3rd – 5th Grade Literary Picks

A variety of engaging works, from memoirs to graphic novels, on Maine Native history and stories for elementary aged students.

Image of a book cover. A girl sits on the ground in a meadow braiding grass.
In The First Blade of Sweetgrass Musquon must overcome her impatience while learning to distinguish sweetgrass from other salt marsh grasses. This sweet, authentic story from a Maliseet mother and her Passamaquoddy husband includes back matter about traditional basket making and a Wabanaki glossary.
Image of a book cover with an owl, a man with dark hair and a small blond boy, both carrying bundles of grass.
Remember Me is the story of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s boyhood summers on Campobello Island, where he met and befriended Tomah Joseph, a Passamaquoddy elder and former chief.
Image of book cover with man and boy sitting under a birch tree.
The Canoe Maker is the story of Tobias and his father, David Moses Bridges, looking for the perfect birch and gathering spruce roots, cedar, and spruce gum to build a canoe in the “old ways.” In this book, David weaves Native American storytelling into the ancient art and spirituality of canoe making, including the legend of the partridge, the first canoe maker.
Book cover - drawing of two young people in Native American dress.
The Mi’kmaq focuses on the heritage of the Mi’kmaq people. This book is divided into four sections: Abundant Forest, Rivers of Fish; Family and Community; Traditional Mi’kmaq Skills; and Medicine and Magic & includes many illustrations.
Image of the cover of a book. A drawing of a small boy, hands weaving a basket, and the title "Kunu's Basket"
Kunu’s Basket is the story of the boy Kunu, who wants to make a pack basket like the other men on Indian Island but has trouble until his grandfather intervenes.
Book cover - drawing of a supernatural being with moth antennae holding a lightening bolt.
The Thundermaker is the story of how Big Thunder teaches his son, Little Thunder, about the important responsibility of making thunder for his people. Little Thunder learns about his Mi’kmaw identity through his father’s teachings and his mother’s traditional stories.
Book cover - Mostly black with a drawing of a rabbit hiding behind a stone in a field at the bottom.
Trickster is a graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales. Trickster brings together Native American folklore and the world of comics in 24 stories, telling cultural tales from across America.
Book cover - orange with black and white picture of a woman standing by a teepee.
20th Century PowWow Playland contains stories of Maliseet heroes vividly explored through poetry.
Book cover - close up image of a man's face with a river in the background.
In An Upriver Passamaquoddy Allen Sockabasin uses his memories and oral tradition to tell the story of the isolated Passamaquoddy village in Maine that he grew up in during 1940s and 1950s, and explains why preserving the Passamaquoddy traditions and language is so critical to his people’s survival in modern times.
Book cover - Two pictures of a man. In the upper picture he wears a suit and tie. In the lower picture he wears Native regalia including a feathered and beaded headdress.
In The Life and Traditions of the Red Man Joseph Nicolar tells the story of his people, the Penobscot, from the first moments of creation to the earliest arrivals and eventual settlement of Europeans.
Book cover - black and white portrait image of a woman's face. Her hands are loosely on her chin, she wears a patterned headband.
Katahdin: Wigwam’s Tales of the Abnaki Tribe captivates with stories and lore from the Penobscot presented by Molly Spotted Elk.
Book cover with the title listed central to two decorative strips made with images of double curves and a running figure with a hatchet.
Algonquin Legends is a classic collection containing myths, legends, and folklore of the principal Wabanaki, or northeastern Algonquin Indians.
Book cover - drawing of a tree, very fluid in style, with a small figure cradled in a hole in the tree and six figures beneath it.
Sacred Instructions provides a narrative of Indigenous wisdom that addresses some of the crucial issues of our day, such as environmental protection and human rights. Excerpts from this piece can be used for discussion prompts in grades 4-5.