This comic book is the first volume in a series set in 18th-century colonized North America and based on traditional teachings of the Anishinabek. We follow the story of two mischievous Ojibwe brothers as they play pranks and have amazing adventures using a traditional Ojibwe medicine that transforms them into animals for a short time. The authors include members of the Salteaux and Henvey Inlet First Nations. Additional volumes are available through the Rabbit and Bear Paws website (opens in a new window).
Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws: The Sugar Bush
A Coyote Columbus Story
Yetsa’s Sweater
In this powerful family saga, author Tim Tingle tells the story of his family’s move from Oklahoma Choctaw country to Pasadena, TX. Spanning 50 years, the book describes the problems encountered by his Choctaw grandmother — from her orphan days at an Indian boarding school to hardships encountered in her new home on the Gulf Coast.
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light
Muskrat Will Be Swimming
Morning on the Lake
Cloudwalker: Contemporary Native American Stories
Shannon: An Ojibway Dancer (We Are Still Here)
Lakota Hoop Dancer
Drumbeat…Heartbeat
Powwow’s Coming
Owl in the Cedar Tree
Very Last First Time
Gift Horse: A Lakota Story
Itse Selu: Cherokee Harvest Festival
The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile
A Native American Thought of It
Do All Indians Live in Tipis?: Questions and Answers from the National Museum of the American Indian
An important credo of Native life states that you can learn while you play and play while you learn. Readers can pore over intriguing stories and play these fun-filled games as they learn how global thought and beliefs can transcend their own lives. Sample themes, stories, and games include the Ball Players in the Sky (Passamaquoddy); Gluskabe Brings the Summer (Abenaki); and Nanabush and the Ducks (Anishinabe).
Native American Games and Stories
According to Santa Ana Pueblo legend, the animals’ spirit Leader created the sun, moon, and stars by using woven yucca mats and hot coals. He selected certain animals to climb from their homes in the Third World up to the Fourth World, but Coyote was forbidden to accompany them because he was always causing trouble and stealing food from the others. Regardless of what he was told, Coyote refused to stay in the Third World. Coyote’s punishment is a lesson in what happens to animals, or people, when they refuse to obey instructions.
Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began
In this tale, Coyote leaves his home on a Potawatomi reservation on the Plains to find work in New York City. Once there, he falls in love with a star and leaves the Earth to dance with her. When he asks to return, she drops him. He lands in Central Park, making a big hole (the Reservoir), and his descendants howl at the night sky to scold her. — School Library Journal (Note: This story, featuring the World Trade Center, was written in 1998.)
Coyote in Love With a Star: Tales of the People
While exploring the land around their village, Sister Girl and Young Wolf stray too far. After narrowly escaping a roaring prairie fire, the siblings find themselves lost and frightened in the dark, open land until the Star People, ‘the spirits of the Old Ones who once walked on the earth,’ offer comfort and guidance home. In clear, captivating language, Nelson, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, tells a stirring, original story based on Lakota legend. The swirling images of the celestial dance beautifully reflect the story’s celebration and awe of the natural world. — Booklist
The Star People: A Lakota Story
Through a simple story line and easy, concrete language, Lacapa offers an Apache pourquoi folktale he remembers from his youth. The tale explains that the sound of wind echoing through the canyons comes from the flute of a young brave serenading his sweetheart. When the young man goes on his first hunt without telling her, she is sure she’s been forgotten; she becomes ill and dies. Returning home, the boy learns of her death, and continues to play his flute at her grave. — School Library Journal
The Flute Player
Inspired by the idea of being thankful for all that you have, An Awesome Book of Thanks! is a lively, free-form illustrated poem of “thanks.” Kids will delight in the fresh, imaginative illustrations that include a walk through a world of magical unicorns, robotic dinosaurs, and all of life’s simple moments, great and small.