On July 1st, our country celebrates the beauty of the land, people, and home that is found here.
This year we’ve compiled locally published children’s books by Indigenous authors so young readers can grow up with Indigenous stories. With vibrantly beautiful illustrations to wholesome storylines, there’s sure to be the perfect beach or bedtime board book for your young ones.
Happy local reading..
The Best Gift Ever / Kishchi li miiyeur prayzoon by Wilfred Burton (Heritage House)
A heartwarming story of the love between a Métis grandfather and granddaughter, expressed through the gift of a fiddle (written in both English and Michif)
Out now
Little Brown Girl by Leona Prince, illustrated by Paige Pettibon (Strong Nations Publishers)
Little beautiful brown girl… From the best-selling author of Be a Good Ancestor, this heartfelt book is a celebration of skin colour and self-confidence. Stunning illustrations reflect the diversity of Indigenous Peoples as girls honour their Ancestors, cherish their communities, and stand up for what is right. A tender poem of love and resilience, Little Brown Girl will inspire young readers to be proud of who they are, inside and out.
Out now
Tess’s Red Dress: Honouring Love and Family by Carolyn Roberts, illustrated by Kelsey Mata Foote (Medicine Wheel Publishing)
Yes, St’at’imc and Sto:lo
Using age-appropriate and empathetic language, Tess’s Red Dress introduces young children to Red Dress Day and the importance of remembering the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2 Spirit People. Backmatter pages include resources to support parents and educators through this important and difficult conversation with their children.
Out now
Remember Who You Are by Leona Prince, Gabrielle Prince, illustrated by Sara General (Orca Books)
This empowering picture book celebrates Indigenous heritage and promotes cultural pride, serving as an educational tool and fostering an understanding and respect for Indigenous communities. The book’s positive affirmations encourage self-confidence and recognition of one’s potential, and diverse illustrations ensure that all readers can see themselves reflected in its pages.
Encourages connection to community and responsibility to others.
Out now
The First Christmas Tree: An Innu Tale by Ovila Fontaine, Illustrated by Charlotte Parent, translated by Ann Marie Boulanger (Orca Book Publishers)
In this illustrated picture book, the Great Manitou searches for the right tree to give the Innu for their first Christmas tree in the cold northern winter.
The back matter includes a selection of Innu words for the animals, trees and other objects in the story.
Out now
One Beaded Earring by Pat Lamondin Skene, illustrated by Natalie Laurin (Orca Book Publishers)
Nine-year-old Delia learns that she is Métis after losing one of her mother’s special beaded earrings. She embarks on a journey to learn about her family’s history and culture in order to make things right.
Author Pat Lamondin Skene grew up in a Métis family that hid their culture and ancestry. Stories the grandmother shares with Delia in One Beaded Earring are based on Pat’s childhood and reflect her own journey to learn the truth about her deep Métis connections and her indigeneity.
Out now
I Won’t Feel This Way Forever by Kim Spencer (Orca Book Publishers)
In this follow-up to the acclaimed Weird Rules to Follow, Mia’s summer has just begun when her beloved grandmother is sent to the hospital in Vancouver. Mia and her mom and aunties head to the city to be with her, leading to a summer of exploration, family, self discovery and loss.
Mia’s experiences are loosely based on the author’s own life, and that authenticity comes through in the characters, relationships and story vignettes.
Out now
Springtime in Kitkatla by Kim Spencer, illustrated by Karlene Harvey (Orca Book Publishers)
In this beautiful picture book, Wałaas and her dzi’i (grandmother) take a fishing boat to their family’s reserve, Kitkatla, for spring break, where Wałaas enjoys spending time with family, eating traditional foods and wandering the shoreline. Even though she’ll have to leave, she knows she’ll always belong there.
Kim Spencer is the author of the award-winning Weird Rules to Follow; this is her first picture book, and is based on looking back at childhood memories of visiting her family in Kitkatla (now known as Gitxaała).
Out now
If You Make a Mosom Tea by Tonya Simpson, illustrated by Emily Côté (Orca Book Publishers)
In this heartwarming picture book, a boy spends time with Mosom, his grandfather, helping him while he shares his stories and Knowledge.
Gentle, engaging narration is peppered with fun interjections from the grandson, capturing the beauty of spending time together. The narration mimics the style of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, making for a fun read-aloud experience.
Cree words are woven throughout the story, with a middle spread of Cree words accompanying their pictures as well as a picture glossary at the back of the book.
Out now
Kohkom’s First Drum by Monique Gray Smith, illustrated by Karlene Harvey (Orca Book Publishers)
The book is based on Monique Gray Smith’s mother’s experience of being removed from her birth family as an infant and growing up in a white family, and it is dedicated to her memory. It features an author’s note sharing Monique Gray Smith’s inspiration to write the book after her mother received her first drum at the age of eighty-two. The back matter also provides context about the Sixties Scoop, the language used throughout the book and notes about social-emotional learning.
Out now
Woolly Dog Warms His Family by Andrea Fritz (Orca Book Publishers)
In this picture book featuring Coast Salish art and Traditional Storytelling techniques, Sqwiqwmi’ the Salish woolly dog journeys across the Salish Sea and into high mountains to gather plant and animal fibers—including some of his own fur—that his human family will spin and weave into beautiful, warm blankets.
Author/illustrator Andrea Fritz studied with Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw artist and master carver Victor Newman. She shares Coast Salish stories, both traditional ones learned orally and new ones created from modern experience, with schoolchildren throughout British Columbia.
Out now
We All Love by Julie Flett (Greystone Kids)
The follow-up to We All Play! An adorable celebration of all the ways that animals and humans show love—from award-winning Indigenous artist/author Julie Flett.
Out now
Hamburger Soup by Samantha Beynon and Kelsey Fitzgerald (Harbour Publishing)
Celebrate contemporary Indigenous traditions with this illustrated children’s picture book! A young Nisg̱a’a boy, Simgan, learns to cook hamburger soup and fry bread with Grandmother on a crisp fall day. As they gather ingredients, chop vegetables and stir the pot, Grandmother remembers coastal fishing trips and community with friends—blending Nisg̲a’a vocabulary into her stories of food, family and tradition to create cultural memory and document everyday life.
Out now
Space Girl: A Cosmic Comedy by Frances Koncan (Talon Books)
The author is Indigenous
September 15, 2026
Frances Koncan is this year’s Indigenous Curator for Word Vancouver
As the first person born on the moon, Lyra lives a charmed life as a beloved social media influencer until her twenty-first birthday when two disasters strike: the birth of a rival “baby influencer” and the discovery of an enormous asteroid that threatens to destroy Earth (and all of her social media followers).
Out now