Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
A Rich Heritage: American Indians Today
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These contemporary stories offer glimpses into the lives of young American Indians, with a particular emphasis on the important family ties, friendships, and traditions that empower characters to embrace their heritage and identity.
Cloudwalker: Contemporary Native American Stories
This collection of six short stories features characters from various Native nations.… "Grandfather Crosses Over" chronicles Doreen's respect and then grief for her grandfather of the Jicarilla Apache nation. In "Powwow," fancy dancer Homer watches with pride as his older brother Lester, a new army private, carries the American flag at a powwow at the Sac and Fox fairgrounds. The book also includes an introduction to dispel stereotypes and an extensive glossary. — Cynthia Leitich Smith
Eagle Song
Danny Bigtree's family has moved to a new city, and Danny can't seem to fit in. He's homesick for the Mohawk reservation, and the kids in his class tease him about being an Indian — the thing that makes Danny most proud. Can Danny, drawing on his Mohawk heritage, find the courage to stand up for himself?
Indian Shoes
Ray is a Seminole-Cherokee who lives with his grandfather in contemporary Chicago. In each of six short stories, Ray meets universally recognizable challenges while remaining cognizant of his Indian heritage. Short stories are told with humor and compassion.
Jingle Dancer
Jenna wants to dance in the powwow as her grandmother and other women in her family have. But she wonders: will she have enough jingles to make her dress sing? Traditional and contemporary activities come together in this appealing, clearly illustrated story of a modern girl and her background, based on the author's Muscogee (Creek) heritage.
Morning on the Lake
A young Ojibwe boy and his grandfather set out in a birchbark canoe early one spring morning to discover the peaceful beauty of the lake, climb a rocky cliff, and venture into the woods. Under the patient and gentle guidance of his grandfather, the boy gradually comes to respect the ways of nature and to understand his own place in the world.
Muskrat Will Be Swimming
Living in a lakeside community of "cellar holes, trailers, and old winterized cottages," a girl of Native American and French descent loves her home, but feels demeaned when classmates call her a lake rat. She confides in Grampa, who listens, questions, and reminds her of a legend concerning Muskrat. A dream and a symbolic dive into the lake help the girl fully accept where she's from and who she is. — Booklist
Owl in the Cedar Tree
Haske, a Navaho boy, is torn between the past of his people's rich, self-sustaining culture and a present that opens up new possibilities. His parents propel him in one direction, his grandfather in another, his teacher in still another. The boy has a secret wish, but its fulfillment seems beyond reach. At night he listens to the hoot of the owl in the cedar tree and wonders if good fortune or bad is in store. This beautifully written story finally supplies the answer.
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light
Looking back to his childhood, Choctaw storyteller Tingle introduces his capable, comforting Mawmaw (grandmother); recalls his shock as a six-year-old at realizing that she was blind (possibly, he learns, as a result of a racially motivated assault in her own youth); and recounts a hospital vigil years afterward when she received an eye transplant…A lengthy afterword provides more details about Tingle's family and Choctaw culture, and offers much to think about regarding American Indian stereotypes. — Booklist
The Moccasins
Based on the author's life, this simple yet profound book is about the pair of moccasins that a child receives from his foster mother. Through the moccasins, the child's mother encourages him to take pride in his Ktunaxa (First Nations) heritage. Earl Einarson dedicates this book to "all foster parents who give of themselves and provide love when it is most needed."
The Range Eternal
In this evocative glimpse into the past, a narrator recalls the blue enamel stove of her childhood home in the mountains of North Dakota ; The stove provides light and comfort against night fears and casts shadows on the wall that turn into pictures of the plains long ago, thick with grazing buffalo…This is a peaceful story of imagination, memories, and the ties among generations. — School Library Journal
When the Rain Sings: Poems by Young Native Americans
A range of poets in grades 2 to 12 from eight nations write compellingly of their personal reactions and experiences as Native Americans. Photographs from the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian are included in this unique collection.
Where Did You Get Your Moccasins?
It's circle time, and in answer to his classmates' questions about his moccasins, a child describes in detail how his grandmother made them: "By washing and scraping and pulling and smoking a deer hide, my Kookum made the leather. And from the leather she made my moccasins for me." A related lesson plan is featured on the American Indians in Children's Literature blog. — Oyate
Which Way Should I Go?
Product Description: Based on the memories of Martin, this story introduces us to Joey, a happy Nuu-chah-nulth boy, eager to help and see the bright side of things. When he loses his beloved grandmother, though, the sun goes out in his world. Slowly, he realizes she has left something of herself behind in an important song, and he chooses to remember her with joy. Teachers Guide available.
Yetsa's Sweater
On a fresh spring day, young Yetsa, her mother and her grandmother gather to prepare the sheep fleeces piled in Grandma's yard. As they clean, wash and dry the fleece, laughter and hard work connect the three generations. Through Yetsa's experience of each task, the reader joins this family in an old but vibrant tradition: the creation of Cowichan sweaters by Coast Salish knitters.
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