (citizen of the Cherokee Nation)
illustrated by Rebecca Lee Knuz (citizen of the Cherokee Nation)
Published in 2024
Publisher: Levine Querido
Reviewer: Debbie Reese
Review Status: Highly Recommended
****
Sometimes a story reaches right into your being and makes you laugh, smile, wince, and then it makes you feel loved. That is my experience reading Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers. She's a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Illustrations are by Rebecca Lee Kunz, who is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Look at the cover. Kunz's art captures precisely what we see as we begin reading Chooch Helped. The posture of the girl as she peers over her shoulder at the boy watering a plant, spilling water as he does it captures what we see in the first part of the book. His red cape and red boots... how many of us have memories of siblings or cousins who wore things like that?! How many of us have a younger brother or sister who--even as they grew into toddlerhood--were called "the baby"? Chooch Helped invites us to revisit our own memories and, perhaps, tell our little ones about an auntie or uncle who annoyed us when we were kids. I adore what this story does for me, and can't wait to read it to kids!
Setting that aside for now, this story does more than touch on memories. In a straightforward way, Rogers introduces us to some Cherokee words. Cherokee families may feel a special delight seeing their language in this book. The rest of us may tell our children words in our own languages as we read Chooch Helped.
I urge you to get a copy and flip to the back matter. Take a look at those pages before reading the book with kids. You'll find a glossary that tells you how to say the Cherokee words in the story. And, you'll find the Author's Note and the Artist's Note. Rogers and Knuz give us tribally specific information that they've put on each page. To most readers, the page where Chooch helps tune up bicycles is just a page about a kid helping his dad fix bikes but in her note, Rogers gives us more depth. She tells us about the
Cherokee Nation's Remember the Removal Bike Ride. Here's that portion:
In the Artist's Note, Kunz tells us about Cherokee patterns in baskets and as I studied the illustrations to find it, I spotted (and loved) the green footprints we learn about as we get to the end of the story. That reveal is clever and delightful and oh-so-perfect! I adore this book!
Get a few copies for friends! If you're a teacher, get one for your classroom, and librarians, get copies for your library system.
Update at 12:34PM on October 22: The library met today and reversed their decision. The catalog already reflects the change! Instead of jF Coo, the shelf number is J974.004 Coo.
As news media reports on the change, I'll be back to update with links. --Debbie
****
What is going on with Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs?
Published at approximately 9:45AM on October 22, 2024; updated at 12:34PM on October 22, 2024.
On October 8, colleagues wrote to let me know that a public library in Texas had made a decision to remove
Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs (Aquinnah Wampanoag) from the juvenile nonfiction shelves to the fiction shelves. I joined efforts to write a letter objecting to that decision and I added the book to my
log of Native-authored books that have been challenged or banned.
Colonization and the Wampanoag Story came out in 2023 from Crown Books for Young Readers, which is an imprint of Random House Children's Books. Here's the book description:
Until now, you've only heard one side of the story: the "discovery" of America told by Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, and the Colonists. Here's the true story of America from the Indigenous perspective.
When you think about the beginning of the American story, what comes to mind? Three ships in 1492, or perhaps buckled hats and shoes stepping off of the Mayflower, ready to start a new country. But the truth is, Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, and the Colonists didn't arrive to a vast, empty land ready to be developed. They arrived to find people and communities living in harmony with the land they had inhabited for thousands of years, and they quickly disrupted everything they saw.
From its "discovery" by Europeans to the first Thanksgiving, the story of America's earliest days has been carefully misrepresented. Told from the perspective of the New England Indigenous Nations that these outsiders found when they arrived, this is the true story of how America as we know it today began.
I've followed and recommended Coombs's work for years. She has done excellent work over many decades, as a tribal historian for the Aquinnah Wampanoag and in writings through which she tries to help teachers create educational materials. I read her book last year and included it in our
annual Best Books list.
The decision to recategorize the book was taken by the "Citizens Review Committee" that is appointed by the county commissioner. When initially formed, that committee had five citizens and five librarians, but in March of 2024, Montgomery County officials decided the librarians could no longer weigh in on reviews of children's and young adult books that residents had challenged. Why they removed the librarians is not clear to me. Professional training in book selection was essentially set aside in favor of "common sense" of the local community (see
Montgomery County Adopts Citizen-Led Library Book Review Policy for use of the phrase "common sense."
Montgomery County Memorial Library System is in Texas, north of Houston. That system includes 7 different locations. Yesterday morning when I went to their catalog and entered the book title, this is what I saw:
In the first column are the names of the libraries that have a copy. The second column is "Material Type" where each library has it listed as "Juvenile books, circulating." The third column, "Shelf Number" for all the libraries is "jF Coo" which means juvenile Fiction, Coombs. In the 4th column, "Status" you see "Material being cataloged" at five libraries. From what I've read in news reports, the libraries had to complete the move by October 17, which was 5 days ago. I assume "material being cataloged" means librarians are working on moving the book, changing the information in the catalog, and doing all that needs doing in order to keep track of books in a catalog.
Here's a fact based on my experience:
A lot of people in the United States don't know we (Native peoples) exist anymore. I've read accounts in which someone says "there's no Indians here" and that books or educational materials about them are not needed in this or that location.
But here's the thing: we are here, in spite of all that was done over hundreds of years to get rid of us. Did you know, for example, that L. Frank Baum (he wrote
The Wizard of Oz) wrote an
editorial calling for "the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians." Books by Native writers ought to be in every school and public library. There are more, today, than ever before. When libraries choose to put our nonfiction books in the fiction section, they are continuing efforts to remove us from existence. There's obvious harm to Native kids who look for books that accurately reflect who we are, but there's harm to non-Native kids, too. They'll grow up, mis-educated, and may apply that misinformation to the work they do as adults.
Why, exactly, did the Citizens Review Committee in Texas make this decision?
News media states the thinking behind the decision to reclassify the book is not available to the public. I hope reporters will press for the information.
My guess is that when the committee received a request that Colonization and the Wampanoag be reviewed, they started by looking at the cover and the table of contents. They saw that Coombs structured the book by alternating chapters in an unusual way. Let me explain.
In the book, there is an Introduction, thirteen chapters, an Epilogue, Resources for Young Readers, and a Bibliography. Here's a screen capture of the Table of Contents for my e-copy:
The Introduction is in plain font. Here's a key paragraph:
The book starts with a story, "When Life Was Our Own," which describes Wampanoag life before any European contact. The story was created to relate traditional Wampanoag culture, beliefs, practices, and values based on our oral traditions and research done over many years. There are no written sources of these early times, due to the processes of colonization described in the other parts of the book. An understanding of precontact life brings clarity to the impacts of colonization on Indigenous people.
Chapter 1, "When Life Was Our Own: Spring and the Time of the New Year" is in italics. Here's a paragraph from there:
Little Bird felt a slight breeze on her face and the sudden warmth of the morning sun, bidding her to open her eyes to a new day. Her body resisted rousing from the warm furs of the bed. Maybe just one more snuggle before getting up! Just yesterday, her family and many others had moved from the winter home to their summer cornfields. Sachem Corn Tassel, the leader of their village, had Little Bird's family return to the same field they'd planted in last year.
Chapter 2, "Creating Colonies: More than a New Place to Live" is in plain font. Its subtitle is "Some Background Information and Context (Never forget the Context!)." It starts with this paragraph:
This section will discuss three episodes in history that occurred before 1620. These paved the way for the Pilgrims to settle in America. They are the Doctrine of Discovery; the impacts of Christopher Columbus's voyages; and the PPP--Pre-Pilgrim Patterns--which happened along coastal southern New England.
Chapter 3, "When Life Was Our Own: Summer--Tending to Corn Mother" is in italics, and chapter 4, "PPP: Pre-Pilgrim Patterns" is in plain font. That pattern continues throughout the book.
In her book, Coombs uses storytelling, or the oral tradition. Is that why the committee decided her book is fiction? Storytelling/oral tradition is a technique that Native people use to pass information from one generation to the next. Coombs uses it to provide a Native perspective on the history the book focuses on. Using that technique she invites readers to be with a Native family, and then in the next chapter she gives readers the information typically found in textbooks.
I think it is a terrific model.
And it isn't an unfamiliar one! On Twitter/X, the librarian who writes using
ReadingDanger as their name pointed to several books categorized as nonfiction that someone might say 'hey, that's not nonfiction!' One example is the Magic School Bus series. Information in those outstanding books is conveyed by Ms. Frizzle and the kids in her class. A quick look at the catalog tells me those books are cataloged as nonfiction.
Below I'm providing links to items I've read. I'll add additional links as I can, and additional thoughts as they develop. For starters? I think the book ought to be moved back to the nonfiction section of the library.
March 26, 2024
Texas county removes librarians from certain book review processes at
LoneStar Live. Note from Debbie on Oct 23: As I continue researching how this happened, I'll be adding older items -- like this one from March--that has information about the policy that removed librarians from the committee that was created to review objections to library materials. It reminds me of efforts to denigrate people with expertise as "elites" that are "out of touch" with people. I also want to note that individuals who attended the Montgomery County board meetings to object to books wore red attire.
October 11, 2024
October 14, 2024
October 16, 2024
October 18, 2024
October 19, 2024
October 20, 2024
October 21, 2024
October 22, 2024
October 23, 2024
Today I looked for children's books about the Comanche Nation. The one that popped up a lot is published by ABDO. Comanche is part of a "Native American Nations" series they did in which all the books are by "F. A. Bird." It came out in 2022.
The cover of each book has the name of a tribal nation, the logo for the series, and the author's name:
Who is F. A. Bird? When I got the book, I decided to do this post because there's a lot wrong with this book, and my guess is F. A. Bird made similar errors in the other books. I can't find any information about who F. A. Bird is, anywhere. Help me! If you know who that is, please let me know.
The series has 10 titles: Algonquin, Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Comanche, Iroquois, Navajo, Nez Perce, Seminole, Sioux. I'll try to get the other books, but for now, I'm looking at the title for the first one: Algonquin. Who is that book about? There is no "Algonquin" tribal nation in what is currently called the US.
The format for each book consists of thirteen two-page chapters. One of those pages is a photograph; the other has about 3 paragraphs of information. The first twelve chapters are historical in nature and use past tense verbs as if the Comanche people of today don't do any of the things presented on those pages. Let's consider what we see in Chapter 8, "Children." It says their babies "were placed on a cradleboard." Many Native families still use cradleboards. Another example is that "grandparents helped raise the children" and "told their grandchildren stories." That still happens. Grandparents help today, and they tell their grandchildren stories.
Though the series title includes the word "Nations," it only appears once in the entire book! Chapter 13, "The Comanche Today," is primarily about the "Comanche Nation Homecoming Powwow." How is a teacher meant to teach children the fact of nationhood if that fact is not included in the book?
Chapter 6 is "Crafts." It is about bows and arrows. Why is that being called a craft? The page is primarily about hunting. In that context, it was not (and is not) a craft. Calling it a craft situates it in a hobbyist space.
After looking over the information in the Comanche book, I wonder what the Comanche people would want included? How would they want that information presented? Chapter 9 is "Traditions" and talks about "the Great Spirit" and "the Evil Spirit." It tells us that the Evil Spirit was cast out of the "Spirit World" when it refused to recognize humans as "the Great Spirit's best creation." That Evil Spirit hides in fangs and stingers of poisonous creatures. The accompanying photo is of a scorpion. Is that what the Comanche people say in their traditional stories? What is the source for that page of info?
At the moment, I am full of questions about this book--and the entire series!
%20held%20its%20Youth%20Literature%20Award%20Ceremony%20in%20Phoenix.%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%3Ci%3EI%20am%20pleased%20to%20share%20the%20remarks%20Jonathan%20Nelson%20delivered%20when%20he%20received%20the%20American%20Indian%20Youth%20Literature%20Award%20in%20the%20picture%20book%20category%20for%20Forever%20Cousins.%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E****%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-lWXbHyQAZMS-JiEwtcQHA6kX0cGJYXGF1WRg-6rKwRtSv26mtOHNRNvmt8LyaZxHZDr4FvscPNBQEHaeMS2uODQXLdVImMFASWnkNFjXNld4ZoWrW5GNfjezf8XsAxQamAzbanO2jW7__wF24SGQx13ORhzKdKxsoKbtvfbTiCObqLu5mPY/s1600/Screenshot%25202025-02-02%2520at%25207.42.32%2520AM.png%22%20imageanchor%3D%221%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20data-original-height%3D%221344%22%20data-original-width%3D%221600%22%20height%3D%22538%22%20src%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-lWXbHyQAZMS-JiEwtcQHA6kX0cGJYXGF1WRg-6rKwRtSv26mtOHNRNvmt8LyaZxHZDr4FvscPNBQEHaeMS2uODQXLdVImMFASWnkNFjXNld4ZoWrW5GNfjezf8XsAxQamAzbanO2jW7__wF24SGQx13ORhzKdKxsoKbtvfbTiCObqLu5mPY/w640-h538/Screenshot%25202025-02-02%2520at%25207.42.32%2520AM.png%22%20width%3D%22640%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cb%3EAIYLA%20Medal%20Acceptance%20Remarks%3C/b%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cb%3EJonathan%20Nelson%3C/b%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cdiv%3EYa'at'eeh!%20Shi%20ei%20yinishye.%20Kiyaa'aanii%20doo%20Naakai%20dine'e%20baschichiin.%20Hooghan%20lani%20da%20shicheii%20doo%20T%C3%A1chii%E2%80%99nii%20da%20shinali.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EHello.%20My%20name%20is%20Jonathan%20Nelson.%20I%20am%20of%20the%20Towering%20House%20clan,%20born%20for%20the%20Mexican%20clan.%20My%20maternal%20grandparents%20are%20of%20the%20Many%20Hogans%20clan%20and%20my%20paternal%20grandparents%20are%20of%20the%20Red-Running-Into-The-Water%20clan.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%E2%80%99m%20grateful%20and%20honored%20to%20be%20here%20with%20you%20all%20and%20among%20the%20creators%20listed%20on%20the%20agenda%20for%20the%20American%20Indian%20Youth%20Literature%20Awards.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%E2%80%99ve%20been%20awarded%202%20awards%20and,%20yes,%20I%20was%20curious%20about%20giving%20the%20same%20speech%20twice.%20Thanks%20to%20Charlesbridge%20and%20Laurie%20Goodluck%20to%20share%20my%20talents%20on%20Forever%20Cousins.%20I%20also%20want%20to%20thank%20Heartdrum,%20an%20imprint%20of%20HarperCollins,%20and%20Kim%20Rogers%20for%20giving%20me%20the%20opportunity%20to%20collaborate%20on%20A%20Letter%20for%20Bob.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIt%E2%80%99s%20been%20awhile%20since%20I%E2%80%99ve%20been%20back%20to%20Phoenix,%20the%20homelands%20of%20the%20of%20the%20Akimel%20O'odham%20(Pima),%20Piipaash%20(Maricopa),%20and%20Yavapai%20people.%20It%E2%80%99s%20great%20to%20see%20some%20of%20them%20here%20along%20with%20everyone%20else%20and%20these%20heavy%20hitters.%20I'm%20grateful%20and%20honored%20to%20be%20sharing%20this%20space%20and%20time%20with%20you.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIn%20sharing%20my%20process%20I%E2%80%99d%20like%20to%20share%20some%20work%20I%20did%20back%20in%202009.%20I%20painted%20a%20series%20of%20six%20vinyl%20records%20I%20labeled%20Ewe-volution.%20You%20as%20in%20sheep.%20Get%20it?%20It%E2%80%99s%20a%20story%20about%20a%20mother%20and%20her%20son,%20a%20ram.%20The%20mother%20is%20the%20first%20to%20ever%20realize%20that%20she's%20a%20being,%20a%20person.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EHer%20son%20begins%20to%20grow%20and%20he%20doesn't%20have%20to%20think%20about%20his%20own%20existence.%20He%20knows%20who%20he%20is%20and%20he%20has%20aspirations%20and%20goals.%20You%20can%20see%20how%20he%20grows.%20It%20relates%20with%20how%20I%E2%80%99ve%20gone%20through%20life%20and%20how%20the%20younger%20generations%20perceive%20education.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%20got%20my%20start%20in%20art%20as%20a%20young%20kid%20drawing%20Garfield,%20Snoopy,%20then%20Spiderman,%20Hulk,%20and%20Batman.%20In%20high%20school,%20I%20began%20painting.%20Today,%20I%20work%20as%20a%20graphic%20artist,%20web%20designer,%20and%20illustrator.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIn%202001,%20I%20had%20just%20met,%20my%20partner,%20Dr.%20Christine%20Nelson%20in%20Scottsdale%20and%20began%20dating.%20All%20the%20way%20from%20the%20Rez,%20she%E2%80%99s%20from%20Farmington%20and%20I%E2%80%99m%20from%20Hogback.%20I%20was%20working%20as%20a%20skycap%20at%20Sky%20Harbor%20and%209/11%20happened%20and%20everything%20came%20to%20a%20halt.%20I%20needed%20to%20find%20work%20right%20away.%20We%20looked%20at%20different%20options%20and%20suggested%20I%20go%20back%20to%20school.%20We%20toured%20Al%20Collins%20Graphic%20Design%20School%20in%20Tempe%20and%20that%E2%80%99s%20where%20I%20got%20my%20start%20in%20graphic%20design%20and%20illustration.%20I%20didn't%20know%20I%20could%20do%20that%20with%20my%20art%20as%20I%20finished%20high%20school.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ESo,%20Dr.%20Chris%20and%20I%20have%20a%2014-year-old%20son,%20Olin.%20He%E2%80%99s%20back%20in%20Denver%20and%20couldn%E2%80%99t%20be%20with%20us.%20So,%20he%20is%20kind%20of%20like%20the%20ram%20along%20with%20the%20younger%20generations%20we%E2%80%99re%20watching%20grow.%20He%E2%80%99s%20been%20seeing%20and%20hearing%20our%20work%20since%20he%20was%20a%20baby.%20Dr.%20Nelson%20with%20her%20research%20and%20writing%20contributions%20to%20papers,%20journals,%20and%20books.%20He%E2%80%99s%20watched%20me%20paint,%20sketch,%20and%20draw%20on%20canvas%20and%20iPad.%20He%E2%80%99s%20been%20with%20us%20on%20work%20trips%20to%20conferences%20and%20comic%20book%20conventions%20where%20we%E2%80%99ve%20presented%20and%20showcased.%20He%20hears%20about%20our%20research,%20projects,%20and%20discussions%20on%20higher%20education,%20career,%20and%20activist%20art%20among%20other%20topics%20in%20our%20fields.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%E2%80%99m%20grateful%20to%20work%20with%20these%20authors,%20designers,%20and%20educators,%20and,%20more%20so,%20within%20various%20Indigenous%20communities,%20companies,%20and%20student%20organizations.%20Olin%20and%20the%20youth%20are%20seeing%20us%20do%20this%20work.%20We%E2%80%99re%20giving%20them%20pathways%20they%20could%20follow,%20something%20to%20shoot%20for.%20I%20illustrate%20that%20in%20my%20books.%20Olin,%20and%20my%20nieces%20and%20nephews,%20the%20youth,%20can%20see%20themselves%20in%20these%20books.%20I%20draw%20these%20characters%20for%20my%20wife,%20my%20son,%20my%20nieces%20and%20nephews,%20grandmas%20and%20grandpas%20and%20so%20on%20and%20so%20forth.%20I%20hope%20you%20can%20also%20see%20them%20for%20yourselves%20and%20your%20communities.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EThanks%20to%20Charlesbridge%20and%20Heartdrum%20%26amp;%20HarperCollins.%20Thanks%20to%20my%20agent,%20Nicole%20Gieger%20at%20Full%20Circle%20Literary.%20And%20thanks%20to%20American%20Indian%20Youth%20Literature%20Awards%20for%20these%20honors%20and%20inviting%20me%20here%20for%20this%20ceremony.%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E)
.%26nbsp;%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3EI%20am%20delighted%20to%20see%20Native-authored%20books%20on%20the%20SNL%20stage!%20That's%20a%20big%20one!%20I'm%20adding%20it%20to%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/p/milestones-indigenous-peoples-in.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3EAICL's%20Milestones%3C/a%3E%20page.%20I%20know%20librarians,%20teachers,%20and%20writers%20are%20zooming%20in%20to%20see%20what%20else%20is%20on%20those%20shelves.%20Books%20matter%20so%20much%20to%20so%20many%20of%20us.%20Being%20represented%20like%20this:%20way%20cool!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E)
,%20illustrated%20by%20Tiff%20Bartel%20(Viet%20Canadian)%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3E%3C/i%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Ci%3ELittle%20By%20Little:%20You%20Can%20Change%20the%20World%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;by%20Sonya%20Ballantyne%20(Swampy%20Cree),%20illustrated%20by%20Rhael%20McGregor%20(Metis%20and%20settler%20heritage)%20and%20Toben%20Racicot%20(not%20Native)%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3E%3C/i%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Ci%3ESurviving%20the%20City,%20Vol.%203:%20We%20Are%20the%20Medicine%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;by%20Tasha%20Spillett%20(Cree%20and%20Trinidadian),%20illustrated%20by%20Natasha%20Donovan%20(Metis%20and%20white)%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAll%20three%20were%20published%20during%202024%20by%20Highwater%20Press,%20located%20in%20Winnipeg,%20Manitoba,%20Canada.%20%3Ci%3EWe%20Need%20Everyone%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;is%20a%20picture%20book%20intended%20for%20children%20ages%206%20-%208.%20%3Ci%3ELittle%20By%20Little%20%3C/i%3Eis%20a%20graphic%20novel%20for%20ages%209%20-%2012.%20%3Ci%3ESurviving%20the%20City,%20Vol.%203,%20%3C/i%3Ealso%20a%20graphic%20novel,%20is%20for%20teens%20and%20up.%20I'm%20not%20going%20to%20do%20full%20reviews%20of%20these%20books%20--%20just%20summaries%20to%20encourage%20you%20to%20look%20for%20yourself!%3C/p%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZccqpBkNH_JVkyhrlv0qx8TB4cWzp1Dx9GagpfD2z2GZ99az_-1KejbWEVg8DmGoGulqpj1NCVE6AQqa-k2Q5GvSGO14QqsDS-wvFc8szX3tXbHPNLsqGpH9r-S0WJq_IrN2MZb7z87autOeW4teYRA-y_4Pp1u5Icm0Nrv02JOKPMArczXwnEg/s1296/Screen%2520Shot%25202025-01-20%2520at%25204.15.38%2520PM.png%22%20imageanchor%3D%221%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20data-original-height%3D%22688%22%20data-original-width%3D%221296%22%20height%3D%22229%22%20src%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZccqpBkNH_JVkyhrlv0qx8TB4cWzp1Dx9GagpfD2z2GZ99az_-1KejbWEVg8DmGoGulqpj1NCVE6AQqa-k2Q5GvSGO14QqsDS-wvFc8szX3tXbHPNLsqGpH9r-S0WJq_IrN2MZb7z87autOeW4teYRA-y_4Pp1u5Icm0Nrv02JOKPMArczXwnEg/w431-h229/Screen%2520Shot%25202025-01-20%2520at%25204.15.38%2520PM.png%22%20width%3D%22431%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EWe%20Need%20Everyone%20%3C/i%3Eis%20by%20a%20community%20activist,%20Michael%20Redhead%20Champagne.%20Here's%20what%20the%20publisher%20says%20about%20it:%20%22%3Ci%3EWe%20Need%20Everyone%3C/i%3E%20empowers%20children%20to%20identify%20their%20gifts%20and%20use%20them%20to%20overcome%20challenges,%20achieve%20goals,%20and%20strengthen%20communities.%20Inspiring%20and%20uplifting,%20this%20interactive%20picture%20book%20celebrates%20diverse%20cultures,%20perspectives,%20and%20abilities%20through%20playful%20illustrations.%20Perfect%20for%20reading%20aloud.%22%20It's%20a%20colorful,%20encouraging%20look%20at%20making%20one's%20world%20larger,%20and%20better.%20The%20publisher%20provides%20a%20free%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://www.portageandmainpress.com/Books/T/Teacher-Guide-for-We-Need-Everyone%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%3Ci%3EWe%20Need%20Everyone%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;teachers'%20guide%3C/a%3E,%20and%20a%20book%20trailer,%20too.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3ELittle%20By%20Little:%20You%20Can%20Change%20the%20World%26nbsp;%3C/i%3Eis%20biographical,%20briefly%20telling%20part%20of%20the%20life%20story%20of%20Michael%20Redhead%20Champagne,%20author%20of%20%3Ci%3EWe%20Need%20Everybody%3C/i%3E.%20The%20focus%20is%20on%20how%20Michael%20began,%20as%20a%20pre-teen,%20to%20call%20out%20misinformation%20and%20prejudices%20regarding%20homeless%20people.%20In%20the%20back%20of%20the%20book,%20Michael%20himself%20writes%20about%20how%20he%20came%20to%20be%20adopted%20by%20the%20Champagne%20family,%20after%20being%20born%20to%20a%20mother%20who%20struggled%20with%20untreated%20trauma%20and%20could%20not%20care%20for%20him.%20There's%20a%20free%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://www.portageandmainpress.com/Books/T/Teacher-Guide-for-Little-by-Little%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3E%3Ci%3ELittle%20By%20Little%26nbsp;%3C/i%3Eteachers'%20guide%3C/a%3E,%20too.%3Ci%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/i%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3ESurviving%20the%20City,%20Vol.%203%20%3C/i%3Econcludes%20Spillett's%20%26amp;%20Donovan's%20series%20featuring%20Indigenous%20teens%20and%20friends%20living%20in%20Winnipeg.%20As%20the%20story%20begins,%20the%20teens%20are%20stunned%20by%20news%20that%20the%20remains%20of%20hundreds%20of%20children%20were%20discovered%20at%20former%20Indian%20residential%20schools.%20The%20publisher%20states,%20%22The%20teens%20struggle%20with%20feelings%20of%20helplessness%20in%20the%20face%20of%20injustice.%20Can%20they%20find%20the%20strength%20to%20channel%20their%20frustration%20into%20action%20toward%20a%20more%20hopeful%20time?%22%20Some%20of%20the%20teens%20are%20arrested%20during%20a%20protest%20and%20endure%20harsh%20unjust%20treatment%20at%20the%20hands%20of%20the%20police.%20They%20wonder%20what%20is%20necessary%20to%20make%20an%20action%20effective,%20and%20what%20price%20activism%20can%20exact%20from%20individuals.%20Of%20the%20three,%20this%20is%20the%20most%20hard-hitting,%20depicting%20police%20violence%20against%20a%20peaceful%20protest,%20and%20the%20personal%20aftermath%20for%20the%20characters%20involved.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAll%20three%20of%20the%20books%20end%20with%20optimism%20about%20the%20necessity%20of%20being%20actively%20involved%20in%20one's%20community,%20and%20the%20potential%20for%20positive%20change%20through%20cooperation%20and%20creative%20approaches.%20All%20provide%20opportunities%20for%20meaningful%20discussions%20of%20such%20questions%20as,%20%22What%20might%20make%20you%20want%20to%20get%20involved%20to%20help%20your%20community?%20What%20abilities%20and%20interests%20do%20you%20have%20that%20might%20make%20you%20effective?%20Who%20is%20is%20interested%20in%20the%20same%20issues?%20What%20important%20things%20need%20to%20be%20done?%20Does%20getting%20involved%20result%20in%20suffering,%20for%20some%20of%20the%20characters%20in%20these%20books?%20How%20are%20they%20able%20to%20go%20on?%22%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EEducators,%20librarians,%20family%20members,%20and%20community%20activists%20--%20please%20get%20to%20know%20these%20books%20and%20share%20them%20with%20the%20young%20people%20you%20know%20--%20Native%20and%20not%20Native!%20Now%20and%20in%20the%20near%20future,%20the%20well-being%20of%20so%20many%20in%20our%20communities%20is%20going%20to%20call%20for%20well-informed,%20inspired,%20caring,%20and%20courageous%20people%20of%20all%20ages%20to%20speak%20out%20for%20themselves%20and%20those%20around%20them.%26nbsp;%20We%20have%20our%20work%20cut%20out%20for%20us,%20striving%20to%20make%20sure%20that%20the%20arc%20of%20the%20moral%20universe%20bends%20continually%20toward%20justice.%20These%20three%20books%20can%20help%20young%20people%20decide,%20if%20good%20trouble%20is%20needed,%20how%20(and%20whether)%20they%20might%20make%20it.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/p%3E)
%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIllustrated%20by%20Jonathan%20Nelson%20(Din%C3%A9)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublished%20in%202025%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublisher:%20Heartdrum%20(HarperCollins)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReviewer:%20Debbie%20Reese%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReview%20Status:%20Highly%20Recommended%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E****%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EBack%20in%202016%20I%20read%20a%20comic%20called%20%3Ci%3EThe%20Wool%20of%20Jonesy%20--%20%3C/i%3Eand%20I%20loved%20it.%20Since%20then%20I've%20followed%20Jonathan%20Nelson's%20work.%20Again%20and%20again,%20his%20words%20and%20art%20are%20precisely%20what%20I%20want%20Native%20kids%20to%20have.%26nbsp;Then%20in%202022,%20I%20read%20Laurel%20Goodluck's%20%3Ci%3EForever%20Cousins%3C/i%3E.%20Her%20storytelling%20hits%20me%20like%20Jonathan's%20does.%20Her%20books%20are%20the%20ones%20I%20want%20all%20Native%20kids%20to%20have.%20He%20did%20the%20illustrations%20for%20%3Ci%3EForever%20Cousins.%20%3C/i%3EIf%20you've%20participated%20in%20webinars%20I%20do%20online,%20you%20know%20that%20I%20talk%20about%20their%20book%20a%20lot.%20And%20now,%20they're%20partnered%20up%20again%20in%26nbsp;%3Ci%3EY%C3%A1adil%C3%A1!%20Good%20Grief!%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Ci%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EImagine%20me%20opening%26nbsp;%3Ci%3EY%C3%A1adil%C3%A1!%20Good%20Grief!%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;Then%20imagine%20my%20smile%20as%20I%20see%20the%20sheep%20in%20the%20endpaper%20art!%20Something%20about%20Nelson's%20illustrations%20of%20sheep%20appeals%20to%20me%20in%20ways%20I%20can't%20explain.%20There%20aren't%20any%20on%20the%20cover%20(shown%20above)%20but%20sheep%20are%20a%20significant%20part%20of%20the%20story%20Goodluck%20and%20Nelson%20give%20to%20us.%20On%20the%20cover,%20you%20see%20a%20family%20(a%20grandmother,%20parents,%20and%20two%20children).%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EHere's%20the%20synopsis:%3C/div%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cspan%3EBahe%20and%20Dezba%20are%20helping%20their%20grandmother,%20Nali,%20move%20from%20her%20sheep%20camp%20home%20to%20their%20house.%20The%20family%20is%20packing%20up,%20carrying%20heavy%20boxes,%20and%20settling%20into%20a%20new%20life%20together,%20which%20isn%E2%80%99t%20always%20easy.%20At%20every%20frustration,%20they%20throw%20up%20their%20hands%20and%20exclaim,%20%E2%80%9CYaadila!%E2%80%9D%26nbsp;%3Cem%3EGood%20grief!%3C/em%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cspan%3EBahe%20sees%20that%20this%20big%20change%20is%20hardest%20for%20Nali.%20But%20he%20has%20a%20secret%20plan.%20Whatever%20can%20he%20be%20doing%20with%20a%20bucket%20of%20water,%20all%20that%20yarn,%20and%20Dezba%E2%80%99s%20dollhouse?%3C/span%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cspan%3E%3Cspan%20face%3D%22Muli,%20Arial,%20sans-serif%22%3EIn%20this%20heartwarming%20and%20quintessentially%20Navajo%20(Din%C3%A9)%20story,%20author%20Laurel%20Goodluck%20(Mandan,%20Hidatsa,%20and%20Tsimshian)%20and%20illustrator%20Jonathan%20Nelson%20(Din%C3%A9)%20together%20show%20a%20big%20change%20for%20an%20Elder%20made%20easier%20with%20a%20creative%20gesture%20of%20love%20and%20care.%26nbsp;%3C/span%3E%26nbsp;%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EIn%20my%20webinars,%20I%20tell%20participants%20to%20go%20right%20to%20the%20end%20matter%20in%20a%20book%20to%20study%20the%20author's%20notes.%20Those%20pages%20are%20packed%20with%20information%20that%20teachers,%20parents,%20librarians%20--%20anyone%20who%20is%20going%20to%20use%20the%20book%20--%20need%20to%20fully%20engage%20the%20story.%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EWhen%20you%20flip%20to%20the%20back%20of%20this%20book%20to%20find%20the%20Author's%20Note,%20the%20first%20thing%20you'll%20is%20a%20large%20red%20box%20with%20a%20note%20(white%20text%20on%20a%20red%20background)%20from%20the%20%22Helpful%20Narrator%22%20who%20says%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EShhh.%20Don't%20tell%20Bahe,%20but%20I'm%20sneaking%20back.%20Wow,%20wasn't%20that%20a%20fun%20story?%20You%20learned%20how%20to%20y%C3%A1adil%C3%A1.%20You%20saw%20how%20a%20little%20sister%20could%20be%20annoying%20when%20you're%20busy%20doing%20something%20nice%20for%20your%20nali.%20And%20how%20cool%20was%20it%20to%20learn%20new%20Din%C3%A9%20words?%20Now%20it's%20that%20time%20in%20a%20picture%20book%20when%20you%20learn%20about%20the%20author.%20The%20author--%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EIn%20the%20midst%20of%20that%20sentence,%20we%20see%20an%20interruption%20in%20black%20text:%20%22Excuse%20me?%20What%20are%20you%20doing%20here?%22%20and%20then,%20the%20final%20sentence%20in%20the%20red%20box:%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EThe%20author%20has%20a%20few%20words%20to%20share%20on%20her%20own.%20Y%C3%A1adil%C3%A1!%20I'm%20really%20done.%20H%C3%A1go%C3%B3nee'.%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EAnd%20beneath%20that%20red%20box/note%20from%20Helpful%20Narrator,%20we%20find%20the%20Author's%20Note.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EWe%20first%20met%20Helpful%20Narrator%20in%20the%20opening%20pages.%20There,%20it%20tells%20us%20(the%20readers)%20how%20to%20say%20y%C3%A1adil%C3%A1%20and%20how%20to%20convey%20it,%20too,%20with%20body%20language.%20As%20soon%20as%20I%20get%20a%20hard%20copy%20of%20the%20book,%20I'll%20be%20back%20with%20some%20screen%20captures%20to%20show%20you%20how%20this%20all%20plays%20out.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EHelpful%20Narrator's%20purpose%20is%20to%20speak%20to%20us%20in%20ways%20that%20resonate%20with%20me.%20Within%20Native%20communities--and%20yours,%20too,%20perhaps--a%20reading%20or%20storytelling%20has%20moments%20when%20the%20reader/speaker%20steps%20out%20of%20the%20story%20to%20say%20something.%20It%20is%20a%20natural%20way%20of%20storytelling.%20In%20film,%20that's%20called%20%22breaking%20the%20fourth%20wall%22%20and%20it%20annoys%20some%20people,%20but%20I%20like%20it%20because%20it%20feels%20right%20to%20me.%20Storytelling%20is%20not%20strictly%20a%20performance!%20Storytellers%20might%20perform%20but%20they%20also%20engage%20their%20audience.%20That's%20what%20Helpful%20Narrator%20does%20in%20the%20opening%20pages,%20and%20at%20the%20end,%20too.%26nbsp;%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3EI'll%20be%20back%20with%20more%20to%20say%20about%20this%20wonderful%20book.%20Obviously%20I%20am%20delighted%20with%20it%20which%20means%20I'm%20highly%20recommending%20that%20you%20get%20it%20for%20your%20public%20and%20school%20libraries,%20and%20for%20your%20classrooms,%20and%20your%20home%20library,%20too!%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E)
%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublished%20by%20Highwater%20Press%20(Portage%20%26amp;%20Main)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublication%20Year:%202024%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReviewer:%20Jean%20Mendoza%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReview%20Status:%20Highly%20Recommended%3C/div%3E%3Cp%3EIt's%20good%20to%20see%20the%20publication%20of%20more%20stories%20for%20young%20people%20about%20Indigenous%20athletes,%20both%20fictional%20and%20real.%20Byron%20Graves'%20%3Ci%3ERez%20Ball%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;is%20a%20case%20in%20point;%20as%20Debbie%20pointed%20out%20in%20her%20review,%20basketball%20is%20a%20Thing%20in%20many%20Native%20communities.%20In%20what's%20currently%20called%20Canada,%20so%20I'm%20told,%20hockey%20is%20that%20Thing.%20%3Ci%3EThe%20Kodiaks:%20Home%20Ice%20Advantage%20%3C/i%3Eis%20a%20middle-grade%20novel%20about%20a%20young%20Cree%20hockey%20player%20who%20moves%20from%20the%20reserve%20to%20Winnipeg.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHere's%20what%20the%20publisher%20says:%3C/p%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cp%3EEverything%20is%20changing%20for%2011-year-old%20Alex%20Robinson.%20After%20his%20father%20accepts%20a%20new%20job,%20Alex%20and%20his%20family%20move%20from%20their%20community%20to%20the%20city.%20For%20the%20first%20time%20in%20his%20life,%20he%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20fit%20in.%20His%20fellow%20students%20don%E2%80%99t%20understand%20Indigenous%20culture.%20Even%20a%20simple%20show%20of%20respect%20to%20his%20teacher%20gets%20him%20in%20trouble.%20Things%20begin%20to%20look%20up%20after%20Alex%20tries%20out%20for%20a%20local%20hockey%20team.%20Playing%20for%20the%20Kodiaks,%20Alex%20proves%20himself%20as%20one%20of%20the%20best,%20but%20he%20becomes%20a%20target%20because%20he%E2%80%99s%20Indigenous.%20Can%20Alex%20trust%20his%20teammates%20and%20stand%20up%20to%20the%20jerks%20on%20other%20teams?%20Can%20he%20find%20a%20way%20to%20fit%20in%20and%20still%20be%20who%20he%E2%80%99s%20meant%20to%20be?%3C/p%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cp%3EReason%20%231:%20A%20caring,%20perceptive%20Indigenous%20family.%20Alex%20is%20a%20likable%20character%20who%20brings%20kindness%20and%20humor%20to%20his%20family%20and%20peer%20relationships.%20They%20reciprocate,%20which%20gives%20Alex%20the%20strength%20to%20adjust%20to%20the%20move,%20a%20new%20school,%20and%20a%20new%20hockey%20team.%20When%20he%20experiences%20a%20tremendous%20hurt,%20compounded%20by%20an%20injustice,%20his%20parents%20and%20friends%20stage%20what%20he%20thinks%20of%20as%20an%20intervention,%20to%20persuade%20him%20that%20in%20fact%20he%20should%20continue%20with%20hockey.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EReason%20%232:%20Realistically%20portrayed%20racist%20micro-aggressions%20and%20full-on%20aggressions.%20For%20better%20or%20for%20worse,%20trash-talking%20seems%20to%20be%20part%20of%20sports.%20Anti-Indigenous%20insults%20and%20general%20ignorance%20or%20malice%20spoken%20aloud%20can%20make%20competitions%20a%20minefield%20for%20young%20Native%20athletes.%20Alex%20experiences%20several%20such%20incidents%20and%20must%20come%20to%20terms%20with%20how%20to%20handle%20them.%20He%20finds%20the%20courage%20to%20speak%20up%20when%20he%20needs%20to%20--%20as%20when%20a%20teammate%20nicknames%20him%20Chief%20or%20an%20otherwise%20well-meaning%20coach%20uses%20terms%20like%20%22low%20man%20on%20the%20totem%20pole.%22%20Still,%20the%20time%20comes%20when%20anti-Indigenous%20hatred%20directed%20at%20him%20by%20opposing%20players%20and%20adult%20fans%20is%20too%20much.%20Robertson%20shows%20how%20devastating%20such%20an%20experience%20can%20be%20for%20a%20child,%20and%20how%20important%20wise%20support%20from%20adults%20and%20peers%20can%20be%20at%20such%20times.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EReason%20%233:%20Exciting%20game%20play%20descriptions.%20I%20don't%20know%20much%20about%20hockey%20but%20Robertson%20put%20me%20right%20there%20on%20the%20ice%20with%20Alex.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EReason%20%234:%20First%20of%20a%20series,%20which%20the%20publisher%20is%20calling%20The%20Breakout%20Chronicles.%20Good%20news%20for%20young%20people,%20Native%20or%20not,%20who%20love%20a%20high-quality%20series!%20We%20hope%20teachers%20and%20librarians%20will%20buy%20copies%20of%20this%20one%20for%20their%20shelves,%20and%20keep%20their%20eyes%20open%20for%20the%20next%20Breakout%20Chronicles%20book.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/p%3E)
%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EWritten%20by%20Marcie%20Rendon%20(enrolled%20member%20of%20the%20White%20Earth%20Nation)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIllustrated%20by%20Mangeshig%20Pawis-Steckley%20(Anishinaabe;%20member%20of%20Wasauksing%20First%20Nation%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublished%20in%202024%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublisher:%20Heartdrum%20(Imprint%20of%20HarperCollins)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReviewer:%20Debbie%20Reese%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReview%20Status:%20Highly%20Recommended%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E****%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ERegular%20readers%20of%20AICL%20know%20that%20I%20urge%20them%20to%20look%20at%20author's%20notes%20whenever%20they%20pick%20up%20a%20book%20by%20a%20Native%20writer.%20Doing%20that%20gives%20you%20(teacher,%20parent,%20librarian,%20professor,%20reviewer...)%20information%20that%20you%20probably%20did%20not%20get%20in%20school%20or%20college.%20That%20information%20supports%20the%20reading%20you'll%20do%20when%20you%20flip%20back%20to%20the%20front%20of%20the%20book%20and%20start%20reading%20the%20words%20and%20looking%20at%20the%20illustrations.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EMarcie%20Rendon's%20note%20for%20%3Ci%3EStitches%20of%20Tradition%20%3C/i%3Eis%20outstanding.%20Her%20note%20focuses%20on%20ribbon%20skirts.%20The%20second%20paragraph%20stands%20out%20to%20me:%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3ESkirts%20are%20worn%20not%20only%20in%20traditional%20ceremonies%20but%20also%20as%20a%20political%20statement.%20There%20are%20many%20different%20teachings%20about%20the%20skirt,%20but%20the%20most%20important%20thing%20to%20remember%20is%20that%20the%20ribbon%20skirt%20says,%20%3Ci%3EWe%20are%20here.%20We%20have%20survived%20genocide.%20We%20are%20resilient%20and%20beautiful.%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3ESome%20words%20make%20me%20pump%20my%20fist%20and%20declare%20YES.%20Those%20words%20did%20precisely%20that.%20The%20dedication%20did,%20too.%20Rendon's%20is%20%22For%20all%20the%20grandgirls.%22%20And%20the%20illustrator,%20Mangeshig%20Pawis-Steckley's%20is%20%22To%20the%20women%20who%20raised%20me,%20and%20to%20all%20the%20matriarchs%20guiding%20us%20to%20a%20brighter%20future.%22%20Imagine%20more%20loud%20declarations%20from%20me.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EAll%20right!%20So%20what%20is%20this%20story%20about?%20Here's%20the%20description:%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cspan%3E%3Cspan%3EAn%20Ojibwe%20grandmother%20carefully%20measures%20and%20selects%20just%20the%20right%20colors%20of%20fabric,%20and%20her%20sewing%20machine%20hums%26nbsp;%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%3Ewhirr,%20whirr,%20whirr%3C/span%3E%3Cspan%3E%26nbsp;late%20into%20the%20night.%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cspan%3E%3Cspan%3EIn%20the%20morning,%20her%20growing%20granddaughter%20has%20a%20beautiful%20new%20ribbon%20skirt%20to%20wear,%20a%20reminder%20of%20her%20nookomis%20and%20the%20cultural%20traditions%20that%20stitch%20together%20her%20family%20with%20love.%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EThat%20basic%20scene%20repeats%20as%20that%20grandaughter%20gets%20older%20and%20her%20grandma%20makes%20another%20skirt.%20This%20part%20is%20especially%20dear%20because%20I%20can%20see%20it%20in%20my%20memory%20and%20imagine%20it%20in%20other%20Native%20homes%20across%20the%20country:%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cp%3ENookomis%20whips%20out%20a%20measuring%20tape.%20She%20measures%20how%20round%20I%20am%20from%20my%20belly%20button%20back%20around%20to%20my%20belly%20button.%20She%20measures%20how%20long%20I%20am%20from%20my%20waist%20to%20my%20ankle.%20She%20says,%20%22You're%20growing%20so%20tall.%22%26nbsp;%3C/p%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EDeep%20sigh--thinking%20about%20times%20when%20I%20was%20being%20measured%20or%20when%20I%20was%20doing%20the%20measuring%20for%20one%20of%20our%20traditional%20dresses--and%20for%20the%20time%20when%20I'll%20be%20measuring%20my%20granddaughter%20and%20reading%20this%20lovely%20book%20to%20that%20granddaughter!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ENow%20for%20the%20political%20part.%20At%20various%20times%20as%20the%20granddaughter%20gets%20older,%20she%20needs%20a%20new%20skirt.%20About%20halfway%20through%20the%20story%20we%20read%20that%20her%20auntie,%20who%20is%20a%20lawyer,%20is%20becoming%20a%20district%20judge.%20The%20granddaughter%20and%20grandma%20need%20new%20skirts%20to%20honor%20her%20at%20the%20upcoming%20swearing%20in.%20So%20Nookomis%20gets%20out%20that%20measuring%20tape%20and%20measures%20her%20granddaughter.%20And%20then,%20she%20says:%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3E%22Noozhishenh,%20now%20you%20must%20measure%20me.%22%26nbsp;%3Cbr%20/%3ESweet%20as%20can%20be!%20And%20oh%20so%20real!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EHere's%20the%20swearing-in%20page:%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%26nbsp;%3Cdiv%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9WDFpcf-KQJihL7fIe0JaXlZ7LBlT0KeA2ZBmJcyl-qhSy29-hFCDyOY8UB1Wqd2NCOpsySqk8Zs6ByZWR1xXofbYj0bSt6ug2yTZDdyyG8EP4ypUcHLt5Od5Pl5o1YIkGuvU2tDZ0x9i_oIn-EYHt0DIoihgEZ9lBn__P37z6rGJJIVAXWC/s662/Screenshot%25202024-11-18%2520at%25202.19.43%2520PM.png%22%20imageanchor%3D%221%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20data-original-height%3D%22662%22%20data-original-width%3D%22560%22%20height%3D%22400%22%20src%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9WDFpcf-KQJihL7fIe0JaXlZ7LBlT0KeA2ZBmJcyl-qhSy29-hFCDyOY8UB1Wqd2NCOpsySqk8Zs6ByZWR1xXofbYj0bSt6ug2yTZDdyyG8EP4ypUcHLt5Od5Pl5o1YIkGuvU2tDZ0x9i_oIn-EYHt0DIoihgEZ9lBn__P37z6rGJJIVAXWC/w339-h400/Screenshot%25202024-11-18%2520at%25202.19.43%2520PM.png%22%20width%3D%22339%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cp%3EThis%20book%20is%20full%20of%20goodness%20and%20reality%20of%20who%20Native%20people%20are,%20culturally%20and%20politically,%20and%20there's%20layers%20to%20it,%20too,%20with%20deep%20significance%20for%20Native%20people.%20For%20those%20who%20are%20Ojibwe%20there's%20things%20in%20the%20illustrations%20that%20will%20call%20to%20them.%20Obviously,%20I%20highly%20recommend%20%3Ci%3EStitches%20of%20Tradition!%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;%3C/p%3E)
,%20PEN%20America%20published%20an%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://pen.org/native-american-heritage-now-an-interview-with-dr-debbie-reese/%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Einterview%3C/a%3E%20Amulya%20Hiremath%20did%20for%20Native%20American%20Heritage%20Month:%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PXq4HOEhjrGC9tHjTqFoHliE3mv5ext2LvL3hVckQruR2Qh4AYRrxn04iLpW-cuGFUFKE4Rj9rjvsvOBNC_DaOvNWomfW6_D3-tI9guIRCdSUnF7hEgm0FV6rVutf5PYBUI6h7up60vEzs3ubQKk649J8sIHt0Q75TaEuFq84iEvQGdM9wzO/s1896/Screenshot%25202024-11-13%2520at%25205.15.57%2520PM.png%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20data-original-height%3D%221490%22%20data-original-width%3D%221896%22%20height%3D%22314%22%20src%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1PXq4HOEhjrGC9tHjTqFoHliE3mv5ext2LvL3hVckQruR2Qh4AYRrxn04iLpW-cuGFUFKE4Rj9rjvsvOBNC_DaOvNWomfW6_D3-tI9guIRCdSUnF7hEgm0FV6rVutf5PYBUI6h7up60vEzs3ubQKk649J8sIHt0Q75TaEuFq84iEvQGdM9wzO/w400-h314/Screenshot%25202024-11-13%2520at%25205.15.57%2520PM.png%22%20width%3D%22400%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%20appreciate%20Hiremath's%20opening%20paragraph%20and%20am%20grateful%20for%20the%20opportunity%20to%20speak%20to%20PEN%20about%20my%20work.%20The%20interview%20is%20in%20the%20Banned%20Books%20category.%20Here's%20that%20first%20paragraph:%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cspan%20face%3D%22Neutraface,%20-apple-system,%20%26quot;system-ui%26quot;,%20%26quot;Segoe%20UI%26quot;,%20Roboto,%20Oxygen-Sans,%20Ubuntu,%20Cantarell,%20%26quot;Helvetica%20Neue%26quot;,%20sans-serif%22%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cspan%20face%3D%22Neutraface,%20-apple-system,%20%26quot;system-ui%26quot;,%20%26quot;Segoe%20UI%26quot;,%20Roboto,%20Oxygen-Sans,%20Ubuntu,%20Cantarell,%20%26quot;Helvetica%20Neue%26quot;,%20sans-serif%22%3EAt%20the%20tail%20end%20of%20another%20year%20that%20has%20threatened%20and%20targeted%20books%20by%20Native%20Americans%E2%80%93from%20book%20bans%20to%20incorrect%20reclassifications%E2%80%93the%20work%20of%20Dr.%20Debbie%20Reese%20becomes%20extremely%20important.%20Her%20website,%26nbsp;%3C/span%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/%22%3EAmerican%20Indians%20in%20Children%E2%80%99s%20Literature%3C/a%3E%3Cspan%20face%3D%22Neutraface,%20-apple-system,%20%26quot;system-ui%26quot;,%20%26quot;Segoe%20UI%26quot;,%20Roboto,%20Oxygen-Sans,%20Ubuntu,%20Cantarell,%20%26quot;Helvetica%20Neue%26quot;,%20sans-serif%22%3E%26nbsp;(AICL),%20is%20a%20repository%20of%20information%20on%20Native%20American%20heritage%20that%20acts,%20at%20once,%20as%20both%20an%20archive%20and%20a%20record,%20especially%20of%20misrepresentation%20of%20culture%20in%20literature.%22%3C/span%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%20am%20also%20glad%20to%20see%20that%20they%20set%20up%20a%20page%20at%20Bookshop%20that%20features%20books%20from%20my%20%22Banning%20of%20Native%20Voices%22%20page%20where%20I%20talk%20about%20Native%20writers%20that%20have%20been%20banned%20or%20challenged.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ETake%20a%20look%20at%20the%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://pen.org/native-american-heritage-now-an-interview-with-dr-debbie-reese/%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3Einterview%3C/a%3E,%20and%20click%20over%20to%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://bookshop.org/lists/native-american-heritage-month-2024-pen-america%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3EBookshop%3C/a%3E%20and%20buy%20some%20books!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E)
%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EIllustrations%20by%20Joshua%20Mangeshig%20Pawis-Steckley%20(Wasauksing%20First%20Nation)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublished%20in%202023%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublisher:%20Owl%20Kids%20(Canada)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReviewer:%20Jean%20Mendoza%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReview%20Status:%20Highly%20Recommended%3C/div%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20a%20short-and-sweet%20review%20of%20a%20cool%20picture%20book%20from%20the%20shelves%20of%20one%20of%20my%20favorite%20local%20places,%20the%20Urbana%20Free%20Library%20in%20Urbana,%20Ilinois.%20It's%20a%20pleasure%20to%20know%20they%20offer%20some%20of%20the%20most%20current%20books%20by%20and%20about%20Indigenous%20people.%26nbsp;%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHere's%20what%20the%20publisher,%20Owl%20Kids,%20says%20about%20%3Ci%3EBiindigen!:%3C/i%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cblockquote%3E%3Cp%3EIt%E2%80%99s%20a%20special%20day%20for%20Amik%20the%20beaver%20and%20her%20little%20sister,%20Nishiime.%20Their%20cousins%20are%20coming%20to%20visit!%20Amik%20is%20excited,%20but%20Nishiime%20feels%20nervous%20about%20meeting%20new%20people,%20and%20when%20the%20cousins%20finally%20arrive,%20Nishiime%20disappears.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELively,%20immersive%20illustrations%20show%20Amik%20and%20her%20cousins%20as%20they%20search%20the%20woods%20for%20Nishiime.%20Each%20creature%20they%20encounter,%20introduced%20to%20readers%20using%20their%20Anishinaabe%20names,%20reveals%20how%20beavers%20help%20the%20forest%20community.%20A%20fish%20thanks%20them%20for%20digging%20canals%20in%20the%20mud%20that%20they%20swim%20through.%20A%20deer%20thanks%20the%20beavers%20for%20cutting%20down%20trees%20so%20they%20can%20reach%20the%20tastiest%20leaves.%20None%20of%20the%20creatures%20have%20seen%20Nishiime,%20but%20keen-eyed%20kids%20will%20have%20spotted%20her%20hiding%20in%20the%20background%20throughout%20the%20story....With%20the%20perfect%20blend%20of%20fact%20and%20fun,%20this%20salute%20to%20the%20industrious%20beaver%20is%20also%20an%20energetic%20celebration%20of%20Indigenous%20perspectives,%20languages,%20and%20diversity.%3C/p%3E%3C/blockquote%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EReason%20%231%20to%20recommend%20this%20book:%20the%20illustrations.%3C/i%3E%20AICL%20has%20reviewed%20several%20books%20illustrated%20by%20Joshua%20Mangeshig%20Pawis-Steckley,%20including%26nbsp;%3Ci%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2021/09/highly-recommended-sharices-big-voice.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3ESharice's%20Big%20Voice%3C/a%3E%3C/i%3E.%20Readers%20will%20notice%20differences%20in%20how%20Pawis-Steckley%20approaches%20the%20subjects%20in%20each%20of%20the%20books.%20In%20%3Ci%3EBiindigen!%20%3C/i%3Ethe%20animals'%20bodies%20have%20some%20of%20the%20stylized%20lines%20and%20forms%20seen%20in%26nbsp;%3Ci%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2024/08/highly-recommended-boozhoo-hello-by.html%22%20target%3D%22_blank%22%3EBoozhoo!%20Hello!%3C/a%3E%3C/i%3E,%20but%20they%20have%20a%20somewhat%20different%20%22feel.%22%26nbsp;%20They%20are%20plump,%20sleek,%20and%20lively-looking.%20And%20it's%20fun%20looking%20for%20Nishiime%20after%20she%20vanishes%20from%20her%20sister's%20sight.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMy%20only%20concern%20is%20that%20the%20inking%20on%20some%20of%20the%20pages%20in%20the%20copy%20I%20have%20is%20so%20dark%20that%20details%20can%20be%20hard%20to%20see.%20In%20the%20sample%20pages%20on%20the%20Owl%20Kids%20web%20site,%26nbsp;%20the%20illustrations%20seem%20much%20brighter.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EReason%20%232:%20centering%20Indigenous%20knowledge.%26nbsp;%3C/i%3EAuthor%20Nancy%20Cooper%20reveals%20in%20a%20non-didactic%20(yet%20accurate)%20way%20how%20beavers%20operate%20as%20a%20keystone%20species%20in%20the%20environments%20they%20occupy.%20This%20is%20an%20important%20understanding%20for%20children,%20as%20many%20people%20mistakenly%20view%20beavers%20as%20destructive%20--%20cutting%20down%20trees,%20blocking%20streams,%20and%20so%20on.%20But%20the%20other%20animals%20that%20appear%20in%20the%20story%20express%20gratitude%20for%20the%20ways%20beaver%20activity%20benefits%20them.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAnother%20fact%20implicit%20in%20Cooper's%20storytelling%20is%20that%20Native%20Nations%20interacted%20with%20each%20other%20for%20millennia,%20across%20distance%20and%20language%20differences,%20often%20using%20water%20routes%20on%20their%20journeys.%20The%20Beaver%20cousins%20do%20the%20same%20thing%20--%20traveling%20far%20to%20get%20together,%20carrying%20or%20wearing%20items%20from%20their%20homelands%20and%20nations.%20That's%20something%20to%20point%20out%20when%20sharing%20the%20book%20with%20children.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EReason%20%233:%20promotion%20of%20Indigenous%20languages.%20%3C/i%3EThe%20beavers%20know%20each%20other%20by%20their%20names%20in%20the%20languages%20of%20the%20places%20they%20come%20from,%20including%20Anishinaabemowin,%20Inuktitut,%20and%20Ayajuthum.%20Cooper's%20storytelling%20incorporates%20several%20Anishinaabe%20words%20(the%20meanings%20are%20apparent%20in%20context)%20and%20provides%20pronunciations%20and%20English%20definitions%20in%20the%20back%20matter.%20Seeing%20their%20language%20in%20good%20books%20is%20a%20big%20positive%20for%20Native%20children,%20and%20learning%20about%20Indigenous%20languages%20is%20important%20for%20non-Native%20kids,%20as%20well.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EReason%20%234:%20portraying%20shyness%20as%20okay.%20%3C/i%3EAmik%20and%20the%20cousins%20are%20eager%20to%20get%20together.%20Nishiime%20thinks%20she%20is,%20but%20is%20overtaken%20by%20shyness.%20She%20watches%20instead,%20as%20many%20young%20children%20do%20in%20new%20situations.%20She%20returns%20to%20Amik%20only%20when%20the%20cousins%20are%20about%20to%20depart,%20after%20she%20has%20determined%20that%20she%20will%20feel%20safe%20with%20them.%20Instead%20of%20scolding%20her%20or%20pointing%20out%20the%20joy%20she%20missed%20by%20not%20joining%20in,%20the%20older%20beavers%20are%20happy%20to%20see%20her%20and%20answer%20her%20questions%20before%20they%20head%20for%20home.%26nbsp;%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Ci%3EBiindigen:%20Amik%20Says%20Welcome%20%3C/i%3Ecan%20be%20an%20asset%20in%20several%20areas%20of%20the%20primary%20curriculum.%20I%20hope%20teachers%20and%20librarians%20will%20follow%20the%20example%20of%20my%20favorite%20library%20and%20get%20a%20copy%20--%20or%20more%20than%20one%20--%20for%20the%20bookshelves.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%26nbsp;%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3C/p%3E)
%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3Eillustrated%20by%20Rebecca%20Lee%20Knuz%20(citizen%20of%20the%20Cherokee%20Nation)%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublished%20in%202024%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EPublisher:%20Levine%20Querido%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReviewer:%20Debbie%20Reese%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EReview%20Status:%20Highly%20Recommended%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E****%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ESometimes%20a%20story%20reaches%20right%20into%20your%20being%20and%20makes%20you%20laugh,%20smile,%20wince,%20and%20then%20it%20makes%20you%20feel%20loved.%20That%20is%20my%20experience%20reading%20%3Ci%3EChooch%20Helped%20%3C/i%3Eby%20Andrea%20L.%20Rogers.%20She's%20a%20citizen%20of%20the%20Cherokee%20Nation.%20Illustrations%20are%20by%20Rebecca%20Lee%20Kunz,%20who%20is%20also%20a%20citizen%20of%20the%20Cherokee%20Nation.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3ELook%20at%20the%20cover.%20Kunz's%20art%20captures%20precisely%20what%20we%20see%20as%20we%20begin%20reading%20%3Ci%3EChooch%20Helped.%20%3C/i%3EThe%20posture%20of%20the%20girl%20as%20she%20peers%20over%20her%20shoulder%20at%20the%20boy%20watering%20a%20plant,%20spilling%20water%20as%20he%20does%20it%20captures%20what%20we%20see%20in%20the%20first%20part%20of%20the%20book.%20His%20red%20cape%20and%20red%20boots...%20how%20many%20of%20us%20have%20memories%20of%20siblings%20or%20cousins%20who%20wore%20things%20like%20that?!%26nbsp;%20How%20many%20of%20us%20have%20a%20younger%20brother%20or%20sister%20who--even%20as%20they%20grew%20into%20toddlerhood--were%20called%20%22the%20baby%22?%26nbsp;%3Ci%3EChooch%20Helped%3C/i%3E%26nbsp;invites%20us%20to%20revisit%20our%20own%20memories%20and,%20perhaps,%20tell%20our%20little%20ones%20about%20an%20auntie%20or%20uncle%20who%20annoyed%20us%20when%20we%20were%20kids.%20I%20adore%20what%20this%20story%20does%20for%20me,%20and%20can't%20wait%20to%20read%20it%20to%20kids!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ESetting%20that%20aside%20for%20now,%20this%20story%20does%20more%20than%20touch%20on%20memories.%20In%20a%20straightforward%20way,%20Rogers%20introduces%20us%20to%20some%20Cherokee%20words.%20Cherokee%20families%20may%20feel%20a%20special%20delight%20seeing%20their%20language%20in%20this%20book.%20The%20rest%20of%20us%20may%20tell%20our%20children%20words%20in%20our%20own%20languages%20as%20we%20read%20%3Ci%3EChooch%20Helped.%26nbsp;%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Ci%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/i%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EI%20urge%20you%20to%20get%20a%20copy%20and%20flip%20to%20the%20back%20matter.%20Take%20a%20look%20at%20those%20pages%20before%20reading%20the%20book%20with%20kids.%20You'll%20find%20a%20glossary%20that%20tells%20you%20how%20to%20say%20the%20Cherokee%20words%20in%20the%20story.%20And,%20you'll%20find%20the%20Author's%20Note%20and%20the%20Artist's%20Note.%20Rogers%20and%20Knuz%20give%20us%20tribally%20specific%20information%20that%20they've%20put%20on%20each%20page.%20To%20most%20readers,%20the%20page%20where%20Chooch%20helps%20tune%20up%20bicycles%20is%20just%20a%20page%20about%20a%20kid%20helping%20his%20dad%20fix%20bikes%20but%20in%20her%20note,%20Rogers%20gives%20us%20more%20depth.%20She%20tells%20us%20about%20the%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3ECherokee%20Nation's%20Remember%20the%20Removal%20Bike%20Ride.%20Here's%20that%20portion:%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Ctable%20align%3D%22center%22%20cellpadding%3D%220%22%20cellspacing%3D%220%22%3E%3Ctbody%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-nMDCgCGeudykRQceCBxjxhKIQxZSmeA__VE4tfD3TX_y_uRBrT0-652WkG8CWRsb4U1jNLnNK2oi77oHJFDolse2VP1ppPtGSruYflzS5u57yxkAb2ZJ2r97soDkcT03-Qxt_KR6EfXUJt9YKOeCbO1E16TywQ-rsyX0HgVW66S1kA6tiqj/s948/Screenshot%25202024-11-05%2520at%252010.42.14%2520AM.png%22%3E%3Cimg%20border%3D%220%22%20data-original-height%3D%22186%22%20data-original-width%3D%22948%22%20height%3D%2279%22%20src%3D%22https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-nMDCgCGeudykRQceCBxjxhKIQxZSmeA__VE4tfD3TX_y_uRBrT0-652WkG8CWRsb4U1jNLnNK2oi77oHJFDolse2VP1ppPtGSruYflzS5u57yxkAb2ZJ2r97soDkcT03-Qxt_KR6EfXUJt9YKOeCbO1E16TywQ-rsyX0HgVW66S1kA6tiqj/w400-h79/Screenshot%25202024-11-05%2520at%252010.42.14%2520AM.png%22%20width%3D%22400%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3Ctr%3E%3Ctd%3E%3C/td%3E%3C/tr%3E%3C/tbody%3E%3C/table%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cdiv%3EIn%20the%20Artist's%20Note,%20Kunz%20tells%20us%20about%20Cherokee%20patterns%20in%20baskets%20and%20as%20I%20studied%20the%20illustrations%20to%20find%20it,%20I%20spotted%20(and%20loved)%20the%20green%20footprints%20we%20learn%20about%20as%20we%20get%20to%20the%20end%20of%20the%20story.%20That%20reveal%20is%20clever%20and%20delightful%20and%20oh-so-perfect!%20I%20adore%20this%20book!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EGet%20a%20few%20copies%20for%20friends!%20If%20you're%20a%20teacher,%20get%20one%20for%20your%20classroom,%20and%20librarians,%20get%20copies%20for%20your%20library%20system.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E)
%20a%20craft.%20Calling%20it%20a%20craft%20situates%20it%20in%20a%20hobbyist%20space.%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EAfter%20looking%20over%20the%20information%20in%20the%20Comanche%20book,%20I%20wonder%20what%20the%20Comanche%20people%20would%20want%20included?%20How%20would%20they%20want%20that%20information%20presented?%20Chapter%209%20is%20%22Traditions%22%20and%20talks%20about%20%22the%20Great%20Spirit%22%20and%20%22the%20Evil%20Spirit.%22%20It%20tells%20us%20that%20the%20Evil%20Spirit%20was%20cast%20out%20of%20the%20%22Spirit%20World%22%20when%20it%20refused%20to%20recognize%20humans%20as%20%22the%20Great%20Spirit's%20best%20creation.%22%20That%20Evil%20Spirit%20hides%20in%20fangs%20and%20stingers%20of%20poisonous%20creatures.%20The%20accompanying%20photo%20is%20of%20a%20scorpion.%20Is%20that%20what%20the%20Comanche%20people%20say%20in%20their%20traditional%20stories?%20What%20is%20the%20source%20for%20that%20page%20of%20info?%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3EAt%20the%20moment,%20I%20am%20full%20of%20questions%20about%20this%20book--and%20the%20entire%20series!%26nbsp;%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E)