A little over 1% of children's book published in 2022 where created by Indigenous authors/illustrators, and historically, the representation of Indigenous people in youth literature has been problematic due to the promotion of harmful stereotypes. This lack of authentic representation in youth literature makes it difficult for educators and caregivers to connect young people with books that empower and uplift Indigenous voices and experiences.
The books on these pages were either created by Indigenous authors/illustrators, recommended by the American Indians in Children's Literature blog, or have won awards specifically for Indigenous books such as the American Indian Youth Literature Award. The authenticity of Indigenous representation in these books has not been evaluated by the TDRL staff, so we highly recommend that readers take the time to educate themselves on authentic vs. problematic representation by reading more books by Indigenous creators as well as resources like the American Indians in Children's Literature blog.