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Ramirez, Alex O. (Rumsien Ohlone), Tjatjakiymatchan (Coyote). 1995, b/w illustrations.
“Coyote looked at the moon. If only he had not played that last trick on Fox, he would have been able to join the fur people in their games. But instead he was here, all alone. He looked at the moon again, and howled his lonely howl....” It's pronounced CHA-cha-ky-uh-MAH-chan, and this little story tells why Coyote, alone, howls at the moon. The soft pencil illustrations are lovely.
pb 6.00

Seale, Doris (Santee/Cree), and Beverly Slapin, eds., A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children. 2005, b/w illustrations.

A Broken Flute deals with the issue of cultural appropriation in books for children, and evaluates hundreds of books for children and teenagers published from the early 1900s through 2004.

“[A Broken Flute] is as close to comprehensive as a bibliography on a given subject can get, and more brutally honest than anything else out there. Seale, Slapin, and their reviewers and commentators—noted storytellers, poets, fiction writers, scholars, teachers, and student and community activists—take on Newbery and Caldecott medalists and reading-list perennials for their simplistic, stereotype-filled, condescending, and outright false portrayals of American Indians. The reviews are acerbic and entertaining to read. Far longer than those in most journals and bibliographies, the reviews show why a given book succeeds or fails, with quotations from the text followed by extensive analysis. The bulk of A Broken Flute consists of reviews arranged alphabetically. However, preceding this are bibliographic essays on a variety of subjects—the Thanksgiving myth, photo-essays, the Indian boarding schools, buffalo, Coyote, Raven, and dreamcatchers, among others. Equally valuable are the reflections of the reviewers and their children, in the form of essays and poems, about the negative images perpetrated by mainstream society and its educational system as well as their own efforts to make their voices heard. Here, we see concerned parents and grandparents and strong Indian children who have grown up with the good examples that ultimately stand out in this book.”—Multicultural Review

A Broken Flute is the winner of a 2006 American Book Award and a 2006 Skipping Stones Honor Award.
hc 60.00, pb 37.00

Seale, Doris (Santee/Cree), Beverly Slapin, and Carolyn Silverman (Cherokee/Blackfeet), eds., Thanksgiving: A Native Perspective. 1998 edition, b/w illustrations, all grades.
For Native peoples, thanksgiving comes not once a year, but always, for all the gifts of life. All Native nations have celebrations of the harvest that come from very ancient tradition. The U.S. holiday celebrates and perpetuates a myth which has almost nothing to do with reality, and is a bitter reminder for all Native people of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship. This sourcebook of essays, speeches, poetry, stories and activities will help teachers and students think critically about what has been, and continues to be, taught as the “first“ thanksgiving.
pb 15.00

Slapin, Beverly, and Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), eds., Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children. (1987), 2006, b/w illustrations.

“[Through Indian Eyes is a] superb collection of articles that together function as a guide to the murky world of ‘children’s books about Indians.’ Poetry, personal recollection, and reviews of books from a Native perspective lead the librarian, teacher and parent to an understanding of the often subtle stereotypes and mythology that abound about Native Americans in children’s literature.”—American Indian Library Association

“It’s an absolutely wonderful resource, containing lots of insights not available in standard reference tools. The format and layout make it very easy to use.”—Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Through Indian Eyes is the winner of a 1999 Skipping Stones Honor Award.
pb 25.00

Slapin, Beverly, Doris Seale (Santee/Cree), and Rosemary Gonzales (Ojibwe), How to Tell the Difference: A Guide for Evaluating Children's Books for Anti-Indian Bias. 1996, b/w illustrations.
Reproduced from Through Indian Eyes: The Native Experience in Books for Children, the goal of this 30-page book is to make it easier for parents, students, teachers or librarians to choose undistorted books about the lives and histories of indigenous peoples.
pb 11.00

Slapin, Beverly, ed., CURE Analysis: Houghton Mifflin History/Social Science Series. (1991), 1995.
As part of their argument against the adoption of the Houghton Mifflin history/social science textbook series in 1991, a group of parents, students, educators and community activists calling themselves Communities United against Racism in Education (CURE) analyzed the kindergarten through fifth-grade texts. In an easy-to-read format, this analysis uses quotes from the texts and discusses both blatant and subtle biases and distortions inherent in these passages. We have made this 86-page analysis available in the hope that others will find it useful as a model.
pb 10.00

Slapin, Beverly, and Annie Esposito, Basic Skills Caucasian Americans Workbook. 1994, b/w illustrations.
pb 13.00

“Little short of extraordinary.”
  —Maude Hitchens, Aloha, Aloha, We Have Been to Samoa

“Profound scholarship.”
—John J. Knucklebones, Ph.D., The Sacred and the Profane: Studies in Ancient White Art

“Slapin and Esposito have caught the magic of the Caucasian. May their ‘talking leaves’ take you into the Caucasian world of mystery and beauty.”
—Doris M. Seale, Former Curator Emeritus, Museum of the American Caucasian

“The graphics are breathtaking!”
—Bunny Haught-Mifflin, White Faces, White Places

Slapin, Beverly, and Annie Esposito, 10 Little Whitepeople. 1995, b/w illustrations.
pb 5.00

“There is a great deal of information and entertainment packed into this unusual counting book...”
—Publisher's Yearly

“...[T]eachers looking for picture books that cut across the curriculum will find this a good way to combine a unit on Whitepeople with counting.”
—Bookmark

“Hurray! At long last primary school educators and lovers of children's literature have an accurate Caucasian American book written for primary children.”
—The Five Porcupines

“A hit for children ages 2-6 [and] teachers will love this one, too.”
—American Book Reviewer

“I still don't get it.”
—Dan Quail

White Roots of Peace, Mohawk Nation, Kaianerekowa Hotinonsionne/The Great Law of Peace of the Longhouse People. 1999, b/w illustrations.
The Great Law of Peace was given to the People of the Longhouse many centuries—perhaps a thousand years—ago. It unified Nations who did not speak the same language into a United Nations—an alliance of peace. Still today, the Longhouse People govern themselves according to this Great Law. The Constitution of the United States owes many debts to the Great Law of Peace. Unfortunately, both the United States and Canada have forgotten where their “freedom” came from and refuse to recognize this great contribution of the Longhouse (“Iroquois”) Nations. This book can be used to compare the Great Law with the U.S. Constitution, and to help students think critically—very critically—about U.S. history.
pb 10.00

Yamane, Linda (Rumsien Ohlone), The Snake that Lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains & Other Ohlone Stories. 1998, b/w illustrations.

“Long ago, there was a snake that lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It came up out of the sea, and would come up into the mountains, up into its favorite redwood tree. It had that tree smooth from climbing up and down so much—looking for people....That snake would surround them all in a loop, and squeeze them and eat them up! He didn't eat people a few at a time. No! He waited 'til he could get them all in a big bunch! But ah, the Indians were smart, as you will see, and they got to thinking how they might kill that snake.” These seven traditional stories will have youngsters applauding.
pb 10.00

Yamane, Linda (Rumsien Ohlone), When the World Ended, How Hummingbird Got Fire, How People Were Made: Rumsien Ohlone Stories. 1995, b/w illustrations.
“Once, a very long time ago, something happened to the world.The ocean rose up higher and higher, covering the land little by little, rising up and up until nearly everything was covered over with water. And Eagle, who was the captain back in those times, was all alone...” These stories are a gift from the Rumsien Ohlone people. As Linda Yamane writes, “They are here for us to live with and learn from. They are still here.”
pb 10.00