Indigo's Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth

 "Those People Keep A-Movin'/And That's What Tortures Me..."--Johnny Cash In some ways, we should have known this book was coming. Betsy Bird writes epic kidlit reviews. She brings attention to books readers may otherwise overlook with her "folksy" style and razor-sharp, librarian ability to spot a good thing, plus a big dash of appreciation for creators and the babies- tweens they entertain. Other times, she goes batty for a book that I put on hold at my library and discover I'm not quite the enthusiast as Bird, but that's okay--because all of this thinking about what makes a good book and detailing fine qualities (and some pitfalls) in essay-style reviews means she's been honing her writing skills. Not to mention plotting what story corner she could carve out for herself.  While possessing eclectic sympathies, it's not hard to discern her tastes. I've seen her say more than once that Charlotte's Web is the ultimate Neverbery. Her tw...

  Tick tock, Tick tock. It's already August, 2021. Last year seemed to go on forever. This one's speeding by. Some of us are back in college or school, at home or virtual. But it's also been a landmark year for Indigenous folks.  We saw the first Native person, Michael Goade (Tlingit and Haida), win the Caldecott Medal for her illustration in the picture book We Are Water Protectors, written by Carole Lindstrom (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians). The book rocketed to # 1 on the New York Times  bestsellers list and zinged up and down "the list" for months. Akimel O'odham/Pima librarian Naomi Bishop, who chaired the American Indian Youth Literature Awards from 2014-2018, was honored with an I Love My Librarian! Award from ALA and was recently named distinguished Alumni from the University of Washington ischool.  Cynthia Leitich Smith of the Muscogee Creek Nation was the winner of the 2021 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. She also launched...