AICL'S YEAR IN REVIEW: 2024

 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.

One topic that we started monitoring a few years ago is challenges to Native-authored books. We maintain a blog post (Banning of Native Voices/Books) of titles and reasons given for a book being challenged or banned. We invite you to take a look at our list and if you know of one that ought to be on our list, let us know. Debbie was invited to write about banned books for School Library Journal in 2023, and to speak about it with NPR's Code Switch in July of 2024. In November, PEN American interviewed her for its Banned Books series: Native American Heritage Now: An Interview with Debbie Reese. 

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 and Dr. Dina Gilio-Whitaker for a pre-conference clinic at Beacon Press. (Beacon published both An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz 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 Charlesbridge. 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 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.

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 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.

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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 (Couchiching First Nation Cree). Little Moons, illustrated by Ryan Howe (not Native), Alice RL (Ojibwe), Nicholej Villiger (not Native). Highwater Press (2024). Canada.

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).