The Ultimate List of Children’s Books about Oklahoma
Disclaimer: This page of children’s books about Oklahoma and Oklahoma picture books contains affiliate links for which I may earn income at no cost to you.
Children’s Books About Oklahoma
  |
  |
  |
  |
Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
This picture book is one of the most inspiring picture books I have ever read. It teaches about the importance of action, that if you see something happening, get up and do something. That is what teacher Clara Luper did with her students in Oklahoma City during the Civil Rights Movement.
Jingle Dancer, by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A girl celebrates in a ceremony, as part of Creek Nation.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper
The Tulsa bombings of 1921 were a terrible event in United States history, a targeted attack on the Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Sprouting Wings, by Shari Becker, Louisa Jaggar and Floyd Cooper
Learn about this ground-breaking Oklahoma pilot in the book Sprouting Wings, as he flies across the United States.
   |
  |
  |
   |
Wilma’s Way’s Home, by Doreen Rappaport and Linda Kukuk
Wilma Mankiller, a chief of Cherokee Nation
We are grateful: Otsaliheliga, by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
A book in English and Cherokee
Soft Rain: A Story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, by Cornelia Cornelissen
This is a short novel, designed for about 4th grade students. This Oklahoma children’s book tells the tragic journey of the Trail of Tears after indigenous people were forcibly removed from their lands and required to head to what is now modern-day Oklahoma.
Saltypie, by Tim Tingle and Karen Clarkson
A story of a boy and his grandpa in a Choctaw family in Oklahoma.
  |
  |
  |
  |
The First Fire: A Cherokee Story, by Brad Wagnon, illustrated by Alex Stephenson
This story of how fire came to be is a story from Cherokee Nation.
How The World Was Made – A Cherokee Story, by Brad Wagnon, illustrated by Alex Stephenson
This origin story of how the Earth was made comes from Cherokee Nation.
O is for Oklahoma: Written by Kids for Kids, by Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma
Good for preschoolers, this Oklahoma picture book was written by the children at the Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma. It shows Oklahoma through an alphabet book.
Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing, by James Rumford
This bilingual book is written in both Cherokee and English alphabets, telling the story of the writing of the Cherokee people.
  |
  |
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story, by Kevin Noble Maillard
This Oklahoma picture book tells the origins of fry bread, a food that became popular after the implementation of the reservation system. Author Kevin Noble Maillard is a member of the Seminole Nation, Mekusukey Band.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrations by R. Gregory Christie
Bass Reeves escaped slavery to become the first African American Deputy U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.
Oklahoma Vocabulary to Highlight:
Cherokee Nation
Creek Nation
Trail of Tears
Sequoyah
original name: Indian Territory, until 1890
last state in the mainland 48 United States states
Route 66
Tulsa Massacre 1921
Children’s Books about Oklahoma and all 50 states. Which state will you read about next!
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming