One of my most-dear memories is when I was working with a group of elementary-aged Native children in New Mexico and told them about Arigon Starr's Super Indian. At lunch time, one girl looked for me and asked if she could read it. Of course, I handed it to her and she was riveted! She laughed, and smiled, and I knew that book was gonna be a hit with our communities.  As other Native people read Super Indian, the joy in what Arigon Starr created was palpable. There was so much in there -- for readers of all ages -- that it quickly became a favorite of many Native readers. The second volu ..read more

Today (March 13, 2024) I read an article in The Gothamist that starts with this image: What you're looking at is a stack of twelve copies of Sorell and Lessac's We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know with a sticky note that says "Not Approved 3rd."  Reading on, I see that someone determined that the book has a "negative slant on white people." The subtitle of the book is Native American Truths Everyone Should Know. Here's the cover. See those stickers on the right side of the cover? Those tell teachers that people who study children's books think We A ..read more

In 2015, Lee and Low released the results of its first Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS), which is a survey to document how diverse employees in publishing entities are. That sentence feels awkward but I think you know what I mean. A second survey was done in 2019.  On Feb 28, 2024 Lee and Low released the results of its 2023 Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS). It was created by Lee & Low Books with co-authors Laura M. Jiménez, PhD, Boston University College of Education & Human Development Language and Literacy; Betsy Beckert, PhD candidate, Boston University College o ..read more

Update from Debbie on Feb 21: I edited the title of this blog and the second paragraph to more accurately reflect the request in the Odanak leader's letter. My initial emphasis was on books but the concern is much broader than that. It includes the performances the named individuals do. To me that includes storytelling, flute playing, drumming, and craft activities. If your school or library has made space (on-site or via a field trip) for the named individuals, please reconsider doing that in the future. As educators, our responsibility is to accuracy--especially in things we provide to child ..read more

A Girl Called Echo Omnibus Written by Katherena Vermette (Red River Metis) Illustrated by Scott B. Henderson (not Native); Colors by Donovan Yaciuk (not Native) Published in 2023 Publisher: Highwater Press Reviewer: Jean Mendoza Review Status: Highly Recommended You might have seen AICL's positive comments about katherena vermette's graphic novel series A Girl Called Echo. I guess I should clarify that this "Echo" has nothing to do with the mini-series currently getting a lot of attention! I haven't seen it yet. Vermette's protagonist Echo is a socially isolated Metis teen in what ..read more

As far as I know, there are no 'anniversary editions' of Louise Erdrich's The Birchbark House. Today, a teacher wrote to me about the book. She's using it with her students. So--it is on my mind. I realized it came out 25 years ago. I went over to Birchbark Books and saw that come May 7th of this year, you can listen to Erdrich reading the book! Yes--it is going to be made available as an audiobook. Birchbark Books works with Libro to make audio books available. When I clicked through, I saw this: I ordered it, of course! I've listened to Erdrich read her work before and am really looking ..read more

Good morning, AICL readers! Yesterday (Jan 22, 2024) the American Library Association announced its annual book awards. Below a list of the winners of the American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Awards, given every two years (even-numbered years). Soon, all these books listed below will have the AIYLA seal on them! The photo below is from the AILA website and shows a selection of the books with their seals.  You can order seals for your copies, directly from the American Indian Library Association.  Within the next day or two, we'll insert book covers for eve ..read more

Wonderful news! Yesterday on social media, Kim Rogers (enrolled member of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes) told us that Just Like Grandma won the 2024 Charlotte Zolotow Award! Here's her screencap: And I'm seeing this graphic being shared, too. I think Cynthia Leitich Smith created it: It is on AICL's list of Best Books of 2023. Do you have a copy yet?  ..read more

Last year (on Twitter) I did a thread of books by Native writers and illustrators slated for release in 2023. I'm going to do that list here. IMPORTANT: I have not read these books yet! If I do you'll find a review post later in 2024, and/or they may show up on our end-of-year list.  They're not in any particular order. I could arrange the list by release date or alphabetically but the point is just to show you what's coming in 2024. I'll add to the post when I see covers. At this moment I see some titles but no covers yet, and I want you to see covers!  One more note of importance ..read more

Earlier this week I was at a holiday gathering in Washington DC. Across the room, I saw the Native woman who wrote one of my all-time favorite children's books: Sharice Davids. Her book, Sharice's Big Voice came out in 2021. Here's the cover: Some context:  Back in 2016, Native people were excited when Sharice Davids was running to represent Kansas in the U.S. House. She's Ho-Chunk. During that same time, Deb Haaland was running to represent New Mexico. She is Laguna. There was a lot of joy when they won! And when they were sworn in, Native people shared the footage from CBS of Davi ..read more