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Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids

by Cynthia L Smith

Subject
Native American
Age
6-8 years
Format
Trade Paperback
Pages
320
Publisher
Heartdrum
Size
12.9 cm × 19.1 cm
ISBN
9780062869951

Edited by award-winning
and bestselling author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of intersecting
stories by both new and veteran Native writers bursts with hope, joy,
resilience, the strength of community, and Native pride.



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, mysterious strangers, 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
Brian Young

In partnership with We Need Diverse Books

About the author

Cynthia Leitich SmithAuthor

Cynthia Leitich Smith is a bestselling, acclaimed author of books for all ages, including Here Come the Aunties!, Firefly Season, Jingle Dancer, Indian Shoes, On a Wing and a Tear, Sisters of the Neversea, the Blue Stars series (with Kekla Magoon), Rain Is Not My Indian Name, Harvest House, and Hearts Unbroken, which won the American Indian Youth Literature Award. Cynthia is also the anthologist of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids and Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories. She has been honored with the American Library Association's Children's Literature Lecture Award and has been named the NSK Neustadt Laureate. She is the author-curator of Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperCollins Children's Books, and served as the Katherine Paterson Endowed Chair on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cynthia is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Denton, Texas.

Data provided by BiblioShare.

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What reviewers said

"This uplifting assembly affirms the vitality of Indigenous life today and offers accessible situations and characters to all young readers." - Shelf Awareness
"A thoughtful and sometimes funny celebration of a celebration, and whether kids are veteran powwow-goers or new to the experience, they’ll long for the convivial warmth of the festivities." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"The entries tell of the personal struggles, family joy, belief systems, and stunning regalia of various nations, including the Cree, Ojibwe, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, Abenaki, and Haudenosaunee, through…
Horn Book Magazine
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.