2nd & 3rd Grade

The Berkeley Unified School District honors and celebrates the history, contemporary issues and culture of the Indigenous People of the Americas.  In November 2020, the BUSD Board of Education passed a resolution to annually recognize the month of November as Indigenous People’s Heritage Month.  


These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent books published in the last 5 years that are devoted to celebrating, representing, and affirming Indigenous heritage, featuring Indigenous authors, characters and the North American Indigenous experience.


All of these books are available through Berkeley school libraries as a physical and/or digital book. If an ebook is available through Sora, you can access it by clicking the cover of the book. For more information about any of these books, or to check one of them out, ask your school librarian.

Autumn Peltier, Water Warriorby Carole Lindstrom
Genre: Biography
Format: Picture Book
Birdsongby Julie Flett
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Classified: The Secret of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineerby Traci Sorell
Genre: Biography
Format: Picture Book
Audiobook available


Finding My Danceby Ria Thundercloud
Genre: Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Fluffy and the Starsby Tnchay Redvers
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Grief
Format: Picture Book
Forever Cousinsby Laurel Goodluck
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Grandma's Tipi: A Present-Day Lakota Storyby S.D. Nelson
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book
HorŠe Tuuxi, My Name Is Kai!by Angel Heart
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Picture Book
It's Time for Berries!by Cepora Mearns
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Liam and the Worst Dog in the Worldby Andrew Stark
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book


Jo Jo Makoons Seriesby Dawn Quigley
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book
Audiobook available

Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Storyby Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry & Alexic C. Bunten
Genre: Thanksgiving Story
Format: Picture Book
Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi!by Art Coulson
Genre: Fiction / Storytelling Math Serie
Format: Picture Book

My Powerful Hairby Carol Lindstrom
Genre: Affirmations & Empowerment / Informational Fiction
Format: Picture Book
Powwow Dayby Traci Sorell

She Persisted: Maria Tallchief by Christine Day
Genre: Biography
Format: Chapter Book
Nutshimit: In the Woodsby Melissa Mollen Dupuis
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Graphic Novel

Rememberby Joy Harjo
Genre: Poetry
Format: Picture Book



Rememberingby Xelena González
Genre: Holiday Fiction (Día de los Muertos)
Format: Picture Book
The Song That Called Them Homeby David Robertson
Genre: Fiction
Format: Picture Book
She Persisted: Wilma Mankillerby Traci Sorell 
Genre: Biography
Format: Chapter Book
The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nationby Alice B. McGinty
Genre: Biography
Format: Picture Book

The Water Walkerby Joanne Robertson
Genre: Biography
Format: Picture Book
We Are Still Here! Native Truths Everyone Should Knowby Traci Sorell
Genre: Nonfiction / History
Format: Picture Book
Audiobook available
Read-along ebook available