Sources: Native North Americans in Literature for Youth: A Selective Annotated Bibliography for K–12
Native North Americans in Literature for Youth: A Selective Annotated Bibliography for K–12. By Alice Crosetto and Rajinder Garcha. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. 267 p. Paper $40 (ISBN: 0-8108-9189-0).
In Native North Americans in Literature for Youth, the authors have selected appropriate Native American materials, focusing on book award winners and established authors, with an emphasis on books published from 1995 to the present. When this book first arrived on my desk, it prompted an immediate search for the materials pertaining to the major tribal nations in Oklahoma, where I work as a selector for a public library system. Well-written and accurate material about Native Americans is important for every public and school library in my state, and Alice Crosetto and Rajinder Garcha have done a thorough job in selecting objective and accurate literature on the topic.
The authors identify hundreds of appropriate and culturally consistent resources, including books, Internet sites, and media titles, to aid in curriculum development for K–12 students and educators. Entries are subdivided into twelve chapters covering geographic regions, history, religion, social life, customs and traditions, nations, oral tradition, biographies, and fiction. Ever sensitive to native cultures, the authors have divided the religion chapter into two subheadings: spirituality and creation stories. Additional chapters are devoted to general reference resources, curricular resources for educators, media, and Internet sites. These materials are not all written by native writers, but the books have been selected for accurate, consistent, and positive portrayals of Native cultures.
The succinct and thoughtful annotations are packed with information and include complete bibliographical descriptions, grade level information, brief quotes from sourced reviews, awards won, series information (if any), and URLs for supplemental online resources. The appendixes make this resource extremely user-friendly. In addition to author, illustrator, title, subject, and series appendixes, two additional appendixes are of particular interest: book awards and grade/level.
When combined with A Second Look: Native Americans in Children’s Books (by Andie Peterson) and The Broken Flute: The Native American Experience in Books for Children (edited by Doris Seale and Beverly Slapin), Native North Americans in Literature for Youth can be used to analyze for accuracy any school or public library’s Native American collection. Each of these three books has a different approach to the organization of books about Native cultures, and Native North Americans in Literature for Youth is unique in that it includes an alphabetical listing of books by nation. Aimed at educators and librarians, this book is an essential tool for anyone interested in locating accurate resources regarding Native North Americans.—Jenny Foster Stenis, Readers Services, Pioneer Library System, Norman, Oklahoma