Author: janemouttet

I am a K-12 librarian at Mesilla Valley Christian School. I have a masters degree in Children's Literature and hold a NM teaching certificate with a Library Media Endorsement.

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Myths and Legends

November 7, 2023

Legends and myths are part of every culture and the various Native American cultures are no different. They started as part of the oral tradition of the tribes, being passed down from generation to generation by storytellers. In recent years, authors have begun writing these stories down for more people to learn from and enjoy.… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Myths and Legends

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature -Biographies

November 6, 2023

As the Learning Native American Culture series continues we are looking at Biographies. I “met” author Jeri Ferris several years ago on the NFforKids list serve.  As the author of one the books included in this column (Native American Doctor) I asked her to share some thoughts with us. “In reading biographies, children enter the… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature -Biographies

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Relocation

November 3, 2023

Native American Culture can’t be studied with out considering the relocations. The relocation of Native Americans is a regrettable portion of our nation’s history.  Many tribes, like the Cherokee, were forced to move from their ancestral lands so that white settlers could have their lands.  Others, like the Navajo, were moved as a punishment, in… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Relocation

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Northwest Coast, California and Great Basin

November 2, 2023

As we continue the series on Learning native American Culture we are looking at Indians of the Northwest Coast, California and Great Basin. In Teaching and Learning About Multicultural Literature, Janice Dressel states, “Teachers need to challenge students’ perceptions that roots of dominant-culture people are ‘American,’ but the roots of people from non-dominant cultures are… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Northwest Coast, California and Great Basin

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Southeast

November 1, 2023

My column today deals with learning Native American culture of the Indians of the Southeast. Many of the Indians of the Southeastern United States faced relocation in the late 1800’s.  The Cherokee, Choctaw and Seminole originally lived further north in the American Southeast, but ended up in Southern Alabama, Mississippi and Florida or in Oklahoma… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Southeast

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Southwest

October 31, 2023

Today we continue the series on Learning Native American Culture through Children’s Literature. Indians of the Southwest are those who reside in the Four Corners area of the United States.  For the most part the Native Americans covered in this column live in New Mexico and Arizona. The Navajo are the largest tribal group in… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Southwest

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Navajo

October 30, 2023

My column today deals with learning native American culture of the Navajo.  The Navajo are one of the largest tribes in North America.  Their reservation is about the size of West Virginia and lies in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.  My favorite from this list of books is The Goat in the Rug.  My husband… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Navajo

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Arctic and Sub-arctic

October 27, 2023

We are continuing looking at how learning Native American culture through children’s literature is possible. School librarians serve as a resource for the teachers and students we work with. In How to Teach About American Indians, author Karen Harvey addresses some of the roles of the school librarian in regards to Native American literature. We… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Arctic and Sub-arctic

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Northeast

October 26, 2023

We are continuing the series of posts about Learning Native American Culture. The Indians of the Northeast (Maine to Virginia and west to Minnesota) are the ones the early American settlers came into contact with.  As librarians we must ensure that our patrons move beyond the Disney stereotype portrayed in Pocahontas. Disney abandoned historical accuracy… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Indians of the Northeast

Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Plains Indians

October 25, 2023

November is Native American Month. Today we are beginning a series where I look at books about different Native American cultures. This series was originally published in Christian Library Journal. I spent 20 years on the Navajo Reservation and this topic is one I am passionate about. No matter our culture of origin, we can… More Learning Native American Culture Through Children’s Literature – Plains Indians