Books of Wonder

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids - Main image
$8.49 $16.99 In stock

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Featuring the voices of new and veteran Native writers, and edited by best-selling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting stories set at the same powwow bursts with hope, joy, resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride. Each story can be read individually, but read as a whole, the stories play off one another and intersect, providing a cohesive story.

Native families from Nations across the continent gather at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In a high school gym full of color and song, people dance, sell beadwork and books, and celebrate friendship and heritage. Young protagonists will meet relatives from faraway, shadowy spirits, and sometimes one another (plus one scrappy rez dog).

They are the heroes of their own stories.

Featuring stories and poems by: Joseph Bruchac, Art Coulson, Christine Day, Eric Gansworth, Carole Lindstrom, Dawn Quigley, Rebecca Roanhorse, David A. Robertson, Andrea L. Rogers, Kim Rogers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Monique Gray Smith, Traci Sorell, Tim Tingle, Erika T. Wurth, and Brian Young.

Customer Reviews (4.8 / 5 · 5 reviews)

Claire P. ★★★★★

The way the stories weave together at the same powwow is so clever—my daughter kept pointing out the tiny connections between characters. Hearing so many different Native voices in one book felt refreshing and real.

Ava O. ★★★★★

My kid tore through this in one weekend and immediately wanted to reread her favorite chapters out loud to me. The way these intersecting stories all come back to the same powwow makes each voice feel connected, and the hope in every one of them is exactly what we needed.

Emily C. ★★★★★

The way each story weaves through the same powwow setting really stood out to me—my kids loved spotting the connections between characters. Cynthia Leitich Smith's editing keeps the voices fresh and genuine, and it's rare to find a collection this joyful that still feels so real. We finished it in t