Books
Upcoming Illustration Projects!
STORIES ARE THE HEART OF THE WORLD written by Laurel Goodluck and illustrated by myself. Coming in 2026! Published by Simon & Schuster.
PLACE-MAKING written by Reanna Merasty and illustrated by myself, is the current book I am working on! Published by Portage and Main Press. Stay tuned for updates and more!
Nicole is repped by Jacqui Lipton at The Tobias Literary Agency.
Dreaming Alongside by Monique Gray Smith; illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Let Dragonfly lead you on a journey of inspiration!
Following your winged guide, visit the places and things that can help you find strength in the present and imagine your amazing future. Dream alongside everything from a construction site and a sewing machine to the river and a blanket of moss. After your travels, Dragonfly asks: What do you like to dream about? With its mixed setting in rural and urban environments and exploration of both the natural and modern world, Dreaming Alongside gives readers permission to daydream and think of what magic their lives have the potential to hold.
Bilingual edition (English and Plains Cree) available as Dreaming Alongside / ê-pawâtamahk.
Published by Orca Book Publishers. Click the button below to order it or find it at your local bookstore!
Circle of Love by Monique Gray Smith; illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Available Now!
“Everyone is welcome in the circle.
In this warmhearted book, we join Molly at the Intertribal Community Center, where she introduces us to people she knows and loves: her grandmother and her grandmother’s wife, her uncles and their baby, her cousins, and her treasured friends.
They dance, sing, garden, learn, pray, and eat together. And tonight, they come together for a feast! Molly shares with the reader how each person makes her feel—and reminds us that love is love.
Through tender prose and radiant artwork, author Monique Gray Smith (Cree/Lakota) and illustrator Nicole Neidhardt (Diné) show how there is always room for others in our lives. Circle of Love is a story celebrating family, friends, community, and, most of all, love.”
Published by Harper Collins, an imprint of Heartdrum
Click the button below to order, or to find a copy at your local bookstore!
What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland’s Historic White House Inauguration by Alexis Celeste Bunten; illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt.
This beautiful, informative, Indigenous picture book offers both an homage to Secretary Deb Haaland's achievements, and a celebration of urban Indigenous community through the eyes of a little girl.
Pia rushes over to the Indigenous community center after school. It’s where she goes every day to play outside with friends and work on her homework. But today—March 18, 2021—is special: Auntie Autumn gathers all the children around their television to witness Secretary Deb Haaland in her ribbon skirt at the White House as she becomes the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary. Pia and the other kids behold her Native pride on an international stage. Together with their parents and Elders, the children explore the values woven into their own regalia, land, community, and traditions, making precious memories on this day they won’t soon forget.
A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Book of 2023
A Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection
Published by Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults; Adapted by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
“Drawing from her experiences as an Indigenous scientist, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer demonstrated how all living things—from strawberries and witch hazel to water lilies and lichen—provide us with gifts and lessons every day in her best-selling book Braiding Sweetgrass. Adapted for young adults by Monique Gray Smith, this new edition reinforces how wider ecological understanding stems from listening to the earth’s oldest teachers: the plants around us. With informative sidebars, reflection questions, and art from illustrator Nicole Neidhardt, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults brings Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the lessons of plant life to a new generation.”
Published by Lerner Publishing.
Click the button below to get your copy or order from your local bookstore!
Click the button below if you want to watch the Kitchen Table Visit Nicole had with Monique and Robin talking about the process of working on the adaptation of Braiding Sweetgrass.
When We Are Kind by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
“When We Are Kind celebrates simple acts of everyday kindness and encourages children to explore how they feel when they initiate and receive acts of kindness in their lives. Celebrated author Monique Gray Smith has written many books on the topics of resilience and reconciliation and communicates an important message through carefully chosen words for readers of all ages. Beautifully illustrated by artist Nicole Neidhardt, this book encourages children to be kind to others and to themselves.”
Written by Monique Gray Smith
Illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
Published by Orca Book Publishers.
This image is of the cover of the Diné and English version of When We Are Kind! You can order it via the button below in Navajo, English, or French.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids by Cynthia Leitich Smith; cover illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt
This is the cover of Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids, a middle-grade anthology edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith and cover illustrated by Nicole Neidhardt. Order via the button below:
Groundswell: Indigenous Knowledge and a Call to Action for Climate Change edited by Joe Neidhardt and Nicole Neidhardt
Groundswell is a collection of stirring and passionate essays from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous writers that, together, present a compelling message about how traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices can and must be used to address climate change. The chapters eloquently interconnect, taking us from radical thinking to the gentleness of breath, demonstrating that we are all in this together, that we must understand what needs to be accomplished and participate in the care of Mother Earth.
Authors tap into religious and spiritual perspectives, explore the wisdom of youth, and share the insights of a nature-based philosophy. These collective writings give you a chance to contemplate and formulate your own direction. A moral revolution that can produce a groundswell of momentum toward a diverse society based on human rights, Indigenous rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.
Beautifully illustrated with photographs, Groundswell is augmented with video recordings from the authors and a short documentary film, available on the project’s website. Profits from the book will help support the videos, documentary, and future projects of The Call to Action for Climate Change. Visit www.envisionthebigpicture.com.