Indigenous Voices
These are a selection of Kid and Teen books written by Indigenous authors that celebrate Indigenous culture and teach about Indigenous history.
This list is far from exhaustive and we are always open to including new titles. If you have recommendations for Kid or Teen books by Indigenous authors to add, please contact us.
Owls See Clearly at Night/Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer
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Children's hardcover
$25.95
Reader Reward Price: $23.36
This picture book is a small glimpse, from A to Z, of some of the sights and sounds of the Michif language and its speakers.
The language of the Metis, Michif is a combination of French and Cree with a trace of other regional languages. Once spoken by thousands of people across the prairies of Canada and the northern United States, Michif is now so little spoken that it might disappear within a generation.
This alphabet book is part of a resurgence to celebrate and preserve the traditions of the Metis people. Here Michif and English words combine with images from Metis culture to introduce all generations to the unique Michif language. The book even includes a brief introduction to the language's history, a pronunciation guide, and a list of references for those interested in learning more about Michif.
The Ribbon Skirt
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Children's paperback
$16.99
Reader Reward Price: $15.29
A joyful coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel by debut Indigenous creator Cameron Mukwa about the journey of a two-spirit kid who wants to create a ribbon skirt for the upcoming powwow.
Ten-year-old Anang wants to make a ribbon skirt, a piece of clothing typically worn by girls in the Anishinaabe tradition, for an upcoming powwow. Anang is two-spirit and nonbinary and doesn't know what others will think of them wearing a ribbon skirt, but they're determined to follow their heart's desire. Anang sets off to gather the materials needed to make the skirt and turns to those around them -- their family, their human and turtle friends, the crows, and even the lake itself -- for help. And maybe they'll even find a new confidence within themself along the way.
The Seventh Direction
- Kevin Locke 
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Children's hardcover
$20.99
Reader Reward Price: $18.89
In this enlightening legend shared by Lakota Elder Kevin Locke, Wakhan Thanka (The Great Spirit) created the entire world in seven days; leaving the most precious creation for last. In order to protect this precious creation, Wakhan Thanka needed to hide it where it would always be safe and turned to our animal relatives for help. Together, they found the perfect place. Do you know where they chose?
A Girl Called Echo Omnibus
- Katherena Vermette , Scott B Henderson , Donovan Yaciuk
Young adult softcover
$38.00
Reader Reward Price: $34.20
? Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens list, a starred selection of exceptional caliber!
Métis teenager Echo Desjardins is struggling to adjust to a new school and a new home. When an ordinary history class turns extraordinary, Echo is pulled into a time-travelling adventure. Follow Echo as she experiences pivotal events from Métis history and imagines what the future might hold. This omnibus edition includes all four volumes in the A Girl Called Echo series:
In Pemmican Wars, Echo finds herself transported to the prairies of 1814. She witnesses a bison hunt, visits a Métis camp, and travels the fur-trade routes. Experience the perilous era of the Pemmican Wars and the events that lead to the Battle of Seven Oaks.
In Red River Resistance, we join Echo on the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. Canadian surveyors have arrived and Métis families, who have lived there for generations, are losing their land. As the Resistance takes hold, Echo fears for the future of her people in Red River.
In Northwest Resistance, Echo travels to 1885. The bison are gone and settlers from the East are arriving in droves. The Métis face starvation and uncertainty as both their survival and traditional way of life are threatened. The Canadian government has ignored their petitions, but hope rises with the return of Louis Riel.
In Road Allowance Era, Echo returns to 1885. Louis Riel is standing trial, and the government has not fulfilled its promise of land for the Métis. Burnt out of their home in Ste. Madeleine, Echo's people make their way to Rooster Town, a shanty community on the southwest edges of Winnipeg. In this final instalment, Echo is reminded of the strength and perseverance of the Métis.
This special omnibus edition of Katherena Vermette's best-selling series features an all-new foreword by Chantal Fiola (Returning to Ceremony: Spirituality in Manitoba Métis Communities), a historical timeline, and an essay about Métis being and belonging by Brenda Macdougall (Contours of a People: Métis Family, Mobility, and History).
Auntie's Rez Surprise
- Heather O'Watch , Ellie Arscott
Children's hardcover
$21.95
Reader Reward Price: $19.76
Auntie always greets Cree in Nehiyaw when she comes for a visit. When Auntie arrives with a surprise gift hidden in her bag, Cree can't wait to discover what it is. The first clue? It's from the rez. As Cree tries to figure out what it might be, the bag starts to move. Cree is thrilled when the bag opens and out jumps a rez puppy!
Cree asks Auntie how to take care of the new puppy. Auntie talks to Cree about the importance of dogs in their culture. They are our relatives, she explains, and need to be well taken care of. Cree decides she will name her new puppy "Atim", the Nehiyaw word for dog.
Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior
- Carole Lindstrom , Bridget George ,
Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
From New York Times bestselling author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Bridget George comes a must-read companion to the powerful, award-winning picture book We Are Water Protectors. Telling the story of reall-ife water protectors, Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior celebrates Autumn Peltier and her great-aunt Josephine Mandamin, two Indigenous Rights Activists inspiring a tidal wave of change.
The seventh generation is creating
A sea of change.
It was a soft voice, at first.
Like a ripple.
But with practice it grew louder.
Indigenous women have long cared for the land and water, which in turn sustains all life on Earth--honoring their ancestors and providing for 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 Anishinaabe elder Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn Peltier.
Featuring a foreword from water advocate and Indigenous Rights Activist Autumn Peltier herself, this stunning picture book encourages young readers to walk in the footsteps of the water warriors before them.
The Bee Mother
- Hetxw'ms Gyetxw Brett D Huson ,
Children's hardcover
$24.95
Reader Reward Price: $22.46
Learn about the life cycles of different kinds of bees in this enlightening picture book.
As flowers and trees begin to bud and bloom, Nox Ap, the bee mother, emerges from her winter sleep. To the Gitxsan, she is nature's gardener. Without her hard work as a pollinator, we could not enjoy the fruits of strawberries and huckleberries. Follow her life from the first thaw of spring to the end of autumn.
In the seventh book of Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)'s Mothers of Xsan series, readers will discover the important role of the bumblebee, the honeybee, and the yellow jacket wasp in the Xsan ecosystem.
Being Home
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Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
From Sibert Honor-winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal-winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family and the joy of moving back to their ancestral land.
Today is a day of excitement--it's time to move! As a young Cherokee girl says goodbye to the swing, the house, and the city she's called home her whole life, she readies herself for the upcoming road trip. While her mother drives, the girl draws the changing landscape outside her window. She looks forward to the end of the journey, where she'll eat the feast her family has prepared, play in the creek with her cousins, and settle into the new rhythm of home.
With warm, expressive artwork and spare, lyrical prose, the story of a young girl's move toward rather than away from home unfolds.
Benjamin's Thunderstorm
- Melanie Florence , Hawlii Pichette
Children's hardcover
$21.99
Reader Reward Price: $19.79
A thunderstorm evokes a boy's family traditions, in this rainy-day story from award-winning author Melanie Florence.
Benjamin loves the rain. He loves splashing through puddles in his bright yellow rain boots and watching the colors of a rainbow in the water as they ripple around his feet. But most of all, Benjamin loves thunder. To him, thunder -- piyêsiwak -- sounds like his grandfather's drum. It calls to him, like the songs his grandfather plays while his father and other powwow dancers spin and step in time to the drumbeat. As Benjamin hears the thunder rumble overhead, he imagines himself as a powwow dancer. He spins, he taps his feet and he lifts his knees. Faster and faster he twirls, delighted by and filled with the rhythm of piyêsiwak.
This artfully written story from award-winning author Melanie Florence celebrates both the universal joys of playing in the rain and the connections to family traditions that center and ground us. Elements of Cree powwow culture and Cree words for colors and weather are interwoven into the story, with a pronunciation guide in the back matter. The vibrant and eye-catching art by Hawlii Pichette, inspired by the scenery of northern Ontario, adds drama to the pages. This inviting picture book makes a perfect read-aloud for a rainy day, as well as an excellent introduction to Cree cultural traditions, local communities and experiencing nature firsthand.
Can You Hear the Plants Speak?
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Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
"Heartfelt reflections on the importance of kinship with nature." --Kirkus Reviews
Our people believe spirit lives in everything.
Mountain, river, wind, tree.
Come, take a walk with me.
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.
Perfect for readers of Sy Montgomery, debut authors Nicholas Hummingbird and Julia Wasson joyfully proclaim even the youngest person can be an earth protector. With gorgeous illustrations from Rock Your Mocs artist Madelyn Goodnight, Can You Hear the Plants Speak? encourages us to engage with the natural world.
Circle of Love
- Monique Gray Smith , Nicole Neidhardt
Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
Everyone is welcome in the circle.
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.
Through tender prose and radiant artwork, author Monique Gray Smith (Cree/Lakota) and illustrator Nicole Neidhardt (Diné) show how there is always room for others in our lives. Circle of Love is a story celebrating family, friends, community, and, most of all, love.
Includes an author's note, contextual notes, and glossary.
A Family Tree
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Children's hardcover
$24.99
Reader Reward Price: $22.49
A modern-day twist to The Giving Tree, this book chronicles the changes brought upon a beloved family tree that must be uprooted and planted on new land. This debut picture book by Staci Lola Drouillard (Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe descendant) celebrates resiliency, family bonds, and our deep connection to and responsibility for nature.
Grandma's garden was not just any garden. It was where a spruce tree, only as tall as baby Francis, reached her roots into the soil and stretched her branches toward the sky. Here, on the shore of Gichigaming, is where Francis and the sapling felt right at home.
But when Grandma and Grandpa decide to move away, Francis wants to take the tree with them--can they?
Brimming with tenderness, this story from Staci Lola Drouillard (Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe descendant), with illustrations by Kate Gardiner (Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck Indians), traces the journey of one family, and a little tree, as they adapt to change by drawing on the strength of their roots.
A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs
- Roy Henry Vickers , Lucky Budd
Board Book
$14.95
Reader Reward Price: $13.46
Learn fun names for animal groups of the West Coast with a sturdy board book featuring the illustrations of Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers.Bright blocks of colour and tactile embossed pages bring the natural world of the wild West Coast to life. Accompanied by a rhythmic, rhyming text, this board book will entertain babies, toddlers, and adults alike as they discover that orcas leap and dive in a pod, a bunch of sea lions are called a bob, geese make up a wedge, a swamp full of croaking frogs form a chorus, a jumble of jellies are called a bloom--and more!A Flock of Gulls, a Chorus of Frogs is a vibrant addition to this bestselling, award-winning First West Coast Book series, perfect for storytime and supporting language development in babies and toddlers.
Freddie the Flyer
- Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail , Fred Carmichael , Audrea Loreen-Wulf
Children's hardcover
$23.99
Reader Reward Price: $21.59
A gorgeous picture book that pays homage to aviator Freddie Carmichael -- the first Indigenous commercial pilot in the Arctic --with each month of the year highlighting moments from his life, the beauty of the North and the power of dreams.
When Freddie was young, he saw a plane up close for the first time when it dropped off supplies at his family's remote bush camp. He was instantly hooked.
Freddie has flown for nearly seventy years, doing everything from supply runs to search and rescue to transporting dog teams to far-flung areas.
This book celebrates Freddie's early dreams of flying and his later achievements. Readers move with Freddie through the year, hearing about his journey as a pilot and leader, while learning the names of the months in Gwich'in and Inuvialuktun at the same time. Art from Inuvialuit painter Audrea Loreen-Wulf perfectly captures the incredible Western Arctic as well as Freddie's love for aviation.
Hopeless in Hope
- Wanda John-Kehewin
Children's paperback
$16.95
Reader Reward Price: $15.26
? Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens list, a starred selection of exceptional caliber
We live in a hopeless old house on an almost-deserted dead-end street in a middle-of-nowhere town named Hope. This is the oldest part of Hope; eventually it will all be torn down and rebuilt into perfect homes for perfect people. Until then, we live here: imperfect people on an imperfect street that everyone forgets about.
For Eva Brown, life feels lonely and small. Her mother, Shirley, drinks and yells all the time. She's the target of the popular mean girl, and her only friend doesn't want to talk to her anymore. All of it would be unbearable if it weren't for her cat, Toofie, her beloved nohkum, and her writing, which no one will ever see.
When Nohkum is hospitalized, Shirley struggles to keep things together for Eva and her younger brother, Marcus. After Marcus is found wandering the neighbourhood alone, he is sent to live with a foster family, and Eva finds herself in a group home.
Furious at her mother, Eva struggles to adjust--and being reunited with her family seems less and less likely. During a visit to the hospital, Nohkum gives Eva Shirley's diary. Will the truths it holds help Eva understand her mother?
Heartbreaking and humorous, Hopeless in Hope is a compelling story of family and forgiveness.
This is a selection of our current Indigenous Voices titles. To find other titles or authors, or just to browse, please use the search box.
