Aliki 1976 Corn is Maize: The Gift of the Indians. Harper Collins, New York.
Easy reader. Good for reading aloud to pre-readers, easy for early readers. Very factual. Well told story about the history of corn and how it was domesticated. Talks about Indian uses through modern agriculture and diverse non-food uses. Directions for a corn husk doll and corn husk wreath at the end.

Baylor, Byrd
1972 When Clay Sings. Aladdin Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York.

• Caldecott Honor Book
• Reading level 5-12th grade but appeals to all age levels as a read aloud book.
• This book is a poetically written reflection on what modern children might think when finding ancient pottery fragments in the desert sand. It reflects the understanding of the connection between these very old things and modern life: “this was someone else’s bowl or mug” or “A child must have eaten rabbit stew from this bowl with pictures of rabbits.” It also emphasizes treating these objects with respect telling us that “every piece of clay is a piece of someone’s life”.
• Beautiful illustrations by Tom Bahti are derived from images found on ancient pottery. A map at the back shows where these images come from. They show a wonderful variety of different cultural images of fish, insects, mammals, birds, and people which all ages will enjoy.
• Highly recommended

Caduto, Michael J. and Joseph Bruchac (book series)
1994 Keepers of Life: Discovering Plants Through Native American Stories and Earth Activities for Children. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

1988 Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

1991 Keepers of the Animals: Native American Stories and Wildlife Activities for Children. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

1994 Keepers of the Night: Native American Stories and Nocturnal Activities for Children. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

1996 Native American Gardening: Stories, Projects and Recipes for Families. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

• This is an excellent, award-winning series of books aimed at incorporating Native American traditional stories with environmental education and outdoor activities.
• Lessons and activities are adapted for younger children ages 5-8 and older children ages 9-12.
• Stories are authentic and well documented and the discussion following each includes explanations about Native American life and related science.
• Each book includes an introduction with recommendations for using the books and pointers on storytelling and leading activities.
• Glossary provides pronunciation guide for Native American words and important background on Native American tribal names.
• Well illustrated with line drawings.
• A Teachers’ Guide is also available for each book.
• All of the books in this series are highly recommended for outdoor educators, teachers, and families.

Erdrich, Louise.
1999 The Birchbark House. Hyperion.

• Ages 8-12
• Historical fiction. A novel that moves through the seasons ties the cycle of life, death, and renewal to a seven-year-old Objiwa girl and her family during the mid-19th century. The continued advance of white traders and settlers into lands once inhabited exclusively by Native peoples is bringing change to the lives of the Ojibway, including those on the Lake Superior island (today know as Madeleine Island) where Omakayas and her family live. Still, Omakayas's world is defined by the daily and seasonal details of life with her family. When two white traders who arrive in the middle of winter bring smallpox to her village, Omakayas is physically untouched, but emotionally devastated.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Erdrich, Louise.
2005 The Game Of Silence. HarperCollins Publishers.

• Ages 8-12
• Historical Fiction. Picks up the story of Omakayas from The Birchbark House. Now Omakayas is nine winters old. As summer starts, a worn-out group of elders, women and children from far-off villages arrive on the shores of their island. They were forced from their homes by the chimookomanag, the white people. As the cycles of the seasons turn and turn again, the villagers await word from the small group of men who’ve gone off in search of news, and answers. Meanwhile, they continue with the rhythm of their lives. For Omakayas, that means working and playing within the context of her immediate family, and the larger family that her community represents. Through it all, Erdrich never strays from the center, where a young girl’s growing awareness of change—in herself and in the world around her, and —both complicate and facilitate her understanding of what is happening as she faces a future filled with uncertainty.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Gibson, Karen Bush
2004 The Pawnee: Farmers and Hunters of the Central Plains. Capstone Press. Mankato, Minnesota.

• Reading level 3rd through 6th grade
• 43 pages, richly illustrated
• This book presents a very clear, informative, and accurate survey of past and present Pawnee lifeways. The text is simple and concise but does not talk down to the reader. It provides an excellent introduction to a Plains tribe not often discussed in text books.
• Informative side bars include recipes, individual biographies, extra information about corn and bison, and information about the archaeological discovery of a Pawnee star chart.
• Well illustrated. Illustrations include maps, historic paintings and photographs, and photographs of modern Pawnee in both regalia and modern dress.
• Good for dispelling stereotypes about Native Americans. It is especially valuable for its depiction of modern Pawnee.
• Includes a timeline, glossary, and references internet sites, additional readings, and places to write or visit for more information.
• Note: This book is part of a series, “American Indian Nations” which includes 15 additional Indian Nations.
• Highly recommended.

Goble, Paul
2005 All Our Relatives World Wisdom, Inc. Bloomington, Indiana.

• Lakota stories retold. Great illustrations based on traditional Lakota art work.
• Back ground information, discussion of symbolism and songs/poetry also included.
• Suited to elementary and older readers.
• Stories are short – great for story telling format.

Goble, Paul
1978 Girl Who Loved Wild Horses Simon and Schuster, New York.

• A Lakota-style story about a girl who goes to live among the wild horses. Told to emphasize the relationship between the People and the Horses. Lovely illustrations.
• Suited to elementary age readers even younger listeners.
• Good for retelling or read aloud
• Plains Indian images

Goble, Paul
1990 Dream Wolf. Bradbury Press, New York.

• Grades 2-6
• A Lakota-style tale told by the author about a friendly wolf helping two lost children. Great illustrations – note especially scenes of daily activities carried out in a tipi village.
• Includes some Lakota songs about wolves.
• Suited to elementary age readers. Even younger listeners.
• Good for telling or read aloud
• Plains Indian

Goble, Paul
1989 Beyond the Ridge. Bradbury Press, New York.

• Grades 2-6
• Story by the author but based on a variety of beliefs and sayings of Plains Indians about death and afterlife.
• Clothes and blankets date from the last quarter of the 19th C – see author’s note.
• Sad but uplifting story about dying and afterlife still could be sensitive subject.
• Older elementary age readers.

Hartman, Karen
1994 Dream Catcher: The Legend, The Lady, The Woman. Illustrated by Louise Bussiere. Weeping Heart Publications, Campbellsport, WI.

• Ages 6-11
• Nonfiction
• Hartman describes learning to make? dream catchers from an Ojibway elder years ago and relates a story the woman told her, passed down through the generations, of how dream catchers came to be made by the Ojibway people. She then provides a step-by-step account of how she makes a dream catcher, including explanations of what each part symbolizes.
• Excellent activity related to learning.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Hieb, Jane A. 1994 Visions and Voices: Winnebago Elders Speak to the Children. Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council, Inc.

Ages 9-14 Non-fiction. A story of the Winnebago people as told to a group of at-risk Winnebago teens who interviewed and photographed their Elders as part of a year-long project. Discusses Winnebago history and continuing cultural traditions into modern contexts. Contemporary photographs and drawings by Winnebago youth illustrate the volume. A bibliography is included. Recommended by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Holliday, Diane Young
2007 Mountain Wolf Woman: A Ho-Chunk Girlhood. Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison.

• Reading level 5th through 9th grade.
• 66 pages, well illustrated
• This book focuses on the childhood of a Ho-Chunk woman whose biography by Nancy Oestreich Lurie is well known among anthropologists. The author uses the story of one child’s life from her birth in 1884 through her marriage to illustrate Ho-Chunk (also called the Winnebago) life and culture in the last half of the 19th century. The book relates the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation and describes daily and seasonal activities surrounding food, clothing, houses, group movements, and ceremonies.
• Illustrated with historic black and white images of Ho-Chunk life, maps, and line drawings.
• Side bars provide more details about a variety of topics related to Ho-Chunk culture and history.
• Also includes a timeline, glossary, discussion topics, suggested activities and projects, and additional sources of information.
• Very useful book for individual or group reading projects and as a teacher resource.
• Highly recommended.

Hunter, Sally M.
1996 Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition. Tandem Books

• Reading level grades 3-6
• Follows a modern 12 year old Winnebago boy through a year’s activities as he learns about his peoples’ special relationship to corn. He is a modern boy who plays football and hockey and likes computers but he learns to balance traditions and modern life under the guidance of his grandfather.
• The story includes Winnebago history and legends. Indian terms are used and explained without breaking the flow of the story.
• Good for dispelling stereotypes about modern Native Americans.
• Includes a glossary and bibliography.
• Recommended by reviewers and is a recommended multicultural and anti-bias book for children.

Jeffers, Susan
1989 Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle. Dial Books, New York.

• Suitable for all elementary readers – self-reader or read aloud
• A speech by Chief Seattle about being part of the natural world rather than being owner of it.
• Strong conservation message.
• Although Seattle was from the Northwest Coast pictures are more Plains oriented.
• Final pictures show modern Euro-American children planting trees as an illustration of “what you can do to help”.

King, Sandra
1993 Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer. Photographs by Catherine Whipple. (We Are Still Here) Lerner.

• Ages 7-11
• Nonfiction – photoessay
• Depicts the life of a 13-year-old Ojibway girl, Shannon Anderson, who lives with her grandmother, sisters and cousins in Minneapolis. Shannon's life is firmly rooted in her cultural heritage. A fancy dancer belonging to two drum and dance groups, she goes through detailed preparations to get her intricate costumes ready for performances, but she is proud of her skills in the traditional ways of her people.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Lurie, Nancy Oestreich
1961 Mountain Wolf Woman, Sister of Crashing Thunder: The Autobiography of a Winnebago Woman. Ann Arbor Paperbacks.

• 6th grade older
• From pony to airplane, from medicine dance to Christian worship—this book is the life story of a Winnebago woman (1884-1960), told in her own words to her adopted kinswoman, Nancy Lurie. This retelling of more than seventy-five years of Native American life is a candid and compelling account of how one woman lived through a period of cultural crisis. It will be of interest to those interested in ethnographic records, the role of women in native cultures, and Midwestern Native Americans, in general.
• This story is told in the woman’s own words so the text may be challenging to some readers.
• Recommended.

Miller, Jay
1996 American Indian Foods. Children’s Press, Grolier Publishing, New York.

• Reading level 3rd through 6th grade.
• 43 pages, large print, richly illustrated
• A simple introduction to the variety of foods utilized by Native Americans across the continent. Emphasizes the regional variations resulting from the availability of different resources. Includes hunting, fishing, gathering wild plants and gardening and discusses the cultural activities surrounding food gathering, storing, and processing.
• Large, brightly colored illustrations accompany the text.
• Very useful introduction to the variety of tribes and regional lifestyles.
• Includes a short glossary, index, and sources of more information.
• Recommended

Osofsky, Susan
1991 Dreamcatcher. Orchard Books, New York.

• Poetic format makes it good for all ages of readers or a good read aloud for pre-readers. Language is simple but does not talk down to older readers.
• Based on the Ojibway culture.
• The story is about the slice of life a baby sees from its cradle board. Includes many good points about nettle stalk twine, plum dye, clam shells, maple sugar, illustrations shows mom with a scapula hoe etc.
• Tells about dreamcatcher lore including some things that might scare an Ojibway child as well as happy dreams.
• Lovely illustrations featuring an Ojibway beaded boarder on each page.

Plain, Ferguson
1992 Little White Cabin. Pemmican Publications, Winnipeg, Canada.

• Ages 5-8
• Picture book
• Waaboozoons is an Ojibway boy who passes by a little white cabin nearly every day when he's out walking. Some days he sees an elder known as Ol' Danny sitting on the cabin's front porch and when Waaboozoons sees him, the boy always calls out "Aniish naa?" (How are you?). He gets used to the fact that Ol' Danny never responds to his greeting. Much to the boy's surprise, however, one day the old man answers him and from that day on the two become good friends, with Ol' Danny teaching Waaboozoons much about the old ways. Shows the importance of respect for elders in the Native American value system.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Radin, Paul, ed. Crashing Thunder: The Autobiography of a Winnebago
1963 Indian [1920]. New York: Dover.

1970 The Winnebago Tribe. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Regguinti, Gordon
1992 The Sacred Harvest: Ojibway Wild Rice Gathering. Lerner Publications.

• Grades 4-8
• An 11 year old boy will help with the wild rice harvest for the first time. The story talks about the spiritual meaning of the harvest, Ojibway history and culture blended into the story of the boy learning how to harvest, parch, winnow, and cook rice.
• Very nice colorful pictures.
• Shows the balance between modern and traditional life.
• Recommended by reviewers.

Smith, David Lee 1997 Folklore of the Winnebago Tribe. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Older readers – middle school and older. Traditional stories recounted as they were told to the author by Winnebago people. Language may be challenging for some readers. Best for reference or read aloud and discussions.

Sonneborn, Liz
Corn: An American Indian Invention. Read to Learn Books, Newbridge.

1999 The New York Public Library Amazing Native American History: A Book of Answers for Kids. New York Public Library, New York.

• Ages 9-12
• Reference work arranged around common questions about Native American history.
• Entries are short and readable.
• Based on information from archaeologists and anthropologists
• Includes a glossary
• Not yet examined – recommended by reviewers with some reservations about organization and “paternalistic” attitude.

Waboose, Jan Bourdeau
1998 Morning on the Lake. Illustrated by Karen Reczuch. Kid’s Can Press.

• Ages 5-8
• When an Ojibway boy spends a day in the company of Mishomis (grandfather), the two of them both claim morning, noon, and night as their favorite time of day. In the morning on the lake in a birchbark canoe, they see a family of loons; hiking up a cliff at noon, they see an eagle; and walking through the forest at night, they see a pack of wolves. The boy is initially frightened by each sight but he follows the example of his grandfather and stays perfectly quiet and still. After each animal has passed, Mishomis interprets cultural messages for the boy, thereby teaching him about his heritage.
• Recommended by Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Weitzel, Kelley G.
2000 The Timuca Indians: A Native American Detective Story. University of Florida Press.

• Reading level 3rd through 6th grade
• 127 pages, illustrated with line drawings
• This book is an activity based book arranged so that the reader becomes an archaeological detective answering questions about the Timuca Indians of northern Florida and southern Georgia. Basic information is presented in the form of text and pictures and the reader is guided through activities which use the information to answer questions about this tribe.
• Pages are arranged like a workbook and answers could be written directly into the book.
• Highly motivated students would enjoy this book on their own but most students would probably fare better with teacher or parent guidance.
• All or part of the book would provide the basis for a classroom unit on Florida natives or how archaeologists work.
• A very creative approach to understanding how we learn about people who are no longer here.
• Recommended

Wittstock, Laura Waterman
1991 Ininatig’s Gift of Sugar: Traditional Sugarmaking. Lerner Publishing Company.

• Ages 9-12
• Discribes how Native Americans have relied on the sugar maple tree for food and tells how an Anishinabe Indian in Minnesota continues his peoples’ traditions by teaching people to tap trees and make sugar.
• Emphasizes that Native Americans and their traditions are alive and well in modern America.
• Highly recommended.

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