In My Anaana's Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok

More: I also love Flett's We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers.

A glossary and pronunciation guide is included.

The spare text is in English, but some of the words are accompanied by their Cree equivalent. The overall feeling is one of calm mindfulness and the illustrations' deceptive simplicity adds to that feeling. Along the way they observe wildlife from the ants to the elk to the birds. A boy and his grandmother collect blueberries in the wood. The text celebrates finding happiness in the everyday events and joyful, colorful illustrations. It's also one of the few board books featuring an indigenous protagonist. My Heart Fills with Happinessby Monique Gray Smith is a super sweet and wonderful board book perfect for your baby or toddler. More: Please also check out Richard Van Camp's We Sang You Home, and Welcome Song for Babies. Little You by Richard Van Camp is an adorable board book that is a tender, rhyming love story from mom and dad to their baby. Note: this post contains affiliate links that may earn commission. Reese offers her careful analyses of both contemporary and classic books. No term is perfect or comprehensive and when you are discussing these books with your children, I encourage you, whenever possible, to use specific Nation names, such as 'Diné,' 'Cree,' or 'Lenape.'įor anyone who wishes to learn more about the representation of American Indians in children's books, I highly recommend the blog American Indians in Children's Literature. Please note that whereas in what is now the present day United States we use the terms 'Native American,' or 'American Indian' or 'Native Alaskan,' these terms are not used in present day Canada, where they more often use the terms 'First Nations' or 'Indigenous People.' While making this list of Native American picture books I deliberately chose books by Indigenous authors.

In My Anaana's Amautik by Nadia Sammurtok