Books for Backpacks: Stories That Reflect Home

Each year, Friends of Little Eagle provides every child at Little Eagle Grant School and Running Antelope Head Start with a backpack and carefully chosen books. We prioritize Native-authored and, whenever possible, Native-illustrated books that reflect the lives, values, and experiences of the children we serve.

Reading levels vary widely, and access to books outside of school is limited. We spend months reviewing titles, sorting donations, and selecting books that will spark curiosity, build confidence, and help children see themselves in the stories they read.

This year, we will distribute 159 Native-authored books—94 books for students through our backpack program and 65 copies of Grandma's Tipi: A Present-Day Lakota Story for families participating in our holiday program. In addition, children will receive more than 200 donated books and literacy materials.

We purchase books through Paperbacks & Fry Bread, a Native-owned bookstore in North Carolina, and supplement them with books and literacy materials from Ink Spell, a woman-owned independent bookstore in Half Moon Bay, along with generous donations from individual supporters and booksellers.

A backpack helps a child start the school year. A good book can stay with them for years.

Your gift helps put books, stories, and possibilities into the hands of Little Eagle children and their families.