November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor the original Indigenous people of America. Take a look at the Native American Heritage Month reading list from our partners at the Fort Worth Public Library and check out a book for your children. The book list below includes 87 books that can be borrowed for FREE in the Fort Worth Public Library Catalog.
To apply for a free Fort Worth Public Library card, click HERE. Any student currently attending pre-K through 12th grade at any formally recognized educational institution in North Texas may borrow Fort Worth Public Library books at no cost. Students do not have to be residents of Fort Worth to do so. They can get a Non-Resident Student library card from any Fort Worth Public Library location and the card provides them access to digital content as well as physical materials.
Click HERE for the full list of 87 books recommended to read during Native American Heritage Month
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Goble, Paul - author
Summary: Though she is fond of her people, a girl prefers to live among the wild horses where she is truly happy and free.
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We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
by Sorell, Traci - author
Summary: Otsaliheliga is a Cherokee word that is used to express gratitude. Journey through the year with a Cherokee family and their tribal nation as they express thanks for celebrations big and small. This book presents a look at modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Berry Song
by Goade, Michaela - author, illustrator
Summary: As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Maillard, Kevin Noble - author
Summary: Using illustrations that show the diversity in Native America and spare poetic text that emphasizes fry bread in terms of provenance, this volume tells the story of a post-colonial food that is a shared tradition for Native American families all across the North American continent. Includes a recipe and an extensive author note that delves into the social ways, foodways, and politics of America's 573 recognized tribes.
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Thunder Boy Jr.
by Alexie, Sherman, 1966- author, narrator
Summary: Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name ... one that's all his own. Dad is known as Big Thunder, but Little Thunder doesn't want to share a name.
Race to the Sun
Roanhorse, Rebecca - author
Summary: Lately, seventh grader Nizhoni Begay has been able to detect monsters, like that man in the fancy suit who was in the bleachers at her basketball game. Turns out he's Mr. Charles, her dad's new boss at the oil and gas company, and he's alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. Nizhoni knows he's a threat, but her father won't believe her. When Dad disappears the next day, leaving behind a message that says "Run!", the siblings and Nizhoni's best friend, Davery, are thrust into a rescue mission that can only be accomplished with the help of Diné Holy People, all disguised as quirky characters. Their aid will come at a price: the kids must pass a series of trials in which it seems like nature itself is out to kill them. If Nizhoni, Mac, and Davery can reach the House of the Sun, they will be outfitted with what they need to defeat the ancient monsters Mr. Charles has unleashed. But it will take more than weapons for Nizhoni to become the hero she was destined to be...
Hearts Unbroken
by Smith, Cynthia Leitich - author
Summary: When Louise Wolfe's boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. She'd rather spend her senior year with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, an ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper's staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director's inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey. But 'dating while Native' can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey's?
Who Were The Navajo Code Talkers?
by Buckley, James, Jr., 1963- author
Summary: By the time the United States joined the Second World War in 1941, the fight against Nazi and Axis powers had already been under way for two years. In order to win the war and protect its soldiers, the US Marines recruited twenty-nine Navajo men to create a secret code that could be used to send military messages quickly and safely across battlefields. Author James Buckley Jr. explains how these brave and intelligent men developed their amazing code, recounts some of their riskiest missions, and discusses how the country treated them before, during, and after the war.
Bowwow powwow: bagosenjige-niimi’idim
by Child, Brenda J., 1959- author
Summary: When Uncle and Windy Girl attend a powwow, Windy watches the dancers and listens to the singers. She eats tasty food and joins family and friends around the campfire. Later, Windy falls asleep under the stars. Uncle's stories inspire visions in her head: a bowwow powwow, where all the dancers are dogs. In these magical scenes, Windy sees veterans in a Grand Entry, and a visiting drum group, and traditional dancers, grass dancers, and jingle-dress dancers--all with telltale ears and paws and tails. All celebrating in song and dance. All attesting to the wonder of the powwow
