Napesni Renegade: A Bison's Journey

Award-winning Ojibwe author and poet Marcie R. Rendon tells a tale based on a true story about a wild bison known as Napesni.

A beautiful picture book set in the Plains and perfect for 3-to-7-year-olds who love animals and are looking for stories with a theme of home.

Napesni likes to stamp his hooves and sniff and snort in the dry dust of Cheyenne River Reservation. That all changes, though, when ranchers capture him and bring him to Minnesota instead. Sad, lonely, and homesick, Napesni searches for his family and home in this adventurous story.

Once safely located and protected, Napesni finds a new home through the Red Lake Reservation Buffalo Herd, an organization with the ultimate goal of restoring bison to their previous numbers.

Napesni Renegade introduces a story based on true events to young readers in this lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book.

A stark reminder of the ongoing impact of European settlement in the western United States. Animal populations have been negatively impacted for decades, and these herds continue to be key to the survival of Native populations both spiritually and physically today.

Author: Marcie R. Rendon
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Published: 07/21/2026
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.70h x 11.30w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9781623546274
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2026
Booklist 07/01/2026

About the Author
Marcie R. Rendon is an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation, author, playwright, poet, and freelance writer. Also a community arts activist, Rendon supports other Native creators and is a speaker for colleges and community groups about Native issues, leadership, writing. Marcie is an award-winning author of the Cash Blackbear Mystery series for adults and also has an extensive body of fiction and nonfiction works. She is the creative mind behind Raving Native Theater, curating community-created performances.

Artist and educator Sam Zimmerman is a proud direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe). Drawing on ancestral connections, Sam continues the Anishinaabe tradition of storytelling, embedding themes of environmental stewardship and conservation in his studio and public art commissions. Sam illustrated Following My Spirit Home: A Collection of Paintings and Stories, a silver finalist for a Midwest Book Award, and How the Birds Got Their Songs. He lives in Duluth, Minnesota, and regularly explores the natural beauty of Minnesota's North Shore as the artist in residence at Tettegouche State Park in Silver Bay.