Alaska Children's Books - 18 Good Books About Alaska, Alaska Natives, and Iditarod

The Ultimate List of Books about Alaska for Children

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Children’s Books about Alaska

Alaska Children’s Books: Books About the Iditarod Race

Kiana’s Iditarod, by Shelley Gill

Storm Run: The Story of the First Woman to Win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, by Libby Riddles, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright

Granite, by Susan Butcher and David Monson, illustrated by Sarah Douglas

The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto, by Natalie Standiford, illustrated by Donald Cook

Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod, by Robert J. Blake

Select from any of these great Iditarod children’s books. The Iditarod race is Alaska’s most famous sporting event and carries great cultural significance. It goes along the Iditarod Trail, which runs 938 miles from Seward to Nome.

Alaska Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Alaska Animals, and Alaskan Salmon

Thunderfeet: Alaska’s Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Critters, by Shelley Gill

Swimmer, by Shelley Gill, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright

Alaska Children’s Books about Mount Denali & Long Alaskan Days

Up on Denali: Alaska’s Wild Mountain, by Shelley Gray, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright

Under Alaska’s Midnight Sun, by Deb Vanasse, illustrated by Jeremiah Trammell

Books About Alaska’s Native Culture

Berry Magic, by Betty Huffmon and illustrated by Terri Sloat. Huffmon is Yup’ik

Dance on a Sealskin, by Barbara Winslow and illustrated by Terri Sloat. This tells the story of a Yup’ik girl as she celebrates her rite-of-passage.

Children of the First People: Fresh Voices of Alaska’s Native Kids, by Tricia Brown, photos by Ralph Corral

Journey of the Freckled Indian: A Tlingit Culture Story, by Alyssa Kalyn London

This children’s book is written by Alaskan native Alyssa Kalyn London, about living in modern culture and celebrating her Tlingit native heritage.

Alaskan Cultural Tales

Goodbye, My Island by Jean Rodgers and illustrated by Rie Munoz

Sitka Rose, by Shelley Gill, illustrated by Shannon Cartwright

Charlie and the Bucket Toss, by Tricia Brown, illustrated by Sarah Martinson

Children’s Books about Alaska for Older Readers

The Year of Miss Agnes, by Kirkpatrick Hills

This children’s book is for 3rd to 6th grade, and is a great readaloud for younger than that as well. It tells a story set in 1940s Alaska, where Miss Agnes arrives to the Far North of Alaska as a teacher.

Dog Diaries: Togo, by Kate Klimo, illustrated by Tim Jessell

This adventure novel about a dog tells the story (based on true events) of Togo, a brave dog who in 1925 helped save a village under an outbreak of a deadly disease, diptheria. You may have heard about Balto, who was the lead dog in the final leg of the race to get the medicine (a diphtheria anti-toxin) to the children of Nome, Alaska. Togo, who this book about, was the dog who made the far longest journey on the trek – twice as long as other teams in the relay.

Passing over treacherous ice, Togo’s musher Leonard Seppala decided to risk personal safety to make the journey to rescue others. This chapter book has pictures throughout, and includes black-and-white illustrations of the brave dog Togo.

Great for 2nd-5th grade young chapter book readers, for kids who LOVE dogs! Also this is a great book preparing for the Iditarod race.

Alaska Movie for Kids:

Balto (1995)

Balto is the movie version about the 1925 diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. The doctor of the town had realized that there was an epidemic. He put the town on quarantine, but it did not fully stop the spread of diptheria, which was extremely deadly in children.

The dog sled teams worked against the clock to get the anti-toxin for diptheria to the town of Nome, Alaska before it was too late. They are recognized for their bravery.

Alaska Show on TV for Kids:

Molly of Denali, a show on PBS, features Molly and her family as they live in the Alaskan wilderness. They go on lakes, go berry picking, spend time in community, and Molly plays with her beloved dog. Molly is Alaskan native, and there are live-action scenes in the show that are filmed in Alaska.

Your local library may have these books about Molly of Denali, too.

Alaska Vocabulary to Highlight:

Yup’ik

Tlingit

Iditarod

Nome, Alaska 1925 Diptheria Outbreak (Balto)

northern lights

Alaska Geography:

Mt. Denali

Anchorage

Fairbanks

Juneau

salmon

Did you know: Aurora is the #1 girl’s name of children born in 2018 inside Alaska, a reference to the Aurora Borealis phenomenon (Northern lights).

Children’s Books about Alaska and all 50 states. Which state will you read about next!

(districts, territories)

Washington, D.C.

Puerto Rico

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Alaska Children’s Books – 18 Good Books About Alaska, Alaska Natives, and Iditarod