Librarian Prep Post: Native American Indian Heritage Month

November is Native American Indian Heritage Month, a great time to celebrate the cultures and contributions of Indigenous peoples. To mark the occasion, we’ve gathered some inspiring books for young readers featuring incredible Native American figures like Jim Thorpe, the world’s greatest athlete, and Mary Golda Ross, a trailblazing aerospace engineer.

These titles and series below are just a few out of our collections that are perfect for helping kids explore Native history and the impact of Indigenous leaders today.

Single Titles:

Ani-dagwaagin (Feels Like Fall)

From the Series Dagwaaginoo-mazina’iganan (Let’s Look at Fall) (Pull Ahead Readers Ojibwemowin — Fiction)
Interest Level: PreK – Grade 1

Waabigwan and Makoons start to feel the fall weather all around them. Carefully translated text and color illustrations help young readers feel the fall changes too! Pairs with the nonfiction title Weather in Fall. Now in Ojibwe!

Jim Thorpe: World’s Greatest Athlete

From the Series Beginner Biography (LOOK! Books ™)
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2

Jim Thorpe, an Oklahoma-born Native American, excelled in both baseball and football. In the 1912 Olympics, he secured gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon events, showcasing his exceptional athletic talents.

Will Rogers: Native American Star of Stage, Screen, and Politics

From the Series Beginner Biography (LOOK! Books ™)
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 2

Will Rogers: Native American Star of Stage, Screen, and Politics
Will Rogers, the foremost American entertainer, writer, and actor in the early 1900s, gained fame for his political satire. His humor endures, with today’s politicians in Washington, DC, admiring his sharp wit.

Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer

Interest Level: Grade 2 – Grade 5

Mary Golda Ross designed classified projects for Lockheed Aircraft 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.

Nicole Aunapu Mann: First Native American Woman in Space

Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8

Before becoming the first Native American woman to visit space, Nicole Aunapu Mann was one of the first woman combat pilots to serve in the Marine Corps. Follow her story from childhood to the International Space Station.

The Real History of Thanksgiving

Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8

Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in the US. But many people don’t know the true or whole history of the holiday. Readers will learn how Thanksgiving really started and its lasting legacy in the US.

Deb Haaland: First Native American Cabinet Secretary

Interest Level: Grade 4 – Grade 8

In 2021, Deb Haaland made history as the first Indigenous cabinet secretary. Serving as Secretary of the Interior, Haaland has championed climate and the rights of Native peoples. Discover Haaland’s early life, her political career, and more.

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults

Interest Level: Grade 7 – Grade 12

Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass is adapted for a young adult audience by Monique Gray Smith, bringing Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.

Series:

Native Rights (Alternator Books ®)

Interest Level: Grade 3 – Grade 6

Examine current challenges and movements to protect Native American rights, resources, and ways of life. Well researched and timely, these books will give voice and context to the myriad issues facing Native peoples today.

Discover more books on lernerbooks.com or check out more titles to celebrate Native American Indian Heritage Month.