5 Book and Adventure Pairings for Northwest Kids

This book is inspired by the Native American crafts and artwork on display in Pioneer Square’s Stonington Gallery. In Storm Boy, local children’s author Paul Owen Lewis retells a Haida and Tlingit myth of a boy who is thrown from a canoe and rescued by people from an unknown village. He learns their dances and shares his own before eventually returning home. The theme of learning from people beyond one’s own community feels especially resonant today. Frog Girl is the companion story.

Outing: At the Hibulb Cultural Center in Tulalip, kids can visit a longhouse to listen to recordings of Native American stories; the exhibits include a full-size traditional canoe. Kids and adults alike can make their own dreamcatcher or cedar mat, and with a 50-acre preserve, there's the opportunity to get outside. And, if you happen to be near Pioneer Square, pass by Stonington Gallery as well.

Additional reads: Thunder Boy Jr. (ages 4–8) and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (ages 12 and older), both by local luminary Sherman Alexie.