Native North Americans In Literature For Youth

Native North Americans have rich and diverse cultures and traditions. However, many misconceptions, prejudices, and stereotypes exist due to the lack of understanding and ignorance of these cultures. It is important that children and adolescents learn about and appreciate the invaluable contributions that North American Native groups have made to American society. Equally important is the availability of resources that accurately and objectively portray the historical events that occurred when European settlers displaced thousands of Native North Americans from their ancestral homelands.

In Native North Americans in Literature for Youth, Alice Crosetto and Rajinder Garcha identify hundreds of appropriate and quality resources, including books, Internet sites, and media titles for K-12 students and educators. Entries are subdivided into chapters covering geographic regions, history, religions, social life, customs and traditions, nations, oral tradition, biographies, and fiction. Additionally, there are chapters for general reference resources, curricular resources for educators, media, and Internet sites.

Annotations provide complete bibliographical descriptions of the entries, and each entry is identified with the grade level for which it is best suited. Reviews, awards, series, and URLs for supplemental online resources are also included. Anyone―especially students, teachers, librarians, and parents―interested in locating useful and accurate resources regarding Native North Americans will find this reference book a helpful and essential tool.

Alice Crosetto has more than 35 years of experience as an educator and a librarian. Her research interests include children’s literature, urban fiction, and collection management in academic libraries.

Rajinder Garcha is professor emeritus at the University of Toledo. She is the co-author of The World of Islam in Literature for Youth (Scarecrow, 2006).

Crosetto and Garcha are coauthors of Disabilities and Disorders in Literature for Youth: A Selective Annotated Bibliography for K-12 (2009) and Death, Loss, and Grief in Literature for Youth:A Selective Annotated Bibliography for K-12 (2012), both published by Scarecrow Press.