In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we asked Indigenous creators to discuss how their works reflect different aspects of their culture and history.


James Bird

What were the major inspirations for this book?

There was a morning a few years back [when] I was taking my son, Wolf, to school. As we approached my car, in the bushes in front of us was a wolf. It was just staring at us. My son and I were both amazed at how large and beautiful this wolf was. It was covered in snow, so it looked white. After eyeing us, it ran off. And it ran so fast and with so much power, that some of the snow exploded off its body, revealing a gray wolf. What struck me is that neither my son nor I had an ounce of fear from the wolf. It felt like we witnessed magic. Then I thought about how my son could use animals to draw strength from whenever he needs to be tough, and how Native Americans use animal medicine to overcome battles in life. And since my son is named Wolf, he tells kids he is strong and fast because he’s part wolf.

Looking back at my childhood, we were very poor. I was known as the smelly kid. And because of this, not many of my friends were human. I was okay with that because I preferred the birds and rats and bugs. They helped me grow up. Since none of those animals spoke English, I had to look for messages and signs and clues to communicate with them. And that taught me to look for secret messages and hidden meanings in life. Doing this made everything an adventure.

The book centers on a group of children searching for a white wolf in the woods. Can you share the significance of the wolf in Indigenous cultures?

Wolves represent different things to different tribes, but for me, in this story, the wolf represents the idea that “seeing is believing” isn’t the only way truth reveals itself. Sometimes the truth takes faith, or hope, or even a bit of suspending reality. I want young readers to learn that “fake it ’til you make it” is sometimes a great way to get where you need to go. The wolf was a wolf until it was later revealed to be a dog, but those kids needed a wolf, and that’s exactly what they got. In life, kids need heroes. Kids need adventures. In reality, those heroes are really just parents and books. But a kid will believe they are so much more, and in the end, the kid’s hope and belief made them right.

What journey did you want to take Okan, the central protagonist of your story, on in terms of learning more about his identity?

I wanted Okan’s journey to be a bit of self-discovery mixed with getting to know his ancestors. I wanted him to learn from his dreams, his friends, the bully, the animals, and even the forest itself. Those were his teachers. I needed him to not only realize that hurt people hurt people but also that the only way to heal yourself is to try to help someone else heal. It’s a beautiful cycle. By trying to protect this wolf, he protected his friends, and in turn, they protected him. As an Ojibwe storyteller, I aimed to make my ancestors proud by teaching young readers lessons they’ll need in life, just as they’ve done for centuries. They told their stories verbally, around a fire, and under the stars. I continue their stories, writing them in a book, with the fire in my chest, under a roof.

Wolf Club by James Bird. Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 Sept. 30; ISBN 978-1-250-36240-7


Art Coulson

This book explores the Cherokee concept of gadugi—“when we work together and help each other out, our community is stronger.” Why did you want to highlight this idea for young readers?

I wanted to share this different way of seeing our world and our place in it with young readers because of a lesson my grandmother taught me years ago, which has even more relevance in our world today.

The Grandma in All the Stars in the Sky reminds me of my own grandmother, who helped to raise me. She wasn’t one to put up with nonsense. Every time I got a little too full of myself, which was often, Grandma was quick to remind me, “I love you, but you’re not that special.” And I was her favorite grandchild! She’d go on to list all the people around me who were just as important to our family and community as I was. It was a tough lesson to hear as a child, but a valuable one. Underlying this lesson is the simple truth that working together in community is one of the keys to our resilience.

Why was it important to showcase the power of the intergenerational passing of knowledge?

My maternal grandparents were my first, and most important, teachers. They passed along traditional knowledge, values, and practical lessons in how to live a good life. They shared their gift for storytelling, their sense of humor (even in the most challenging times) and their love for family. So it seemed natural in this book, as well as many of my earlier works, to showcase a grandparent or another elder sharing knowledge with younger people. It’s just what we do.

What do you hope young readers take away from this story?

At some of my readings for this book, we’ve asked young people in the audience to decorate stars of their own, adding the names of someone important—someone who is a “star to them,” as Grandma says. I hope this book helps young readers think more broadly about their place in the world, the loving people who surround them, and the vital role they themselves play in so many people’s lives, from parents and extended family to teachers, friends, and neighbors. It’s this interconnectedness that makes us human.

All the Stars in the Sky by Art Coulson, illus. by Winona Nelson. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 Sept. 16; ISBN 978-1-66593-137-3.


Michaela Goade

This picture book is a companion to your Caldecott Honor-winning Berry Song. What made you want to continue the story?

When I was making Berry Song, the thought of one day expanding the book into a series didn’t even cross my mind. But somewhere between painting the last berry and publication day, I realized that the next books I was most excited to create were all strongly tied to the seasons. It felt very natural to take Berry Song and nestle it into the Song of the Seasons series and continue exploring the “island at the edge of a wide, wild sea” alongside a Tlingit girl and her family as they adventure throughout the year.

After all, here in Southeast Alaska on Lingít Aaní (Tlingit land), life is very connected to the seasons and in particular, the traditional foods calendar. The abundant and delicious foods from the forest and sea offer not only nourishment but insight into Tlingit tradition, history, and culture. We have a saying that our foods are our way of life! Each season is unique and holds its own lovely rhythm, whether you find yourself deep in the summer forest picking berries, on the river fishing for autumn salmon, boating through the spring tides harvesting herring eggs, or getting cozy at home during the dark, quiet winter.

Both Berry Song and Moon Song showcase a deep appreciation for the beauty of nature. Can you talk about your own relationship to nature and how it has evolved over time?

I was raised in Southeast Alaska. My family and I spent so much time hiking, camping, boating, fishing, picking berries, playing on the beach—simply exploring this vast, beautiful place. My parents nurtured joy, curiosity, and gratitude from a young age, and the land raised me in its own way too. I hope to always hold onto the childlike joy of beachcombing for lost treasure or of finding magic in the iridescent patterns of salmon scales!

As I grew up, there was a time when all I wanted to do was travel. Fortunately, I was able to have some pretty grand adventures! Experiencing other lands and cultures was incredible, and still is of course, but I don’t think I realized at the time that it was also showing me the importance of home, of building connections to a place and community of one’s own.

Like the tide coming back to shore, I returned home to Southeast Alaska in my mid-20s. I began working with a Tribal organization on a collection of picture books meant for the Native children of the region, which was an amazing experience. Working with those stories began to deepen my understanding of Tlingit culture and the importance of cultivating a relationship to the land. I’m grateful to have been able to collaborate with many Native authors in the years since, and with each partnership and story I’m encouraged to dig deeper. I’m still learning with every book!

What would you like readers to take away from these books?

The Song of the Seasons series is a sort of love letter to Lingít Aaní. If it captures a bit of the unique spirt of place found here in Southeast Alaska and transports readers, I will count myself lucky! I hope it helps them feel the magic and joy of connecting to home, to where and who you come from, and encourages them to seek and nurture connections of their own. After all, when we feel that our homelands and communities care about us, we’re more inclined to care for the land and its peoples. When we care, we protect, not just each other but the land as well. And I think that’s a really beautiful thing to keep working towards.

Moon Song by Michaela Goade. Little, Brown, $18.99 Oct. 7; ISBN 978-0-316-46163-4


Cynthia Leitich Smith

Can you share the importance of the frybread drive-in to Indigenous communities? Do you have your own personal connection to them?

Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a fictional destination in a liminal space, one that’s accessible to Indigenous teens from across Turtle Island, especially when they need it most. Throughout the anthology, the 17 authors—through interconnected stories—introduce us to young heroes who’re offered a thriving community space to put differences to rest, figure themselves out, enjoy a tasty meal, and really get to know with each other.

Relatives on my mom’s side of the family, which is Muscogee-Cherokee, have been visiting Sonic Drive-In locations since the chain was founded in Oklahoma in the 1950s, and I think of it as a casual meet-up location.

Why did you want to utilize the drive-in and food as a throughline for this collection?

Drive-ins evoke a sense of nostalgia that fits with the idea of the place being established and managed by an intertribal team of legendary grandparents. NDN food stands are always a lure, but a drive-in setting provided more of a sense of permanence. It also offered an opportunity to showcase various aspects of traditional and modern tribal cultures, including food, music, cinema, and visual arts.

What was it like to work in community with fellow Indigenous writers on this project?

Our goal was to celebrate intertribal bonds, both on the page and behind the bylines. As an anthologist, I took a “yes, and” approach often associated with collaborative improv performances. A few authors (David A. Robertson, Byron Graves, and Darcie Little Badger) suggested that the grandparents should be a team rather than one Elder, and they suggested the time-traveling food truck. The three Cherokee authors (Christine Hartman Derr, Andrea L. Rogers, and AJ Eversole) worked on a shared glossary of Tsalagi words. Various contributors offered Brian Young loving, comforting dialogue in their respective tribal languages for his grief-healing story. New voices like Kaua Māhoe Adams and Karina Iceberg had the opportunity to get to know and work with more established ones like Angeline Boulley and Eric Gansworth. It was a glorious exercise in creative play and the ultimate icebreaker to welcome and build on our rising Indigenous literary community.

Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a literary community builder, author showcase, and a signal to the world of books and publishing that Indigenous YA authors have finally, fully arrived.

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith. Heartdrum, $19.99 Aug. 26; ISBN 978-0-06331-426-9.


Steph Little Bird

What was the inspiration for your picture book debut?

I am endlessly inspired by my Indigenous community and our unique culture, which emphasizes relationships with the land. I wanted to share the experience of a child learning about their connection to the earth in a way that was culturally specific but also universally accessible. I believe most people can feel a connection to the land, but American culture doesn’t give us the language to really explore or express it.

What does the land represent in this story?

The land is a relative, like a grandmother or auntie. She is ever-present throughout every page and amplifies the emotional connection the young protagonist has with the world around her.


Why did you choose to showcase the relationship between humans and the land?

I care so much for the future, and I believe that humans need to heal their relationship with the land in order to change the course our climate is currently on. The young people of today must learn about their connection to the earth so they can help heal her.

The idea that humans are connected to the earth runs through much of my work. My agent actually saw my writing on this concept and suggested it would be a powerful idea for a children’s book! So it’s been fun to translate this idea for kids, because I often make work for adults as a fine artist.

You Are the Land by Steph Littlebird. Penguin/Paulsen, $18.99 Feb. 24; ISBN 979-8-217-00349-5).