K – 2nd Grade Literary Picks

Scroll through this curated list of works on Maine Native History written for youngsters with rich stories, curious characters, and beautiful illustrations.

Book cover showing a drawing of a small island in a bay with flowers in the foreground. Text: Little People of the Dawn.
Little People of the Dawn is a beautiful Passamaquoddy story about a girl, Lili, who comes upon the Little People while on a visit to Second Island. Lili sets out to meet them, and along the way must learn her tribal language and ways if she is to communicate with them. The story reminds us of the importance of knowing our ways and caring for the earth.
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 backmatter about traditional basket making and a Wabanaki glossary.
The story of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt boyhood summers on Campobello Island, where he met and befriended Tomah Joseph, a Passamaquoddy elder and former chief.
The story of Tobias and his father, David Moses Bridges, to find the perfect birch and to gather 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.
The story of Little Zoo Sap was separated from his family and how the animals protected him until his father returned for him.
The story of Kunu, who wants to make a pack basket like the other men on Indian Island but has trouble until his grandfather intervenes.
Focused on the heritage of the Micmac, this book is divided into four sections: Abundant Forest, Rivers of Fish; Family and Community; Traditional Micmac Skills; and Medicine and Magic & includes many illustrations.
Big Thunder teaches his son, Little Thunder, about the important responsibility he has making thunder for his people. Little Thunder learns about his Mi’kmaw identity through his father’s teachings and his mother’s traditional stories.