Not recommended: KOKOPELLI'S FLUTE by Will Hobbs

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?! 

 

What is going on with COLONIZATION AND THE WAMPANOAG STORY by Linda Coombs?

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

"American History from an Indigenous Perspective:: Nonfiction or Fiction?" from the Texas Freedom to Read Project. 

October 14, 2024

Texas county sidelines librarians, reclassifies book on abuse of Native Americans as "fiction" by Judd Legum at Popular Information. 

Houston-area library moves Indigenous history book to fiction section at Lonestar Live.

October 16, 2024

Letter to the Montgomery County Commission, signed by American Indians in Children's Literature, and the American Indian Library Association, available at PEN America. 

October 18, 2024

Texas county labels Native American history book a work of fiction, sparking outrage at the San Antonio Current. 

October 19, 2024

We fight book bans in Texas. This county's latest move stunned us at MSNBC.

October 20, 2024

Attacks on People's Stories are Attacks on People. Just Ask a Librarian at Forward Times is an interview with ALA President, Cindy Hohl (Santee Sioux Nation) who has also served as President of the American Indian Library Association.

October 21, 2024

Texas condemned for placing book on colonization in library's fiction section at The Guardian.

October 22, 2024

Texas county reverses classification of history book as fiction by Daniel Wu at The Washington Post. 

Montgomery County library will reclassify book about Native Americans amid pressure at Chron. 

Texas library committee under review after relabeling Indigenous history book as fiction at Lonestar Live.

October 23, 2024

UPDATE: Texas library committee reverses decision to reclassify Indigenous history book as "fiction" reversed by Judd Legum at Popular Information.

Texas county reverses classification of Indigenous history book as fiction in The Guardian

Highly Recommended: THIS LAND: THE HISTORY OF THE LAND WE'RE ON by Ashley Fairbanks; illustrations by Bridget George

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This Land: The History of the Land We're On

Written by Ashley Fairbanks (White Earth Anishinaabe)

Illustration by Bridget George (Anishinaabe from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

Wow! I love how this book starts! The words on the first double-paged spread say "This is my house." Behind it is a river. Beside the house is a tall pine tree. We see a family by the tree. 

Turn the page and see "Before us, another family lived here." On that page, the illustrations are family portrait style. Four different families are shown, each family unique, each clad in modern clothes. 

Turn the page again and we read the words "Before our house was here, there was another family, with a different kind of house." On that page we see see wigwams in a village and the families who lived in them. The people in that village are wearing clothes with Anishinaabe designs. Behind that village is the river we saw earlier, and that tree? It is a small, young tree.

All the faces and families up to that point are cheery, happy. With the words and illustrations on these pages, Fairbanks and George take us from the present into the past, helping readers see, learn, and feel that the land they're on was someone else's before. 

Another page turn and we get hard history. That phrase is used a lot in social justice networks and curriculum, where educators choose to share truths about history that are often omitted. It is a fact that Europeans who came onto Native homelands wanted that land, and the government helped them get it by removing Native peoples from their homelands. We see that on the next page turn. Here's a portion of that page: 

(Image from my copy of the book)

It is followed by another page of hard history. 

But then, we turn the page again and see the little girl from the very first page, running down the street to her friend's house. That friend, TJ, is Anishinaabe. We see him and his grandma standing in a doorway, smiling and waving at the little girl. 

With another page turn we see the little girl, TJ, and his grandmother making bread. The little girl tells us that TJ's grandmother told her about other Native people. At the top of the page, we see nine different people in traditional clothing. 

Picture me, smiling! One of them is a Native woman who is dressed the way I dress when I'm home for one of our ceremonies. That 'wow' I felt when I first read the book continues! The little girl is on a road trip. Here's a sentence you'll get to: 

At the Grand Canyon, I learned that eight tribes call it home: the Havasupai, Yavapai, Paiute, Hopi, Zuni, Hualapai, Apache, and Diné.

Note: Eight tribes call it home. Present tense verbs! In workshops and professional development, I push very hard to encourage educators to use present tense verbs to talk about us. Again, picture me smiling! 

This book is going to be featured in my work, for sure! Another page spread tells us that Disney World is on Seminole land, the White House is on Nacotchtank and Piscataway land, and that Mount Rushmore is on Oceti Sakowin land. There's a link to a database to see what land you (reader) are on, and that page is followed by a page of discussion questions and suggestions to learn more about the people of that land. Illustrations on that page show Native people holding up signs with their tribal nation's name. 

Can you feel and understand why I highly recommend this book? Get more than one copy if you can, and if you'd like to support Native-owned bookstores, go there (in person or on line). One option is Birchbark Books. This could be an illustration of me. GET THE BOOK! 

(Image from my copy of the book)

Highly Recommended! BOOZHOO! HELLO! by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

 

Boozhoo! Hello! 

Written and illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (member 

of Wasauksing First Nation)

Translated by Mary Ann Corbiere (Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory)

Published in 2024

Publisher: Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

As you see, we are giving this book a 'highly recommended' review. But... 

Some books are delightful! 

I could also say 'delightfully recommended' because it is precisely the sort of book I would have used back when I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, and that I would have read to our daughter when she was little. Most elementary school teachers know this style of book. Questions are posed and answers given in the text but we can answer as we please, in the moment! 

Cast your eyes up to the cover, above, and look at that wolf's smile as it looks over its shoulder. See the joy in its face? That's where the delight is. The style of Pawis-Steckley's art is called Woodland. In an author's note he tells us he began drawing this book for his newborn daughter. As she grew, he shared the art he was creating. She would clap and smile. I read that author's note after I read the book. I had felt something special as I read it, and now that I have read the author's note, I get it. His illustrations are infused with his daughter's clap, and her smile. 

The format for Boozhoo! Hello! is this: on the left side of the double-paged spread is a page filled with an illustration. Facing it is a page of text in large font. Those words, as you might guess by the book's title, are in Anishinaabemowin at the top half of the page and English at the bottom half, as shown below.

This marvelous book begins with a rising sun and moves through a day's journey. On that first page, it is morning in the woods. "What" I imagine myself saying enthusiastically to a group of children, "do you see?" The sun! Flowers! Trees! Someone would say 'there's an animal behind the trees.'  It is the wolf! When we turn the page we see this:

One of my favorite pages is the one with a young otter on its back in the water, splashing, smiling, playing. A dear one in my own family loves otters. I think he's gonna like that page. 

See why I'm so delighted? 

As we near the end of the book, we see a page where three "little ones" (children) are asked what they hear. Turn the page and we see these words:

gookookoo debtaagzit

dbaajmat dbikak?

Shhh! Mbe nbaak!

Nahaaw, gookookoo.

Gga-waabmin.

an owl hooting

goodnight?

Shhh! It's time to sleep 

now.

Goodnight, owl. 

Imagining myself again, reading that last page in a quiet voice and pointing out the moon, the stars, the owl's closed eyes...  

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Andrea L. Rogers and Madelyn Goodnight's WHEN WE GATHER (OSTADAHLISIHA): A CHEROKEE TRIBAL FEAST

 

When We Gather (Ostadahlisiha): A Cherokee Tribal Feast 

Written by Andrea L. Rogers (Citizen of the Cherokee Nation)

Illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Citizen of the Chickasaw Nation)

Published by Heartdrum (HarperCollins)

Pub Year: 2024

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Status: Highly Recommended

In professional development workshops that I do where I ask people to bring books with Native content, I look over what they've brought. Lots of old -- and not good -- nonfiction (series books and biographies) and fiction. I also see dreadful books by Paul Goble that look like they're Native, but they're not. A better way to describe them is "white man's Indian" which means a white imagining of Native life and culture. 

More and more, in recent years, I see that someone has brought in a terrific book. An example is Jenny Kay Dupuis's I Am Not A Number. A librarian bought that one in last week. Another had Lindstrom and Goade's We Are Water Protectors. And another had Christine Day's biography of Maria Tall Chief. Terrific, for me, is books by Native writers who are writings stories from their own nation(s) and family experiences (like Jenny's), or who give readers a Native point of view on someone who has significance to Native communities (like Christine's), or that are set in the present day (like Carole and Michaela's). 

Due out this week is another that I hope every library will add to their shelves. Of course, I'm talking about Andrea Rogers and Madelyn Goodnight's When We Gather (Ostadahlisiha): A Cherokee Tribal Feast.  

Some things I love:

On the first page we see a luscious green landscape. Why does that matter? When they think "Native" a lot of people imagine deserts or plains. A face: Native people were, and are, everywhere.  

In that lush landscape, a little girl is kneeling by a plant with slender leaves that rise up out of the grass. We'll come to know it is wild onions. The girl and her family set out harvesting them for a gathering at the community center where families have brought beans, grape dumplings stew, corn soup, and catfish for a wild onion dinner. 

I love seeing Native words in books! Just there, just part of the way it is. The clues are all there to know what Agilisi and Agiduda mean. And they're in a modern day house because, yeah, we are still here and it bugs us to have to say those words. Books like this one, though, help make that point. 

Flipping to the author's note, I read that Rogers visited Cherokee homelands in Georgia. She tells us about the forced removal of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations from the southeastern US. She also tells us about a special place: New Echota, their former capital.  I call attention to "capital" because Americans associate that word with a state, but many do not know that we were, and are, sovereign nations. Rogers used "nation" but using additional words like "capital" help readers get further down that path of knowing what Native sovereignty means. 

Any teacher or librarian that is doing something that is about family gatherings can add this book to that unit or program. And if you've got a way to do so, make some of the food you see in the book! Smith provides four recipes. Dig in! 

News: American Indian Library Association announced its 2024 Youth Literature Awards

Good morning, AICL readers! Yesterday (Jan 22, 2024) the American Library Association announced its annual book awards. Below a list of the winners of the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Awards, given every two years (even-numbered years). Soon, all these books listed below will have the AIYLA seal on them! The photo below is from the AILA website and shows a selection of the books with their seals. 

You can order seals for your copies, directly from the American Indian Library Association. 

Here is a photo of the AILA Youth Literature Award committee members who were there for the announcements and Cindy Hohl (far right) who is the 2024-2025 president of the American Library Association (thank you to Hannah Buckland for permission to use the photo). Cindy Hohl is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation. Members of the committee this year were Naomi Bishop, Akimel O'odham; Mandi Harris, Cherokee Nation; Tara Kenjockety, Ho-Chunk & Seneca Nations; Kelley Kor, Cherokee Nation; Debbie Reese, Nambe Owingeh; Ophelia Spencer, Dine; Duane Yazzie, Hopi and Navajo; and Allison Waukau, Menominee and Navajo.  The committee was co-chaired by Joy Bridwell, Chippewa Cree Tribe; and Danielle Burbank, Dine.  

PICTURE BOOK AWARD

Forever Cousins written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Navajo/Diné) and published by Charlesbridge

A Letter for Bob written by Kim Rogers (Wichita & Affiliated Tribes), illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Navajo/Diné) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

PICTURE BOOK HONORS

Berry Song written and illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Rock Your Mocs by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Remember by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation), illustrated by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House

Celebration by Lily Hope (Tlingit), illustrated by Kelsey Mata Foote (Tlingit) and published by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI)

Contenders by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo Tribe) and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House

MIDDLE GRADE AWARD

We Still Belong written by Christine Day (Upper Skagit), cover art by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOKS

She Persisted: Maria Tallchief by Christine Day (Upper Skagit), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House

She Persisted: Deb Haaland by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan & Hidatsa and Tsimshian), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Eagle Drums written and illustrated by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson (Iñupiaq) and published by Roaring Brook Press

Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolastoqey) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolastoqey) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Mascot by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation) and Charles Waters, jacket illustration by Nicole Neidhardt (Navajo) and published by Charlesbridge

She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller by Traci Sorell (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Alexandra Boiger and Gillian Flint and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House

YOUNG ADULT AWARD

Rez Ball by written by Byron Graves (Ojibwe), jacket art by Natasha Donovan (Métis) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

YOUNG ADULT HONOR BOOKS

Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), jacket illustrations by Michaela Goade (Tlingit Nation) and published by Henry Holt and Company, a trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group

Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline (Métis) and published Tundra Books, an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House of Canada Limited

Running with Changing Woman by Lorinda Martinez (Diné), cover design by Brittany Gene (Navajo) and published by Salina Bookshelf

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee Nation), illustrated by Jeff Edwards (Cherokee Nation) and published by Levine Querido

Heroes of the Water Monster by Brian Young (Navajo Nation), jacket art by Shonto Begay (Diné) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

AICL's Year In Review for 2023

AICL'S YEAR IN REVIEW: 2023

American Indians in Children's Literature is pleased to share our annual year-end list of books we want you to know about. We'd like multiple copies of them to be in every classroom, school, and public library. (Download AICL's 2023 Year In Review pdf if you wish.)

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 2023. 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. 

For each book, 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 A Letter for Bob by Kim Rogers. We encourage you to introduce the book by saying something like:

"This is A Letter for Bob. It is written by Kim Rogers, an enrolled member of the Wichita Affiliated Tribes. The illustrations are by Jonathan Nelson. He's Diné." 

You'll modify that according to the way you're using the book. The main point is that we want you to be tribally specific. That means you specify the author and illustrator's Tribal Nation. If possible, show students the websites of the author/illustrator and of their Tribal Nations. 

Now, it is important to say a few things about claims to Native identity. In October of 2023, Native people in the US and Canada were shocked to learn that an iconic singer, Buffy Sainte-Marie, is not Native. People who follow Native news media know that–in the past few years–there have been several expose’s of individuals who assert a Native identity and use that identity in their professional or academic work. It touches children’s literature, too. In 2023, we withdrew our recommendations of books by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joseph Bruchac, Marge Bruchac, James Bruchac, and Art Coulson (click on their names for details). One way that investigations of such claims begin is by someone noticing that the ways a person asserts that identity shifts over time in problematic ways. The shift may be in the tribal nation(s) being claimed, or by shifts in language used to make the claim. 

Sometimes, however, a change marks an effort to be more accurate. Using Debbie as an example, she used to say “Nambé Pueblo” but now says “Nambé Owingeh” because “Pueblo” is an externally imposed word, while Nambé and Owingeh are Tewa words (Tewa is the language spoken at Nambé). She also says she is “tribally enrolled” because she meets the requirements at Nambe to be included on the tribal census. Her father and grandmother are enrolled at Nambé. Her mother is from Ohkay Owingeh; her mother’s father is from Hopi. Debbie does not list either one in her email signature line because she grew up at, and is enrolled at, Nambé. In a biographical statement, she might include both because they are part of her life and experiences as a Native woman. She would have a lot more to say about Ohkay Owingeh because she spent a lot of time there as a kid and very little time at Hopi.  

In some cases, the membership or citizenship requirements of a person’s Nation mean that a person’s child cannot be included on a tribal census but they are considered part of the community. We encourage you to read Christine Day’s note in We Still Belong. Her main character cannot be enrolled in the Nation her mother is enrolled in. 

There are hundreds of Tribal Nations, which means there are hundreds of ways in which a person’s nation decides who its citizens are. We are not suggesting that there is a single ‘best’ way of stating a Native identity. Indeed, we learn more about Native identity each year. This year, we learned that some Tribal Nations issue ‘descent’ cards to children of family members who–like the character in Christine Day’s book–can’t be enrolled in their mother’s Nation. Many Nations have moved away from “blood quantum” requirements to lineage. We encourage you to read an interview that NPR did with Elizabeth Rule (she is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and her book, Indigenous DC, is on our list this year in the Crossover section).

You will also see “not Native” because there are non-Native writers (like John Coy and Debby Dahl Edwardson who are on last year’s list, or Charles Waters on this year’s) whose writing includes Native content or characters in respectful ways. Several books on this year’s list also are illustrated by non-Native artists.

Before moving on to our list, we want to note that claims – like the one made by Buffy Sainte-Marie – have a harmful impact on Native people who were disconnected or removed from their Native families and communities. Across North America, there are Native people trying to find their way home. It is not an easy process. For many it is full of obstacles put there by agencies that sought to destroy Native Nations. When false claims are called out, people who are trying to find their families and those who are trying to build relationships with their families may feel vulnerable and fearful of being challenged about their search. That vulnerability is an unseen harm done by false claims. 

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, 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 most people read in their childhood. These will help you understand who Native people really are. We welcome your questions and comments about these introductory paragraphs, or the books we list, below.

And join us in celebrating the growing number of books we list each year!* Many win awards, and the range of what we’re all able to read is outstanding! Across genre, format, and author/illustrator’s Tribal Nations, Native literature is something to pay attention to!

Comics and Graphic Novels 

Cohen, Emily Bowen (Jewish and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation). Two Tribes, illustrated by the author. Heartdrum (2023). US.

Van Camp, Richard (Thlicho Dene), The Spirit of Denendeh, Vol. 2: As I Enfold You in Petals, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson (not Native) and Donovan Yaciuk (not Native). Highwater Press (2022). Canada.

Van Sciver, Noah (not Native), Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend includes an introduction by Lee Francis (Pueblo of Laguna), stories and art by Marlena Myles (enrolled Spirit Lake Dakota), and a postscript by Deondre Smiles (citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe). Toon Graphics (2023). US.

vermette, katherena (Red River Métis),  A Girl Called Echo Omnibus, illustrated by Scott Henderson (not Native) and Donovan Yaciuk (not Native). Highwater Press (2023). Canada.

Board Books 

Taos Pueblo Winter, illustrated by Leonard Archuleta (Taos). Seventh Generation. US. 

Taos Pueblo Spring, illustrated by Frank Rain Leaf (Taos). Seventh Generation. US.

Taos Pueblo Summer, illustrated by Janell Lujan (Taos). Seventh Generation. US.

Taos Pueblo Fall, illustrated by Deanna Autumn Leaf Suazo (Taos). Seventh Generation. US

Picture Books 

Barrett, Elizabeth S. (Red Lake Ojibwe). Mashkiki Road: The Seven Grandfather Teachings, illustrated by Jonathan Thunder (Red Lake Ojibwe). Minnesota Historical Society Press (2022). US.

Bunten, Alexis (Unangan and Yup'ik). What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me, illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt (Diné of the Kiiyaa'áanii Clan). Christy Ottaviano Books (2023). US. 

Cooper, Nancy (member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation), Biindigen! Amik Says Welcome, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Ojibwe, member of Wasauksing First Nation). Owl Kids (2023). Canada.

Dupuis, Jenny Kay (Member of Nipissing First Nation). Heart Berry Bling, illustrated by Eva Campbell (not Native). Highwater Press (2023). Canada.

Goodluck, Laurel (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian), Rock Your Mocs! illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (member of the Chickasaw Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.

Greendeer, Danielle (Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Citizen, Hawk Clan), Anthony Perry (citizen of the Chickasaw Nation), and Alexis Bunten (Unangan and Yup'ik). Keepunumuk: Weeachumun's Thanksgiving Story, illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (tribe). Charlesbridge (2022). US. 

Harjo, Joy (member of the Mvskoke Nation), Remember. Illustrated by Michaela Goade (enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska). Random House (2023). US. 

Janicki, Peggy (Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nation). The Secret Pocket, illustrated by Carrielynn Victor (a descendant of Coast Salish ancestors). Orca Book Publishers (2023). Canada.

Lindstrom, Carole (Anishinaabe/Metis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior. Illustrated by Bridget George (Bear Clan from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation). Roaring Brook Press (2023). US.

Lindstrom, Carole (Anishinaabe/Metis and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe.) My Powerful Hair, illustrated by Steph Littlebird (member of Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes). Harry N. Abrams (2023). US.

Newell, Chris (citizen of Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township). If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving, illustrated by Winona Nelson (member of Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa). Scholastic (2021), US. 

Rogers, Kim (enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes). Just Like Grandma, illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree-Métis). Heartdrum (2023). US. 

Rogers, Kim (enrolled member of Wichita and Affiliated Tribes). A Letter for Bob, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné). Heartdrum (2023). US.

Sapiel, Minquansis (Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nation). Little People of the Dawn, illustrated by Minsoss Bobadilla-Sapiel (Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Nation). Black Bears and Blueberries (2023). US.

 

Sorell, Traci (enrolled citizen, Cherokee Nation), Powwow Day, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (member of the Chickasaw Nation). Charlesbridge (2022). US.

Sorell, Traci (enrolled citizen, Cherokee Nation), Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series, illustrated by Arigon Starr (enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma). Kokila (2023). US.

Early Chapter Books 

Buckley, Patricia Morris (Mohawk). The First Woman Cherokee Chief: Wilma Pearl Mankiller, illustrated by Aphelandra (Filipino and Oneida ancestry). Random House Books for Young Readers (2023). US.

Day, Christine (citizen of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe). She Persisted: Maria Tallchief, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native). Philomel Books (2021). US.

Goodluck, Laurel (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian). She Persisted: Deb Haaland, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native). Philomel Books (2023). US.

Quigley, Dawn (enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Jo Jo Makoons: Fancy Pants, illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolatoqiyik). Heartdrum (2022). US.

Quigley, Dawn (enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe). Jo Jo Makoons: Snow Day, illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolatoqiyik). Heartdrum (2023). US.

Sorell, Traci (citizen, Cherokee Nation). She Persisted: Wilma Mankiller, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger (not Native) and Gillian Flint (not Native). Philomel Books (2022). US.

For Middle Grades 

Anselmo, Anthony (Sault Ste Marie Band of Ojibwe), The Spirit of the North Wind. Black Bears and Blueberries (2023). US.

Coombs, Linda (member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah). Colonization and the Wampanoag Story. Crown Books for Young Readers (2023). US.

Day, Christine (Upper Skagit), We Still Belong. Cover art by Madelyn Goodnight (citizen of Chickasaw Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.

Hobson, Brandon (Cherokee Nation), The Storyteller. Scholastic (2023). US.

Hopson, Nasugraq Rainey (tribally enrolled Inupiat). Eagle Drums. Roaring Brook Press (2023). US.

John-Kehewin, Wanda (Cree), Hopeless in Hope. Portage and Main/Highwater Press (2023). Canada.

Martinez, Lorinda (Lok' aa' Diné'e). Running With Changing Woman. Salina Bookshelf (2023). US.

Waters, Charles (not Native) and Sorell, Traci (Cherokee Nation), Mascot. Charlesbridge (2023). US.

Young, Brian (Diné). Heroes of the Water Monster. Cover art by Shonto Begay (Diné). Heartdrum (2023). US.

For High School

Boulley, Angeline (enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), Warrior Girl Unearthed. Cover art by Michaela Goade (enrolled member of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska). 

Dimaline, Cherie (Metis Nation of Ontario), Funeral Songs for Dying Girls. Tundra Books (2023). Canada.

Graves, Byron (enrolled member of the Red Lake band of Ojibwe), Rez Ball. Cover illustration by Natasha Donovan. Heartdrum (2023). US.

Mosionier, Beatrice (Metis), In Search of April Raintree, 40th Anniversary Edition. Foreword by katherena vermette (Metis); afterword by Raven Sinclair (Cree/Assiniboine/Salteaux, Gordon's First Nation). Portage and Main/Highwater Press (2023). Canada.

Smith, Cynthia Leitich (citizen of the Muscogee Nation). Harvest House. Cover art by Britt Newton (citizen of the Muscogee Nation). Heartdrum (2023). US.

Crossover Books (written for adults; appeal to teens/young adults)

Blackhawk, Ned (Western Shoshone), The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History. Yale University Press (2023). US.

Powers, Susan. A Council of Dolls. Harper Collins (2023). US.

Rule, Elizabeth. Indigenous DC: Native Peoples and the Nation's Capital. Georgetown University Press (2023). US.

_____

*AICL differs from review journals like Horn Book or School Library Journal. Publishers send them books. At AICL, some publishers send us books, but for the most part, Debbie and Jean buy books themselves, or check them out from a library. It is just the two of us, talking with each other about books. There are some we haven’t yet read and they will–no doubt–be on next year’s list.