I mean, I haven’t looked at all the books you have… That one has blond hair and the other has tight cornrows. Langston, 13: Right from the beginning, there are all these different looking kids. Oh yass! How did that get out of my head and into a book? Perhaps the use of cornmeal in my recipe is a Southern influence that reflects the blending of African American and Native American cultures in family. “Flour, salt, water/ Cornmeal, baking powder/ Perhaps milk, maybe sugar.” Mr. Because some of those ingredients aren’t standard for every fry bread cook. Here is an example, FRY BREAD IS FOOD.Ĭharlie, 17: That one seems pretty obvious. Each one corresponds to a section in the back matter, which, unlike most books, seems essential to read.

There are twelve (or maybe thirteen) poems that begin, “FRY BREAD IS…” Most of them are two-page spreads. Even my auntie who came over saw a few pages and said, “That book is done right!”Īlexis, 19: Let’s explain how the book is organized. My mom has read it - by herself and then aloud to me and Vi, showing us the illustrations like a librarian at story time, lol. When we discovered he is a member of the Seminole Nation, Mekusukey band and African American, that was something else altogether.Īshleigh, 13: I keep reading this book, over and over. But when we first heard about FRY BREAD and Kevin Noble Maillard, that was something else. Some Indigenous authors are distant cousins–like Cynthia Leitich Smith, who is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and recognized this by including a Seminole character in RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME. Of course, we feel kinship with all Native books meant to lift us up, and give others authentic representation of every nation and culture. There is no doubt about it–Native children’s literature and YA literature, fiction and nonfiction, is having a moment. Every time we turn around, there’s another wonderful book at the library or the publication details are announced or there’s an exciting blog or interview.

Review Source: Indigo’s Bookshelf: Voices of Native Youth Reviewed by Ashleigh (13), Alexis (19), Charlie (17), Langston (13), and Michael (18)

Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard