American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor

Homesick at the thought of staying with his grandparents for the summer, Lakota Eddie quickly adjusts to life on the reservation, embracing new experiences and bonding with his family.

Ariel and Tomah have lived in the city's intertribal housing complex all their lives. But for both of them, this Dagwaagin (Autumn) season is different than any before. From his bench outside the front door of his building, Tomah watches his community move around him. He is better at making people laugh than he is at schoolwork, but often it feels like his neighbor Ariel is the only one who really sees him, even in her sadness. Ariel has always danced ballet because of her Auntie Bineshiinh and loves the way dance makes her feet hover above the ground like a bird. But ever since Auntie went missing, Ariel's dancing doesn't feel like flying. As the seasons change and the cold of winter gives way to spring's promise, Ariel and Tomah begin to change too as they learn to share the rhythms and stories they carry within themselves.

A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world; to her family, her ancestors, her neighbors; to the source of all magic and sorrow--and of her responsibility to uphold and honor those connections

As a little girl's father loving braids her hair, he shares with his daughter the strength and resilience of their ancestors, Freedmen who walked the Trail of Tears from Mississippi to Oklahoma.

Celebrates aunts, related by birth or not, who surround children with unyielding love and support.

Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by women in the Anishinaabe tradition, for an upcoming powwow. Anang is two-spirit and nonbinary and doesn't know what others will think of them wearing a ribbon skirt, but they're determined to follow their heart's desire. Anang sets off to gather the materials needed to make the skirt and turns to those around them -- their family, their human and turtle friends, the crows, and even the lake itself -- for help. And maybe they'll even find a new confidence within themself along the way.

A boy shares his dream of wearing a traditional ribbon skirt to the community's round dance with his grandmother.

Twelve-year-old Skye has just rescued a baby fox she's named Kitkat, with the help of her Park Ranger cousin Braeden. Skye would usually release the fox back into the wild as soon as it's healed, but this baby fox was injured by a trap. No one hurts a baby animal and gets away with it as long as Skye's around, and now she's on a mission to find the poacher! When Skye takes Kitkat to the vet, she meetsa quiet girl named Ivy. To Skye's surprise, Ivy decides to join in on the investigation and a friendship starts to form between the girls. But will these new friends uncover the true identity of the poacher and safely release Kitkat back into the wild.

Spunky Ojibwe first-grader Jo Jo Makoons knows a lot about bravery and boldness. Her cat, Mimi, is very brave when she tries new foods, and Teacher is very bold when he wears his ugly ties to school. When Jo Jo is invited to her very first friend sleepover, it's her turn to be courageous! Only she's not quite sure how. Especially when scary puppets and dolls hide around every corner. Full of spooky fun and after-school mischief, Jo Jo Makoons celebrates an Ojibwe girl with a big heart who finds her courage through the people she loves.

This graphic novel for middle-grade readers tells the true story of how a young Indigenous girl survives nine days lost in a snowstorm in Northern Canada.

The true story of John Meyers and Charles Bender, who in 1911 became the first two Native American pro baseball players to face off in a World Series, teaches important lessons about resilience, doing what you love in the face of injustice, and the fight for Native American representation in sports.

As a child of two military parents, Deb Haaland moved around a lot when she was young before finally settling in Albuquerque to be near family. In 2021, when the Senate confirmed her as President Biden's secretary of the interior, she became the first Native American in history to become a cabinet secretary. She continues to break barriers and inspire future generations to dream of greater opportunities.

In preparation for winter, a skilled young hunter embarks on a perilous journey up the mountain to gather obsidian, where he encounters the fearsome eagle god Savik and is presented with a life-altering choice.

Edward and Nathan, two Navajo stepbrothers, work with a young water monster named Dew to confront their past and save the world from a monstrous, enormous Enemy that is stealing water from all of the Navajo Nation.

Six eighth graders outside Washington, DC, navigate through conflict and division focused on their school district's Native American mascot.

Picture book adaptation of the renowned poem that encourages young readers to reflect on family, nature, and their heritage. In simple and direct language, Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, urges readers to pay close attention to who they are, the world they were born into, and how all inhabitants on earth are connected. Michaela Goade, drawing from her Tlingit culture, has created vivid illustrations that make the words come alive in an engaging and accessible way.

This picture book is a joyful and colorful introduction to the annual celebration of Rock Your Mocs, because moccasins and Native pride shouldn't be saved just for ceremonies and powwows but celebrated all year round!

Jo Jo Makoons has noticed that the family members she loves most--Mama, Kokum, and even her cat, Mimi--all have their own ways of being healthy. So when Teacher says that their class will be learning about healthy habits, Jo Jo is ready to be neighborly by helping everyone around her be healthy, too. After a snowstorm shuts down her Ojibwe reservation, Jo Jo uses her big imagination and big personality to help both Elders and classmates alike. Because after all, being healthy means being together.

As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back.

Filled with lots of glitter, raised pinkies, and humorous misunderstandings, this second book in the Jo Jo Makoons series is filled with the joy of a young Ojibwe girl discovering her very own special shine from the inside out. First grader Jo Jo Makoons knows how to do a lot of things, like how to play jump rope, how to hide her peas in her milk, and how to be helpful in her classroom. But there's one thing Jo Jo doesn't know how to do: be fancy. She has a lot to learn before her Aunt Annie's wedding! 

Mary Golda Ross designed classified projects for Lockheed Air Corporation as the company's first female engineer. Find out how her passion for math, and the Cherokee values she was raised with, shaped her life and work.

A Native American woman describes how she loved her child before it was born and, throughout her pregnancy, gathered a bundle of gifts to welcome the newborn.

Indigenous Peoples' Day is about celebrating! The second Monday in October is a day to honor Native American people, their histories, and cultures. People mark the day with food, dancing, and songs. Readers will discover how a shared holiday can have multiple traditions and be celebrated in all sorts of ways.

Jo Jo Makoons Azure is a spirited seven-year-old who moves through the world a little differently than anyone else on her Ojibwe reservation. It always seems like her mom, her kokum (grandma), and her teacher have a lot to learn--about how good Jo Jo is at cleaning up, what makes a good rhyme, and what it means to be friendly. Even though Jo Jo loves her #1 best friend Mimi (who is a cat), she's worried that she needs to figure out how to make more friends. Because Fern, her best friend at school, may not want to be friends anymore...

A biography of Maria Tallchief, part of the She Persisted chapter book series.

After an injury sidelines her dreams of becoming a ballet star, Maisie is not excited for her blended family's midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.

A group of Native American kids from different tribes presents twelve historical and contemporary time periods, struggles, and victories to their classmates, each ending with a powerful refrain: We are still here!

As a little girl, Jolyana Begay-Kroupa dreamed of becoming Miss Navajo. After years of learning the language, culture, and traditions, her chance finally comes to take on the important role.The skills she learned help her in tough competitions but will they be enough to earn her the crown of Miss Navajo? Witness the inspiring true story of what it takes to become Miss Navajo and how the competition is only the beginning.

Ella Cara Deloria loved to listen to her family tell stories in the Dakota language. She recorded many American Indian peoples' stories and languages and shared them with everyone. She helped protect her people's language for future generations and also wrote stories of her own. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life.

Peggy Flanagan is the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. She is the first Native woman to hold such a high elected statewide office in the United States. Her whole life she knew that the school system doesn't tell American Indian stories in a true way. Peggy is working hard to change how Native peoples' stories are told and to make life better for all Minnesotans. Her story is a Minnesota Native American life.

At the mountain's base sits a cabin under an old hickory tree. And in that cabin lives a family -- loving, weaving, cooking, and singing. The strength in their song sustains them through trials on the ground and in the sky, as they wait for their loved one, a pilot, to return from war.

An engaging look at how the animals, people, and seasons within an ecosystem are intertwined. To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the grizzly is an integral part of the natural landscape. Together, they share the land and forests that the Skeena River runs through, as well as the sockeye salmon within it. Follow mother bear as she teaches her cubs what they need to survive on their own. 

When a young girl moves from the country to a small town, she feels lonely and out of place. But soon she meets an elderly woman next door, who shares her love of nature and art. As the seasons change, can the girl navigate the failing health of her new friend? Acclaimed author and artist Julie Flett's textured images of birds, flowers, art, and landscapes bring vibrancy and warmth to this powerful story, which highlights the fulfillment of intergenerational relationships and shared passions. 

Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognized tribes.

When twelve-year-old Edie finds letters and photographs in her attic that change everything she thought she knew about her Native American mother's adoption, she realizes she has a lot to learn about her family's history and her own identity.

Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. A look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Go on a Mission to Space with Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington, as he shares his flight on the space shuttle Endeavour and his thirteen-day mission to the international Space Station. Learn what it takes to train for space flight, see the tasks he completed in space, and join him on his spacewalk 220 miles above the earth.

Sitting Bull was one of the greatest Lakota/Sioux warriors and chiefs who ever lived. From killing his first buffalo at age 10 to being named war chief to leading his people against the U.S. Army, "Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People" brings the story of the great chief to light.