Although it seems that Native American culture is a topic that is covered in detail in various books that study each individual tribe, there seem to be few books for early readers celebrating the entire existence of Native American Indians.
We did find one fantastic book to celebrate Native Americans: Many Nations by Joseph Bruchac and lavishly illustrated by Robert Goetzl (published 2004). An ABC book, Many Nations celebrates Native Americans, native culture, and the beauty of the natural world by cycling through the alphabet. From “Anishinabe artists making birch bark bowls” to the Eagle and beyond, it is lovely and relevant. It reveals another side of Native American life, namely that some of the cultures have survived until today.
Learning about Native Americans of the past and today, for very young readers, is a gap that seems rather difficult to fill. I want my young son to learn the basics this year but I know he is not old enough (he’s only five) to comprehend the intricacies of the complicated society that was America before Columbus arrived.
