• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7
• Reading age: 8 to 12

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY School Library Journal • Shelf Awareness • National Education Society • American Association of Geography • Canadian Children’s Book Centre • Nerdy Book Club • NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Awards

Celebrate Indigenous thinkers and inventions with this beautifully designed, award-winning interactive nonfiction book—perfect for fans of Braiding Sweetgrass.

Corn. Chocolate. Fishing hooks. Boats that float. Insulated double-walled construction. Recorded history and folklore. Life-saving disinfectant. Forest fire management. Our lives would be unrecognizable without these, and countless other, scientific discoveries and technological inventions from Indigenous North Americans. Spanning topics from transportation to civil engineering, hunting technologies, astronomy, brain surgery, architecture, and agriculture, Indigenous Ingenuity is a wide-ranging STEM offering that answers the call for Indigenous nonfiction by reappropriating hidden history. The book includes fun, simple activities and experiments that kids can do to better understand and enjoy the principles used by Indigenous inventors. Readers of all ages are invited to celebrate traditional North American Indigenous innovation, and to embrace the mindset of reciprocity, environmental responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life.

★ "This book will amaze readers and teachers. Completely unique and important." —SLJ, starred review

★ "Engaging and informative." —Booklist, starred review

" Essential for kids and adults. We need this book." —Candace Fleming, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh and The Family Romanov

Deidre Havrelock is a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. She was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the author of the picture book Buffalo Wild!, hailed as an “exuberant celebration,” and Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge, coauthored with Edward Kay. She lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, with her family.

Deidre Havrelock's profile page

EDWARD KAY is a Toronto-based, award-winning screenwriter, journalist, and author. He co-created the animated children’s series Ollie’s Under-the-Bed Adventures (which won a Gemini Award for Best Animated Program) and has contributed to numerous animated and live-action programs for Cartoon Network, Teletoon, YTV, and TVO. Edward is also the author of the children’s novels STAR Academy and Dark Secrets. Visit him at www.edwardkay.net.

Edward Kay's profile page

"A conversational tone invites readers to engage with this monumental collection . . . Curious readers will learn facts unique to individual tribal groups while gaining knowledge of STEM/STEAM concepts. An ambitious, appealing, and accessible work documenting and protecting valuable knowledge."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Indigenous Ingenuity:
An NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
An American Association of Geography Recommended Book
A National Education Society Read Across America Selection
Winner of the Nerdy Book Club Award for Best Longform Nonfiction
A Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Shelf Awareness Gift Guide Selection
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Recommended Reading on Indigenous Rights by The American Society of International Law

"An astonishing, exuberant treasure trove of history, science and hands-on activities that repeatedly begs the question: "Why didn't I know this?" Essential for kids and adults. We need this book." —Candace Fleming, award-winning author of The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh and The Family Romanov

"An engaging and cleverly compiled guide to North American and Mesoamerican Indigenous innovation. STEM topics (housing, medicine, clothing, agriculture, and hunting among them) are compellingly and conversationally discussed."—Shelf Awareness

"Engaging and informative, this will be welcomed by both STEM and social studies curricula to help to correct prevailing narratives about Indigenous technology."
—Booklist, starred review

"This book will amaze readers and teachers as it demonstrates how pervasive and critical the history of Indigenous people is. A completely unique and important narrative not to be missed; readers and teachers will come away with a new appreciation for the myriad contributions Indigenous people have made."—SLJ, starred review

"This book is a valuable contribution to efforts to decolonize learning and introduce readers to the breadth of indigenous knowledge as practiced in widely disparate geographic zones."—Canadian Review of Materials

"Via authoritative, meticulously researched prose, the creators detail Native peoples’ significant strides in scientific pursuits . . . [and] showcase Native tribes’ continual and enduring impact. Photographs, as well as interactive activities detailing recipes and science experiments, feature throughout, lending a hands-on approach to this clear and concise work."—Publishers Weekly