November Reading Adventures: Engaging Activities and Resources Inspired by our Books We Love Picks
- Lindsey Hinebaugh
- Nov 11, 2025
- 4 min read
Our Books We Love program highlights four books every month that ignite a love for reading and affirm and reflect the diversity of young readers. We prioritize books that showcase the work of people of color and those from marginalized communities.
This month, we celebrate and honor Native American Heritage Month! Check out this quick 5 minute video to learn more about this special time of year.
While we consider the upcoming fall and winter holidays, we encourage you to incorporate books about gratitude, honest history and joy that will help widen worldviews, hearts and minds.
Free fall booklet from author Renee Kurilla
We also recommend our blog post about Native storytelling by emi aguilar.
For a sneak peak at some of our favorite picture books by Indigenous creators, keep reading! If you'd like to purchase or donate these books, please visit our Bookshop page.
Check out these resources for more ideas on how to incorporate these books into your homes and classrooms:
WHERE DO YOU LIVE, WORK AND PLAY? - visit the website NATIVE-LAND.CA
RACE TO THE TRUTH: EDUCATOR'S GUIDE [Grades 5 and up] - COLONIZATION AND THE WAMPANOAG STORY
Take A Closer Look at November's Books We Love:
On Powwow Day by Traci Sorell (Author), Madelyn Goodnight (Illustrator), Charlesbridge (Publisher)
This eye-catching, interactive board book is sure to keep toddlers engaged. Count one through ten as you make your way through the day of the powwow, looking for colors, family members, jingle dresses, musical instruments, and tribal citizens in this introduction to a traditional Native event.
An award-winning children's picture book adapted to be ready for little listeners in a warm and vibrant board book edition.
I Love Salmon and Lampreys: A Native Story of Resilience by Brook M. Thompson (Author), Anastasia Khmelevska (Illustrator), Heyday (Publisher)
Growing up in the Yurok and Karuk Tribes, Brook Thompson learned to care for the fish that nurtured her and her family. She knew that along the Klamath River in Northern California, salmon and lampreys are a needed part of life. But she also saw how these fish were in danger. People had built dams along the Klamath River, making it very hard for salmon and lampreys to live. Tribal people and their friends organized to have four of the dams removed, and they won. In I Love Salmon and Lampreys, Thompson tells this inspiring tale, and she shares how it motivated her to become a scientist. Featuring adorable illustrations by Anastasia Khmelevska, as well as fun facts about salmon and lampreys, this is a stirring story about stewarding nature for the generations to come.
This book was chosen as part of the NEA's Read Across America program, and includes a variety of resources that will help facilitate discussions, deeper thinking, and meaningful activities.
On A Wing and a Tear by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Author), Heartdrum (Publisher)
Melanie “Mel” Roberts and Ray Halfmoon may be from different Indigenous Nations, but the friends have become like siblings since the Robertses moved in with the Halfmoons. And they soon welcome a distinguished guest: Great-grandfather Bat, whose wing is injured, has taken refuge in their old oak tree.
A rematch of the legendary Great Ball Game is coming up, with Bat as the star player. Grampa Charlie Halfmoon offers to drive Bat from Chicago down to the traditional playing field outside Macon, Georgia, and Mel and Ray are determined to help out.
Together, they all set off on a road trip—facing adventure, danger, and a hair-raising mystery—on the way to the historic game.
With loving care and boisterous humor, acclaimed author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) tells a modern folklore story about friendship, embracing the unexpected, and all the overlapping circles that connect us throughout Creation.
For more resources, visit the NEA's website.
Where Wolves Don't Die: A Novel by Anton Treuer (Author), Levine Querido (Publisher)
Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty, polluted snow around them. He hates being away from the rez at Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation. And he hates the local bully in his neighborhood, Matt Schroeder, who terrorizes Ezra and his friend Nora George.
Ezra gets into a terrible fight with Matt at school defending Nora, and that same night, Matt’s house burns down. Instantly, Ezra becomes a prime suspect. Knowing he won’t get a fair deal, and knowing his innocence, Ezra’s family sends him away to run traplines with his grandfather in a remote part of Canada, while the investigation is ongoing. But the Schroeders are looking for him…
From acclaimed author Anton Treuer comes a novel that’s both taut thriller and a raw, tender coming-of-age story, about one Ojibwe boy learning to love himself through the love of his family around him.
You can learn more about how to incorporate this book into your classroom and homes by visiting the NEA's website, and accessing the free educator guide from the author.
