Indigenous Voices - HLF Grant Books

Abalone woman

Spathelfer, Teoni, 1963-


Various publishers. A vivid dream teaches Little Wolf about courage and acceptance of those who are different, and inspires her to show her daughters their classmates how to be proud of their diverse cultural backgrounds. Throughout her life, Little Wolf has been troubled by the injustice she sees all around her. When she was young, she was bullied for her Indigenous heritage. Her mother, White Raven, spent ten years in a residential school, separated from her family and isolated from her culture. Little Wolf's own children are growing up in a different, more open society, but hatred and racism still exist. Little Wolf worries about the world her daughters will inherit. One night, a vivid dream helps her realize her own strength as a leader and peacemaker in her community. Told with powerful imagery and symbolism, Abalone Woman is the third book in the Little Wolf series, which presents themes of racism, trauma, and family unity through relatable, age-appropriate narratives.
Date Published:2022

Various publishers. A vivid dream teaches Little Wolf about courage and acceptance of those who are different, and inspires her to show her daughters their classmates how to be proud of their diverse cultural backgrounds. Throughout her life, Little Wolf has been troubled by the injustice she sees all around her. When she was young, she was bullied for her Indigenous heritage. Her mother, White Raven, spent ten years in a residential school, separated from her family and isolated from her culture. Little Wolf's own children are growing up in a different, more open society, but hatred and racism still exist. Little Wolf worries about the world her daughters will inherit. One night, a vivid dream helps her realize her own strength as a leader and peacemaker in her community. Told with powerful imagery and symbolism, Abalone Woman is the third book in the Little Wolf series, which presents themes of racism, trauma, and family unity through relatable, age-appropriate narratives.

Date Published:2022

Âmî osâwâpikones = Dear dandelion

Okemow, S. J. (Stefanie Joelle),


Various publishers. A debut picture book that celebrates self-love, care, and resilience with one of the most widespread plants--the dandelion. Both a love letter to the dandelion and a call to love ourselves in a difficult world, Âmî Osâwâpikones reminds us that we are not defined as others see us. Following our young protagonist and the dandelions through the seasons, we are reminded that we are resilient, we are healers, we are funny, and we are loved.
Date Published:

Various publishers. A debut picture book that celebrates self-love, care, and resilience with one of the most widespread plants--the dandelion. Both a love letter to the dandelion and a call to love ourselves in a difficult world, Âmî Osâwâpikones reminds us that we are not defined as others see us. Following our young protagonist and the dandelions through the seasons, we are reminded that we are resilient, we are healers, we are funny, and we are loved.

Date Published:

Ancestor approved : intertribal stories for kids


Various publishers. First Nations families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog). They are the heroes of their own stories. Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran First Nation writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and First Nation pride.
Date Published:2021

Various publishers. First Nations families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, mysterious strangers, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog). They are the heroes of their own stories. Edited by award-winning and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories by both new and veteran First Nation writers bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and First Nation pride.

Date Published:2021

Les Anichinabés : le peuple et les nations

Meness, Jennifer,


Explorez les différentes nations autochtones présentes en Amérique du Nord. Les lecteurs apprendront la vie passée et présente de ces nations autochtones, racontée par des auteurs de ces communautés. Chaque livre explore l’histoire, la langue, la culture, la vie quotidienne et les préoccupations actuelles que vivent ces communautés. Cette série très visuelle comprend un grand nombre de photos, de cartes et d’effets infographiques.
Date Published:2025

Explorez les différentes nations autochtones présentes en Amérique du Nord. Les lecteurs apprendront la vie passée et présente de ces nations autochtones, racontée par des auteurs de ces communautés. Chaque livre explore l’histoire, la langue, la culture, la vie quotidienne et les préoccupations actuelles que vivent ces communautés. Cette série très visuelle comprend un grand nombre de photos, de cartes et d’effets infographiques.

Date Published:2025

Anishinaabe

Bruegl, Heather,


Who We Are -- Our Lives Today -- Our Ancestral Lands -- Carrying Traditions Forward. The Anishinaabe peoples share language, culture, and history that connect them in many ways. In this introduction to the Council of Three Fires, readers learn about the Ojibwa, Potawatomi, and Odawa peoples, land, history, and accomplishments.
Date Published:2025

Anishinaabek : the people and nations

Meness, Jennifer,


Includes index. Discusses the history, language, beliefs, and cultural practices of the Anishninaabe, several First Nations related through cultural practices and language who live in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States.
Date Published:2025

Autumn Peltier, water warrior

Lindstrom, Carole, 1964-


Indigenous women have always worked tirelessly to protect our water -- keeping it pure and clean for the generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water. But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn. Speak for the water. Sing for the water. Dance for the water.
Date Published:2023

Indigenous women have always worked tirelessly to protect our water -- keeping it pure and clean for the generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water. But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn. Speak for the water. Sing for the water. Dance for the water.

Date Published:2023

The barren grounds

Robertson, David, 1977-


Various publishers. Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Aski, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.
Date Published:2020

Various publishers. Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Aski, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them.

Date Published:2020

Beautiful you, beautiful me

Spillett-Sumner, Tasha, 1988-


Various publishers. A simple story exploring the feelings of a mixed heritage child who begins to notice the physical differences between her mother's features and her own. One day, Izzy notices that her skin looks different from her mama's. "Mama," exclaims Izzy. "We don't match! You're sand, and I'm chocolate." Then Izzy realizes that her hair has big swirls and curls that jump out from her braids, while her mama's hair is smooth and straight with a braid that hangs right down the middle of her back. At first, Izzy is sad that she looks so different from her mama. She only sees the beauty in her mother's features, and not in her own. But using a gentle refrain, her mama lovingly tells her You're part of me, and I'm part of you. I'm beautiful like me, and you're beautiful like you. And with time and encouragement, Izzy comes to realize that beauty and belonging come in all shapes and sizes.
Date Published:2022

Various publishers. A simple story exploring the feelings of a mixed heritage child who begins to notice the physical differences between her mother's features and her own. One day, Izzy notices that her skin looks different from her mama's. "Mama," exclaims Izzy. "We don't match! You're sand, and I'm chocolate." Then Izzy realizes that her hair has big swirls and curls that jump out from her braids, while her mama's hair is smooth and straight with a braid that hangs right down the middle of her back. At first, Izzy is sad that she looks so different from her mama. She only sees the beauty in her mother's features, and not in her own. But using a gentle refrain, her mama lovingly tells her You're part of me, and I'm part of you. I'm beautiful like me, and you're beautiful like you. And with time and encouragement, Izzy comes to realize that beauty and belonging come in all shapes and sizes.

Date Published:2022

Berry song

Goade, Michaela,


Various publishers. 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.
Date Published:2022

The birchbark house

Erdrich, Louise.


Various publishers. Omakayas, a seven-year-old First Nations Ojibwa girl, lives through the joys of summer and the perils of winter on an island in Lake Superior in 1847.
Date Published:1999

Birdsong

Flett, Julie.


Various publishers. 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 arts and crafts. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and 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.
Date Published:2019

Various publishers. 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 arts and crafts. Can the girl navigate the changing seasons and 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.

Date Published:2019

Can you hear the plants speak?

Hummingbird, Nicholas,


Various publishers. What do we learn from plants when we listen to them speaking? Indigenous plantsman Nicholas Hummingbird calls on the legacy of his great-grandparents to remember how one drop of rain, one seed, one plant can renew a cycle of hope and connection--for him and for each of us.
Date Published:2024

Canada : we are the story

Wagamese, Richard,


Various publishers. A picture book based on the poem "Canada" by Richard Wagamese.
Date Published:2026

Circle of love

Gray Smith, Monique, 1968-


Various publishers. In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother’s wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends. They dance, sing, garden, learn, pray, and eat together. And tonight, they come together for a feast! Molly shares with the reader how each person makes her feel—and reminds us that love is love.
Date Published:2024

Various publishers. In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother’s wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends. They dance, sing, garden, learn, pray, and eat together. And tonight, they come together for a feast! Molly shares with the reader how each person makes her feel—and reminds us that love is love.

Date Published:2024

Danger Eagle

Wente, Jesse,


Various publishers. A picture book about a boy and his favorite toy/stuntman 'Danger Eagle'.
Date Published:2025

Elisapee and her baby seagull

Mike, Nancy,


Various publishers. When Elisapee's father brings home a baby seagull, Elisapee falls in love with the bird right away. She feeds and cares for her new friend, named Nau, and even helps Nau learn how to fly! Nau grows, and grows, and grows some more, until she's big enough to fly all over town and play with the other seagulls. Soon, it seems like Nau is ready to leave home for good, and Elisapee has to learn how to say goodbye. Based on the author's childhood experience, this charming story about learning to care for animals will delight young readers.
Date Published:2020

Various publishers. When Elisapee's father brings home a baby seagull, Elisapee falls in love with the bird right away. She feeds and cares for her new friend, named Nau, and even helps Nau learn how to fly! Nau grows, and grows, and grows some more, until she's big enough to fly all over town and play with the other seagulls. Soon, it seems like Nau is ready to leave home for good, and Elisapee has to learn how to say goodbye. Based on the author's childhood experience, this charming story about learning to care for animals will delight young readers.

Date Published:2020

Fancy pants

Quigley, Dawn,


Various publishers. 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! Favorite purple unicorn notebook in hand, Jo Jo starts exploring her Ojibwe community to find ways to be fancy.
Date Published:2022

Various publishers. 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! Favorite purple unicorn notebook in hand, Jo Jo starts exploring her Ojibwe community to find ways to be fancy.

Date Published:2022

Fishing with grandma

Avingaq, Susan,


Various publishers. An Inuit grandmother takes her two grandchildren to a lake to go ice fishing, explaining what clothes to wear, how to drill and clear holes in the ice, and how to make a traditional Inuit jigging rod.
Date Published:2015

Go show the world : a celebration of Indigenous heroes

Kinew, Wab, 1981-


Using rhyming lyrics from a previously written rap song, Midewin author, Manitoba politician, and creator Kinew tells the stories of 14 Indigenous heroes both historical and contemporary.
Date Published:2018