Native Americans in children's literature facts for kids

Native Americans appear in many children's books. Some of these books are written by people who are not Native American. Others are written by Native American authors themselves.

Native Americans in Children's Books

Many children's books feature Native Americans. Some are famous classics, like Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Others have won awards, such as The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds. However, these older books sometimes show Native Americans in ways that are not true or fair. They can use stereotypes, which are oversimplified and often wrong ideas about a group of people.

Most books about Native Americans were written by non-Native authors. These books often showed ideas from popular culture, not real history. They did not always show the true lives of different Native tribes.

Paul Goble's Books

Paul Goble was an author and illustrator who wrote many children's books. He retold old stories, and his book The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses won a big award in 1979. Some Native American scholars and librarians have said his retellings were not always accurate. Because of this, the American Indian Library Association asked the American Library Association to stop using his art for "Native American Month" posters.

However, many important Native American authors still support Goble's work. They include Joe Medicine Crow (Absaroka), Vivian Arviso Deloria (Navajo), Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki), and Albert White Hat Sr. (Lakota). These authors have praised Goble for bringing traditional Native American stories to a wider audience. They also noted his careful attention to detail and his use of original sources.

Books by Native American Authors

Native Americans have always told stories to share their history and culture. This is called oral tradition. Native authors began publishing stories for children as early as 1881. These stories often helped correct the wrong ideas about Native people. They appeared in magazines and books.

Early Native American Authors

• In 1881, Susette LaFlesche of the Omaha tribe wrote "Nedawi" for a children's magazine. Her Omaha name was Bright Eyes. Her story was about life in an Omaha hunting camp, told by a young girl.
• Charles Alexander Eastman (Ohiyesa), a Dakota Indian, wrote stories for St. Nicholas magazine in the 1890s. These stories later became a book called Indian Boyhood (1902). It was very popular with Boy Scout programs.
• In 1931, Luther Standing Bear (Ota K’te), a Lakota man, published My Indian Boyhood. He also wrote other books about traditional Lakota culture.
• I am a Pueblo Indian Girl (1939) was written by 13-year-old Louise Abeita. Her Pueblo name was E-Yeh-Shure, meaning "Blue Corn." She wrote about daily life and culture in her Pueblo community. Native artists like Allan Houser painted the beautiful watercolor pictures for the book.

Native American Illustrators and Publishers

Native American illustrators also worked to show more accurate images. In the 1940s, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs published "Indian Life Readers." These were bilingual books for Native American schools. Most were written by Ann Nolan Clark, but Native artists from the specific tribes illustrated them. This made sure the pictures were true to the culture.

For example, Hoke Denetosisie, a Navajo artist, made sure his illustrations for a Navajo reader showed real Navajo life. He showed animals and settings exactly as they would be on the reservation. One of these readers, In My Mother’s House (1941), was illustrated by Pueblo artist Velino Herrera.

More Native American Voices Emerge

In the 1950s, more Native people wrote books for children. D'Arcy McNickle (Chippewa Cree) wrote Runner in the Sun (1954), a historical novel about a teenager learning to lead his people. Pablita Velarde of Santa Clara Pueblo retold and illustrated stories from her grandfather in Old Father, the Storyteller (1960). She is also a famous artist.

During the 1970s, a magazine for children called The Wee Wish Tree was published by the American Indian Historical Society. It featured stories, poems, and essays by Native Americans, including many children. Also, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, a Rosebud Sioux, wrote several books like High Elks Treasure (1972). She received a special award in 2000 for her work.

Simon J. Ortiz from Acoma Pueblo published his prose poem The People Shall Continue in 1977. This book tells the history of Native Americans from the beginning. It also includes parts of history often left out, like the forced removal of Native peoples from their lands.

In the 1980s, the busy Abenaki author, Joseph Bruchac, started writing children's books. His books include picture books, traditional stories, and historical fiction. His young adult thriller, Skeleton Man, won an award in 2004.

The 1990s saw many more Native-authored books for children. Authors like Louise Erdrich (Ojibwa), Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek Nation), and Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Creek) published their works.

In 2007, Sherman Alexie joined this group with his young adult fiction book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This book was highly praised and won the National Book Award.