Category: Indigenous Peoples

Review: Powwow Day

.Reading time 3 minutes.

I am thrilled to be sharing one of my most anticipated picture books of 2022 by one of my favorite award winning authors today! Powwow Day by Traci Sorell and Madelyn Goodnight is a beautiful picture book that lived up to all my anticipation.

Title: Powwow Day
Author: Traci Sorell
Illustrator: Madelyn Goodnight
Published: February 8, 2022
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Format: Picture Book

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Following a young girl named River as she and her family attend a powwow, Powwow Day offers a contemporary story highlighting Native American traditions – but it is also a beautiful story of healing and hope. River wants to dance at the powwow more than anything, but because she is recovering from an illness, she cannot dance with her sister, friends, and cousins. As River witnesses the powwow dances and listens to the drums, she is uplifted by her community as she remembers the meaning behind the jingle dress dance and finds hope that she will dance again.

The theme of healing feels incredibly timely as we all navigate the uncertainty of the continued pandemic. The hopeful ending is a beautiful reminder to young readers that they too will be able to do the things they love, and our limitations are often temporary.

Madelyn Goodnight’s illustrations are absolutely wonderful. Fans of Look, Grandma!/Ni, Elisi! will be happy to see the familiar vibrant colorwork and detail on every page,

There is also detailed information providing education about the cultural tradition of powwows, making Powwow Day a fantastic addition to school and classroom libraries.

Powwow Day is available wherever books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and to continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

Thank you so much to Charlesbridge for sharing this amazing book with me! I was so happy to learn more about powwows, and I’m so excited to be able to share this book with everyone today.

About The Author:

Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located.

About The Illustrator:

Madelyn Goodnight is a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Her work reflects her love of childhood. She holds a degree from Rhode Island School of design and lives in Brooklyn. She is the illustrator of The Pear Tree and Look, Grandma!/Ni, Elisi! http://www.madelyngoodnight.com

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Flashback Friday: The First Blade of Sweetgrass

.Reading time 4 minutes.

For today’s Flashback Friday, I want to share The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story by Suzanne Greenlaw, Gabriel Frey, and Nancy Baker with you all. Written by a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Nation, this stunning picture book focuses on a resource that is vital to the Wabanaki and other First Nations peoples across the continent.

Title: The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story
Authors: Suzanne Greenlaw and Gabriel Frey
Illustrator: Nancy Baker
Published: August 10, 2021
Publisher: Tillbury House Publishers
Format: Picture Books

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Following a young girl named Musqon as she learns to harvest sweetgrass with her grandmother, The First Blade of Sweetgrass tells a timeless story of culture and traditions being passed down through generations. Musqon’s grandmother is patient with her as she struggles to identify the sweetgrass in the beginning. But as Musqon spends more time in the salt marsh, she finally gets the hang of harvesting. The First Blade of Sweetgrass is a great selection to teach young readers the power of perseverance.

The illustrations by Nancy Baker are stunning. The landscapes capture the tranquility of nature and transports the reader to the salt marsh.

The First Blade of Sweetgrass also contains an Author’s Note in the back matter with more detail around sweetgrass and its many uses, as well as a glossary of Passamaquoddy-Maliseet words, making it a fantastic resource for school libraries and classrooms.

You can find The First Blade of Sweetgrass wherever books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and to continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

Thank you so much to Tillbury House Publishers for providing me with a review copy of this stunning book!

About The Authors:

Suzanne Greenlaw (Orono, ME) is Maliseet and a citizen of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians. A PhD candidate in the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine, she works to restore Wabanaki stewardship practices across various land tenure systems throughout Maine.

Gabriel Frey (Orono, ME) is Passamaquoddy and a citizen of Passamaquoddy at Sipayik. He is an awarded-winning basket maker, artist, and cultural knowledge keeper. His mother and Suzanne and Gabriel’s two daughters, Musqon and Alamossit, helped inspire The First Blade of Sweetgrass.

About The Illustrator:

Nancy Baker (Thomaston, ME) is a Maine artist, illustrator, and muralist whose landscapes, still lifes, and figurative works in oils and pastels are represented by Mars Hall Gallery in Tenants Harbor, Maine. While visiting the sweetgrass meadows of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park with Suzanne and Gabriel, authors of The First Blade of Sweetgrass, Nancy learned the ecology and cultural importance of sweetgrass and witnessed the majesty of the landscape in which it grows, qualities that she has worked to convey in her illustrations.

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Flashback Friday – When We Are Kind

.Reading time 4 minutes.

I am so excited to announce an additional feature here on Mutually Inclusive called Flashback Friday! I know so many amazing books were released during the pandemic, but because everyone’s life was turned upside down, many titles didn’t get the level of attention they deserved. So starting this week, I will share a review for a previously published title every week. I think this will be a wonderful reminder about those books that might have flown under the radar, especially with the chaotic year and a half we’ve all had.

My first Flashback Friday selection is When We AreWhen We Are Kind / Nihá’ádaahwiinít’íigo by Monique Gray Smith. Originally published back in October, this wonderful bilingual picture book provides examples of kindness for young readers with text in both English and Diné (translated by Mildred Walters).

Funny story: I actually wanted to request When We Are Kind back when I first started Mutually Inclusive, but I was just figuring out how review copy requests worked, and I thought I missed out because I didn’t request it before the publication date. I’m so glad I was wrong!

In this precious picture book, we follow a group of Indigenous children as they tell us all the ways they give and receive kindness. When We Are Kind encourages readers to be kind to our families, our communities, our elders, the earth, and ourselves, but I love that it also talks about how being kind makes us feel. I feel like we often tell children to be kind for the sake of others’ feelings, but we overlook the way being kind to others can be a kindness to ourselves. When We Are Kind encourages young readers to evaluate their own feelings, creating an awareness that it so necessary for social and emotional development.

The illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt are wonderful! I love the way they capture the connections we all have to our families and our communities. You can feel the love and kindness on every page.

You can pick up your copy of When We Are Kind wherever books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and to continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

Monique Gray Smith is a mixed-heritage woman (of Cree, Lakota, and Scottish ancestry), an international speaker, and an award-winning author based in Victoria, British Columbia. Please visit her website at moniquegraysmith.com to learn more about her and her work.

Nicole Neidhardt is a Diné (Navajo) artist of the Kiiyaa’áanii Clan based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. To learn more about her and her work, please visit her website at nicoleneidhardt.com.

I want to thank Orca Book Publishers for sending me a review copy of When We Are Kind. I’m so grateful to have a second chance to review this beautiful book.

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On the Trapline

.Reading time 3 minutes.

I have another wonderful intergenerational story for y’all today.

From David A. Robertson and Julie Flett, the creators of When We Were Alone, On the Trapline is a stunning picture book that highlights indigenous values, including the deep connections to family and the land.

In this book, we meet a young Cree boy who is accompanying his Moshom (grandfather) on a trip to visit a place that is dear to his heart. They are going to the trapline, a place where his grandfather grew up hunting game with his family.

Throughout the book, the boy sees the places his grandfather grew up, listening to the stories of his childhood. He sees the house by the lake that his family stayed in, the school his grandfather attended, and finally, they reach the trapline. He learns about the way the entire family slept in a tent, the food they ate, and the animals they trapped. On each page, young readers learn a Swampy Cree word, with pronunciation guides provided in the back matter.

As always, Julie Flett’s illustrates are absolute perfection. I really appreciated the way she captured both the past and present in the illustrations. My personal favorites are two mirrored illustrations in which one page captures the grandfather’s story of sneaking into the bush at school to speak Cree, and the next page shows our narrator, his Moshom, and his Moshom’s old friend in the same bush years later. I found myself turning the pages to compare the landscapes, noting how trees and mushrooms had grown in the grandfather’s absence.

The back matter contains both an Author’s Note and Illustrator’s Note detailing their personal connections with this story, highlighting the authentic voices that are present throughout the book.

On the Trapline would make for an amazing Father’s Day gift. It is available now wherever books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and to continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

David A. Robertson is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and an award-winning children’s book author based in Winnipeg. To learn more about him and his work, please visit his website at darobertson.ca.

Julie Flett is an award-winning Cree-Metis author, illustrator, and artist based in Vancouver. Please visit her website at julieflett.com to learn more about her and her work.

Thank you so much to Tundra Books for generously providing me with a review copy of this wonderful book. It was an absolute delight and I know I will be revisiting it many times.

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We Are Still Here! – Native American Truths Everyone Should Know

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac, the award-winning creators of We Are Grateful: Otsliheliga are back at it with a companion title: We Are Still Here!

We Are Still Here! is a nonfiction book documenting the challenges Native Nations have faced and the ways they continue to fight for their rights today. Focusing mainly on the actions taken by the United States Government, this book shares many lessons currently taught in Native-operated schools today.

The book actually uses a Native-operated school as its backdrop as we follow a class working on their Indigenous Peoples’ Day project. On the first page we are introduced to some “familiar” history, but each child’s presentation will focus on topics after treaty making stopped in 1871, such as forced assimilation, religious freedom, and economic development. Every child’s presentation drives home the fact that Native American History is still being made today.

Fans of We Are Grateful: Otsliheliga will be glad to find Frané Lessac’s familiar vibrant style continues into this companion book as well. Each spread depicts the subject of a child’s project, capturing both historical and contemporary Native American experiences.

The back matter contains lots of additional information about each of the twelve topics discussed in the children’s projects, as well as a glossary and timeline, making this title the perfect addition to classroom and school libraries.

We Are Still Here! officially releases tomorrow (April 20,2021), but you can preorder your own copy today where books are sold, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and to continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

Traci Sorell is a dual citizen of the Cherokee Nation and The United States, and is an award-winning author of five children’s books. She lives in Oklahoma, where her tribe is located. To learn more about her and her work, please visit her website at tracisorell.com.

Frané Lessac is an award-winning author and illustrator of over fifty books. Please visit her website at franelessac.com to learn more about her and her work.

I would like to thank Charlesbridge Publishing for providing me with a review copy of We Are Still Here. I am honored to share such an important book and encourage young readers to learn more about Native American history.

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Zonia’s Rain Forest

.Reading time 3 minutes.

I’m so excited to share Zonia’s Rain Forest with you all today! From Caldecott Honor and Robert F. Sibert Medal winner Juana Martinez-Neal, this lovely picture book follows a young girl named Zonia who lives in the rain forest with her family.

We follow Zonia through her day as she introduces us to her neighborhood. Zonia adventures through the rain forest, making friends with all of her animal neighbors. We see how she interacts with sloths, snakes, pink dolphins, and more, until she comes upon something she has never seen before. Zonia discovers a portion of the rain forest has been cut down, and her beloved home is in danger.

While this book is fiction, Zonia’s story mirrors the true story of the Asháninka people living in the Peruvian Amazon, who have a long history of being removed from their homeland. The Asháninka people have made it their mission to protect the rain forest they call home through activism and legal action, though their rights to that home continue to be denied.

The perfect pick for Earth Day next month, Zonia’s Rain Forest is a gentle reminder to young readers about the ways our rain forests need our protection. With a hopeful ending, this book will inspire children to protect the rain forest and the rest of our planet.

Fans of Juana Martinez-Neal’s previous titles like Fry Bread and Swashby and The Sea will be happy to see her familiar style in the illustrations. I absolutely adored the way they capture Zonia’s playful personality as she interacts with her friends in the rain forest.

The back matter contains quite a bit of additional information about the Asháninka people, the Amazon, and the threats that they face. There is also a page dedicated to identifying each of the animals featured in Zonia’s adventure.

Zonia’s Rain Forest is officially available next week (March 30, 2021), but you can preorder it wherever books are sold today, including Bookshop and Amazon. (Please note: Some links provided are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to receive a small commission for recommendations at no cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site and continue bringing content to you. I always appreciate your support!)

To learn more about Juana Martinez-Neal and her award-winning work, please visit her website at juanamartinezneal.com.

I also want to thank Candlewick Press for generously providing me with a review copy of this amazing book. I’m so grateful to have the privilege of sharing Zonia’s story with everyone today.

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5 Picture Books to Recognize America’s Indigenous Peoples on Thanksgiving

.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving a lot for the past few weeks. It’s my son’s first Thanksgiving, and obviously, it looks different this year due to the pandemic. But I’ve been thinking about how to teach my son about Thanksgiving, while also being honest about our country’s history of colonization and genocide.

I want him to know that the Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw tribes lived on the land in Alabama, the state we call home, long before he ever existed. I need him to know that our ancestors took this land, and in the process, brought illnesses that wiped out countless Indigenous Peoples. I need him to know the “pilgrims and Indians” didn’t sit around a picnic table and hold hands and talk about corn.

I plan to begin a tradition of honesty this year. So, like I always have, I will turn to books. I plan to read books and discuss the whole truth behind our country’s heritage every year for Thanksgiving. I have been reading lots of books by and about Indigenous Peoples in America to prepare, and I wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

(Please Note: This article will contain affiliate links. I do receive a very small commission from these links. This commission is used to maintain this website and provide further content.)

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard, Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

Fry Bread is a precious picture book all about the Native American food, fry bread. Thought to be originally made by the Navajo, fry bread was created using flour, sugar, and lard – the supplies provided to Reservations by the United States Government after they forced tribes to relocate to lands where their crops could not grow. In this book, we learn of the importance of fry bread to the Native American peoples through one family. This is a great book to begin discussion about the diversity of Native peoples.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell, Illustrated by Frane Lessac

We Are Grateful Otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is a picture book inspired by the Cherokee Nation that’s all about gratitude, which seems perfect for Thanksgiving. This book begins in Fall (when the Cherokee New Year occurs) and moves through each season, discussing the many things the people of the Cherokee Nation are grateful for throughout the year. There are Cherokee words included (with phonetic pronunciation for those of us who do not speak Cherokee) on each spread, as well as fantastic illustrations by Frane Lessac.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, Illustrated by Michaela Goade

We Are Water Protectors is a beautiful picture book about the dangers of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the water protectors who continue to fight against the pollution of the water on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. This is a beautifully illustrated book that touches on the sacredness of water, and the importance it has to our world. It is also a great tool for introducing conversations about the injustices Indigenous Peoples still face in our nation.

Hiawatha and The Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson, Illustrated by David Shannon

In Hiawatha and The Peacemaker, we are introduced to Hiawatha, a member of the Mohawk Nation who has just suffered a great loss. His village has been burned down by the Onondaga tribe, and his family has been killed. He sits with his anger and grief until one day, he meets The Peacemaker, who wants to speak through him to bring peace to the Iroquois Peoples. Together they they bring this message of unity and peace to the Mohawk, Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, and even the Onondaga clan that burned Hiawatha’s village down. This is a great story of peace and forgiveness, and a reminder that the way the Iroquois Peoples governed themselves would later be used to define democracy in the United States Constitution.

In My Anaana’s Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok, Illustrated by Lenny Lishchenko

In My Anaana’s Amautik is a precious picture book told from a baby’s perspective as he is carried in a pouch inside his mother’s parka (called an amautik). The vivid descriptions of the baby’s soft, warm home are paired with illustrations that perfectly capture the security of the amautik, creating one of the coziest books I’ve ever read. This book would be perfect for bedtime stories any day of the year.

These are just a few of my picks to get started with this year. I hope some of them help your family have open conversations about our country’s history on this holiday and throughout the year.

Does your family have a similar Thanksgiving tradition? What books are you sharing with your little ones today? Be sure to share in the comments below!