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Kokum (Grandmother) has gone to find the perfect Christmas tree for her family. When the grandchildren see the scrawny tree she brings home, however, they laugh and throw out the tree. Kokum is saddened by their reaction, but continues with her holiday preparations; when she returns from her Christmas shopping, she finds a wonderful surprise waiting for her. Set on the Whitefish Bay Reserve, Ojibwe author Allan Crow shares a touching story about the meaning of Christmas.

The Crying Christmas Tree

Allan Crow

Age Level:

6-9

When a little boy, traveling with his parents and grandparents, has trouble sleeping at night, he realizes that the caribou spirit is so strong in him that he can no longer remain a human. But his connection to his human family is strong also, and so he gives them the gift of the caribou when they are hungry. John Blondin shares the story as told by his father, elder George Blondin (Dene). Bilingual English/Dogrib. — Oyate

The Legend of Caribou Boy

John Blondin

Illustrator:

Ray McSwain

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Myths and Legends

Wonderstruck

Brian Selznick

Age Level:

9-12

Twist it Up: More than 60 Delicious Recipes from an Inspiring Young Chef

Jack Witherspoon

Age Level:

9-12

Scholastic Year in Sports: 2012

Scholastic, Inc.

Age Level:

9-12

The Princess Curse

Merrie Haskell

Age Level:

9-12

Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Kadir Nelson

Age Level:

9-12

Guys Read: Thriller

Jon Scieszka

Age Level:

9-12

Every Thing on It

Shel Silverstein

Age Level:

9-12

Are You ‘Normal’? More Than 100 Questions That Will Test Your Weirdness

Mark Shulman

Age Level:

9-12

This collection of 15 Cherokee tales introduces the trickster-hero Rabbit, the most important character portrayed in the animal stories of the Cherokee culture. The surefooted messenger who carries important news to his animal friends near and far, Rabbit is charming and mischievous. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses, but somehow Rabbit always survives.

How Rabbit Tricked Otter and Other Cherokee Trickster Stories

Gayle Ross

Age Level:

6-9

Pepere Played the Fiddle

Linda Ducharme

Age Level:

6-9

Product Description: Based on the memories of Martin, this story introduces us to Joey, a happy Nuu-chah-nulth boy, eager to help and see the bright side of things. When he loses his beloved grandmother, though, the sun goes out in his world. Slowly, he realizes she has left something of herself behind in an important song, and he chooses to remember her with joy. Teachers Guide available.

Which Way Should I Go?

Sylvia Olsen, Ron Martin

Illustrator:

Kasia Charko

Age Level:

9-12

This beautiful photo-essay focuses on a community of beluga-whale hunting Inuvialuit in Tuk (short for Tuktoyaktuk) on the Arctic coast of the Northwest Territories of Canada. In addition to details about a modern whale-hunting expedition, there are stories and definitions of Inuvialuit words and other bits and pieces of lore. — Midwest Book Review (The Land Is Our Storybook)

Proud to be Inuvialuit

Mindy Willett, James Pokiak

Illustrator:

Tessa Macintosh

Age Level:

9-12

When the Grand Coulee Dam was built, the lives of the Arrow Lakes Tribe were changed forever. Sinee mat and her great-grandmother Toopa tell the story of life on the Columbia River before and after the dam. This important piece of Pacific Northwest history is beautifully illustrated by Virgil Smoker Marchand, a member of the Arrow Lakes Band of the Colville Confederated Tribes.

A River Lost

L. E. Bragg

Illustrator:

Virgil Marchand

Age Level:

9-12

Bruchac frames 11 legends of Native American sacred places with a conversation between Little Turtle and his uncle, Old Bear, who says, “There are sacred places all around us…They are found in the East and in the North, in the South and in the West, as well as Above, Below, and the place Within.”…The text is printed in stanzas, enhancing the image of prose poems.

Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places

Joseph Bruchac

Illustrator:

Thomas Locker

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fiction, Myths and Legends

Based on the author’s life, this simple yet profound book is about the pair of moccasins that a child receives from his foster mother. Through the moccasins, the child’s mother encourages him to take pride in his Ktunaxa (First Nations) heritage. Earl Einarson dedicates this book to “all foster parents who give of themselves and provide love when it is most needed.”

The Moccasins

Earl Einarson

Illustrator:

Julie Flett

Age Level:

3-6

In this traditional Crow story, a great big monster climbs out of the lake and up the cliff to steal the mother Thunderbird’s young chicks each spring. This year she is determined to save them, but she needs human help. So she snatches up Brave Wolf while he is out hunting and carries him to her nest, where he comes up with a plan. (Tales of the People)

Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird

Joseph Medicine Crow

Illustrator:

Linda R. Martin

Age Level:

6-9

Genre:

Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Myths and Legends

The oldest fair in the Navajo Nation is held annually in Shiprock, NM. This story follows young Nezbah through the event, from the excitement of waking on the first morning to the last moment of the festivities when her father carries her, tired and happy, into the house. The illustrations are done in a lively folk-art style in vibrant colors evocative of the Southwest. — School Library Journal

Songs of Shiprock Fair

Luci Tapahonso

Illustrator:

Anthony Chee Emerson

Age Level:

6-9

A young boy wishes that Winter’s cold, snow, and ice could be relieved by Spring and the warmth of New Sun. Then, he wishes that Spring be changed to Summer. Each time Boy complains, Wish Wind reluctantly grants him his wish. The Wish Wind points out our longing for change, with an unspoken reminder that enjoying each moment for what it offers now is a precious part of life. — Oyate

Wish Wind

Peter Eyvindson

Illustrator:

Wendy Wolsak

Age Level:

6-9

Where Only the Elders Go: Moon Lake Loon Lake

Jan Bourdeau Waboose

Illustrator:

Halina Below

Age Level:

6-9

In this heartwarming Christmas story from Saskatchewan writer and storyteller Peter Eyvindson, a young boy who has been afraid of his elderly neighbor, Red Parka Mary, soon comes to realize that she is both friendly and generous. As he gets to know Mary better, he begins appreciate her wisdom and warmth while discovering all that she has to teach him.

Red Parka Mary

Peter Eyvindson

Illustrator:

Rhian Brynjolson

Age Level:

6-9

Things have been hard for Ray, a young, green-eyed Ojibwe girl, since her father’s accidental death. But when she spends the summer with grandmother, who is an elder and a healer, she finds her voice and begins her own process of healing. Set in northern Ontario in the late 1970s, this story from Ojibwe author Ruby Slipperjack speaks to a young girl’s coming of age in a thoughtful, quiet way.

Little Voice

Ruby Slipperjack

Age Level:

9-12

When an out-of-control fire threatens to burn their whole world, a Cherokee elder advises two young men to go to the top of the world and seek the aid of Ice Man. Because they give him an offering, he puts the great fire out — and creates a lake in its place. To this day, it is said, you can hear the embers beneath the lake, crackling and hissing, reminding everyone of the great fire. — Oyate

Ice Man

Marijo Moore

Illustrator:

Yoshe Miyake

Age Level:

6-9

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Book Finder

The Crying Christmas Tree

The Legend of Caribou Boy

Wonderstruck

Twist it Up: More than 60 Delicious Recipes from an Inspiring Young Chef

Scholastic Year in Sports: 2012

The Princess Curse

Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Guys Read: Thriller

Every Thing on It

Are You ‘Normal’? More Than 100 Questions That Will Test Your Weirdness

How Rabbit Tricked Otter and Other Cherokee Trickster Stories

Pepere Played the Fiddle

Which Way Should I Go?

Proud to be Inuvialuit

A River Lost

Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places

The Moccasins

Brave Wolf and the Thunderbird

Songs of Shiprock Fair

Wish Wind

Where Only the Elders Go: Moon Lake Loon Lake

Red Parka Mary

Little Voice

Ice Man

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