RtR Native Americans and Indigenous Peoples | Nashville Public Library

Goodlettsville branch is closed for renovations. Get details.

Help shape the future of our Green Hills branch: please take a few minutes to complete this survey.

East branch will be closed May 23–June 8 for repairs. Get details.

1) The apple tree

Author

Tharp-Thee, Sandy

Description

A little boy plants an apple seed, and as soon as it sprouts the boy can see the apple tree it is meant to be. But the little apple tree isn't so sure. Young and impatient, the tree begins to doubt its calling, especially after apples fail to appear that first October. How can the little boy encourage the tree to give the seasons and years the time to work their magic?

2) Bowwow powwow =: bagosenjige-niimi'idim

Author

Child, Brenda J

Description

"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...

3) Children of native America today

Author

Hirschfelder, Arlene B

Description

Text and photographs introduce traditions, activities, and lifestyles of children from various North American tribes.

4) A day with Yayah

Author

Campbell, Nicola I

Description

On an outing in Nicola Valley, British Columbia, a Native American family forages for herbs and mushrooms while the grandmother passes down her language and knowledge to her young grandchildren. Includes glossary.

5) First laugh: welcome, baby!

Author

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

A Navaho family welcomes a new baby into the family with love and ceremony, eagerly waiting for that first special laugh. Includes brief description of birth customs in different cultures.

6) The first strawberries: a Cherokee story

Author

Bruchac, Joseph

Formats:

Book, Book - Special Collections

Description

A quarrel between the first man and the first woman is reconciled when the Sun causes strawberries to grow out of the earth.

7) Fry bread: a Native American family story

Author

Maillard, Kevin Noble

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

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.

8) Giving thanks: a Native American good morning message

Author

Swamp, Chief Jake

Formats:

Book, eBook, eAudiobook

Description

Reading Rainbow Selection - PBS Kids

A traditional Iroquois celebration of the beauty and spirit of Mother Earth, as told by a contemporary Mohawk chief.

For as long as anyone can remember, Mohawk parents have taught their children to start each day by giving thanks to Mother Earth. Also known as the Thanksgiving Address, this good morning message is based on the belief that the natural world is a precious and rare gift. The

...

9) Grandpa's girls

Author

Campbell, Nicola I

Description

The little girl in this story loves to visit Grandpa's farm where she and her cousins run through the fields, swing out the bar loft window and feed crab apples to the Appaloosa in the corral. They explore the root cellar and tiptoe into Grandpa's secret room to look at memories from the past.

10) How Chipmunk got his stripes: a tale of bragging and teasing

Author

Bruchac, Joseph

Series

Picture puffins

Description

When Bear and Brown Squirrel have a disagreement about whether Bear can stop the sun from rising, Brown Squirrel ends up with claw marks on his back and becomes Chipmunk, the striped one.

11) Hungry Johnny

Author

Minnema, Cheryl

Description

"I like to eat, eat, eat," choruses young Johnny as he watches Grandma at work in the kitchen. Wild rice, fried potatoes, fruit salad, frosted sweet rolls -- what a feast! Johnny can hardly contain his excitement. In no time, he'll be digging in with everyone else, filling his belly with all this good food. But wait. First there is the long drive to the community center. And then an even longer Ojibwe prayer. And then -- well, young boys know to follow...

12) Jingle dancer

Author

Smith, Cynthia Leitich

Description

Jenna, a member of the Muscogee, or Creek, Nation, borrows jingles from the dresses of several friends and relatives so that she can perform the jingle dance at the powwow. Includes a note about the jingle dance tradition and its regalia.

13) Mama, do you love me?

Author

Joosse, Barbara M

Description

An Inuit child learns that her mother's love is unconditional when she disobeys and journeys across the Arctic, from village to ice floe, in search of her puppy.

14) My heart fills with happiness

Author

Gray Smith, Monique

Formats:

Board Book, eBook

Description

★ "A quiet loveliness, sense of gratitude, and—yes—happiness emanate from this tender celebration of simple pleasures."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Will leave the youngest readers gladly imagining what fills their own hearts with joy."—The New York Times

The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills

...

15) Rabbit's snow dance: a traditional Iroquois story

Author

16) Raven: a trickster tale from the Pacific Northwest

Author

McDermott, Gerald

Series

Trickster tales (Gerald McDermott)

Description

Raven, a Pacific Coast Indian trickster, sets out to find the sun.

17) Sweetest Kulu

Author

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Description

"This beautiful bedtime poem, written by acclaimed Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk, describes the gifts given to a newborn baby by all the animals of the Arctic. Lyrically and tenderly told by a mother speaking to her own little "Kulu," an Inuktitut term of endearment often bestowed upon babies and young children, this visually stunning book is infused with the traditional Inuit values of love and respect for the land and its animal inhabitants."--...

18) Ten little rabbits

Author

Grossman, Virginia

19) Thunder Boy Jr

Author

Alexie, Sherman

Formats:

Book, Talking Book, eAudiobook

Description

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

20) Turtle's race with Beaver: a traditional Seneca story

Author

Bruchac, Joseph

Description

When Beaver challenges Turtle to a swimming race for ownership of the pond, Turtle outsmarts Beaver, and Beaver learns to share.