Every year, on the second Monday of October, we now celebrate Indigenous People's Day. It's a great opportunity to highlight some books featuring indigenous kids going about their daily lives, whether that's on a reservation or in a city, with friends and family. I love to read these picture books with illustrations that can help me learn about cultures and traditions that are different than my own. Even though they also share things I love, too: grandmas, doing activities with friends, eating berries and hugging my family.
Let's Go! Every day, a kid and their mom say a Cree phrase haw êkwa! as they go to practice skateboarding. At the skate park, they find community and fresh air. You can hear the sound of the wheels on the ground in this amazing picture book you can share with the youngest readers.
Firefly Season: Piper lives far from her cousins in Cherokee Nation and Muscogee Nation, but she makes a really good friend in her next door neighbor, Sumi. Even when Piper moves away, she finds a way to stay friends with Sumi who has become chosen family.
Just Like Grandma: Grandmas are the best! Becca wants to be just like hers and watches her do everything, from beading buckskin moccasins to Fancy Shawl dancing. They share beautiful times together, including some times when Grandma gets to learn from her special granddaughter, too.
My Powerful Hair: We all have hair! This book celebrates the power of hair in Native culture, written by the amazing Carole Lindstrom, who is Anishinaabe/Métis and also the author of We Are Water Protectors.
May We Have Enough to Share: This is my favorite board book to read and to share, because I am lucky to have enough to share. Celebrate love and family with the photos from Tea and Bannock, a collective of indigenous women photographers, and simple inviting words.
Berry Song: Who doesn't want to celebrate all the many many berries you can find in the forest? Follow the seasons--and the berry picking--with a Tlingit grandmother and granddaughter as they pick and give thanks.
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