Native American Children's and Young Adult Literature
Web Resources
- American Indians in Children's Literature
Run by UIUC Assistant Professor Debbie Reese, this blog offers "a critical discussion of American Indians in children's books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society-at-large." In addition to the main postings, the site offers links to related articles on the web, lesson plans, first-person accounts of working with Native-American themed children's books, links to critical book reviews, and links to the web sites of Native American authors and writers. The blog is updated regularly, and offers a searchable archive.
- A Critical Bibliography on North American Indians, for K-12
This bibliography, compiled by the Anthropology Outreach Office of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, aids teachers and parents in choosing culturally sensitive and historically accurate books for children about American Indians and Alaska Natives. The site provides guidelines and critiques to help readers critically evaluate books and teaching curricula, as well as annotated booklists arranged by culture area and tribe and divided into categories of non-fiction, fiction, biographies, and traditional stories.
- Internet Public Library: Native American Authors
This website provides information on Native North American authors, including bibliographies of their published works, biographical information, and links to online resources such as interviews, online texts and tribal websites. The current focus of the site is on contemporary Native American authors, although some historical authors are represented. The site is not specific to children's literature.
- Native American Authors: Teacher Resources
This page provides links to biographical information, bibliographies, lesson plans, online e-texts and critical reviews of selected Native American authors whose works are taught in the public schools or at the university level. More than 40 authors are covered.
- Native American Books
This site provides hundreds of reviews of Native American literature and resources, including books and resources for children and young adults. The main index list sorts the resources by subject, and also provides age ranges and a thumbs-up or thumbs-down graphic for each title to indicate whether it is recommended. More detailed reviews are linked from the list. It is also possible to scroll lists of reviews of materials sorted by age range.
- Native Americans: A Resource List for Teaching to or about Native Americans
This site provides unannotated lists of children's and young adult literature (with genre and general age-range information), recommended resources for reviews and professional use, and recommended music and videos.
- Native American Themes in Children and Young Adult Books
This site provides annotated lists of children's and young adult contemporary and historical works with Native American themes and/or by Native American authors and illustrators, sorted by genre. Also included is a brief, annotated list of resources for teachers and librarians.
- Oyate
Oyate, an organization devoted to educating children about Native American culture and history, provides lists of suggested books and materials arranged by grade levels, media, and type of publication. The site also provides a list of children's and young adult books featuring and dealing with Native American life that site authors have deemed racist or inaccurate. This "Books to Avoid" section includes reviews that explain why the books are objectionable.
- Powerful Native-American Images Revealed in Picture Books
This site provides an unannotated list of picture books that contain powerful Native-American images.
Print Resources
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S.016.97300497 |
American Indian Reference and Resource Books for Children and Young Adults. 2nd ed. Barbara J. Kuipers. 1995 The first part of this guide discusses how to evaluate literature about Native Americans and how to use it in schools. The second part is a bibliography arranged by subject according to major Dewey class numbers. Each annotated entry includes subject headings and reading level. Subject and author/title indexes, a list of related bibliographies, and publishers' addresses are also provided. |
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016.8108 |
Children's and young adult literature by Native Americans : a guide for librarians, teachers, parents, and students. Sherry York. 2003. This volume provides bibliographic information for approximately 390 books by Native American authors, organized by type: fiction, folklore, storytelling and drama, poetry, and nonfiction. Each title's entry includes a brief summary, subject headings, interest and reading levels, journals in which the title was reviewed, awards, and notes (such as inclusion in reading programs or relevant Web sites). Brief author information, a list of publishers, and an index are also included. |
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S.978.00497 |
Kids Explore the Heritage of Western Native Americans. Westridge Young Writers Workshop. 1995. This book gives children a good introduction to Native North American culture by relating real-life stories about members of various Indian tribal nations. Provides a rich blend of text, photos, and young people's observations, drawing on folk stories, Native arts, and history. |
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Q. S.810.9 |
Native American picture books of change : the art of historic children's editions. Rebecca C. Benes; foreword by Gloria Emerson. 2004. This text provides clear descriptions of and sample illustrations from historic picture books illustrated by Native Americans, including those produced by the government for Indian schools. The 106 color plates and 44 black and white illustrations center on "change," or the adaptations in Native communities following the wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. References and an index are included. |
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S.016.813 |
Native Americans in Fiction: A Guide to 765 Books for Librarians and Teachers, K-9. Vicki Anderson. 1994. This text provides bibliographic information on 765 works of fiction. The guide is arranged alphabetically by tribe and each entry includes a brief annotation with information about author, title, and grade level. |
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011.62 |
Peoples of the American West : historical perspectives through children's literature. Mary Hurlbut Cordier and María A. Pérez-Stable. 1989. This volume analyzes approximately 100 children's literature books set in the American West beyond the Mississippi River, from the 1530s to the early 1900s. The first part of the text provides an introduction and discussion. The second part contains book annotations with publication information; reading level; location and date of the story; race, sex, age, and nationality of the main characters; a synopsis; commentaries on the illustrations and strengths of the book; and items for discussion. References and an author/title/illustrator index are included. |
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810.9 |
Roots and Branches: A Resource of Native American Literature Themes, Lessons, and Bibliographies. Dorothea M. Susag. 1998. This resource offers teachers an opportunity to learn and to teach Native American literature in context. Lessons, units, and activities keyed to grade level offer practical support. Detailed annotated bibliographies direct the teacher to a wealth of other historical, cultural, and educational resources. |
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016.30608997 |
Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children (Contemporary American Indian Issues No. 7). Beverly Slapin, Doris Seale. 1992. This work is a collection of essays, articles, poems, book reviews, resources, illustrations, and selection criteria regarding Native American depictions and issues in children's literature. Included is a bibliography of books by and about Native Americans that the authors recommend for use with children, with grade levels and tribal information included. |
