The Birchbark House

Spend a year in the life with young Omakakiins and her family on an island on Lake Superior.

The Haslett branch just got a beautiful new edition of this classic, so I FINALLY got around to reading it. This edition still has the original 1999 illustrations drawn by the author herself, but it also has updated spellings for many Anishinaabemowin words. In the Thanks and Acknowledgements section, Erdrich writes, “The name Omakakiins appears on a Turtle Mountain census as Omakayas. I’ve been told those old names should be given life.”

It’s the mid-1800s. Spend a year in the life with young Omakakiins and her family on an island on Lake Superior. As the seasons change, she deals with family and community, fear and bravery, loss and healing. This is a slow-paced, descriptive, immersive story with a beautiful ending.

The Birchbark House is the first in a series of five. It’s a great option for fans of the "Little House on the Prairie" series!