Louise Erdrich’s first novel for young readers was published in 1999, and it features an Ojibwa family who live near present-day Lake Superior in 1847. The book is often presented as an alternative to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, but Erdrich’s novel is really an accomplishment that's in a league of its own. We discuss what makes The Birchbark House so effective, and how it stands in contrast to a long literary tradition of racist children’s books about Native Americans that rely on stereotypes rather than authentic and empathetic portrayals.

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