Upcoming “The Sacred Stone Camp” Children’s Book Tells Standing Rock Story

A new children’s book hitting shelves this fall introduces young readers to the story of the Sacred Stone Camp and the movement to protect water and land at Standing Rock.

The Sacred Stone Camp (Dial Books for Young Readers, out October 7, 2025) tells the story of a young girl who travels to camp with her Unci LaDonna and Lala Miles as Water Protectors gather to stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

Nervous but determined, the girl finds courage in her family and in the strangers who come together to defend the river from the “black snake” threatening the water millions depend on.

The book is written by Rae Rose, an Indigenous and Asian writer who personally knew LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, the Native historian and activist who founded Sacred Stone Camp. 

Allard, who passed away in 2021, became one of the most recognizable voices of the NoDAPL movement and inspired thousands to join the fight to protect the Missouri River.

The release comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of both the camp’s founding and the start of the NoDAPL protests in the spring of 2016.

While the Dakota Access Pipeline continues to operate, protests over pipelines and fossil fuel projects continue today. Rose said she hopes the book sparks conversations with children about why protecting water matters and the ongoing impact pipelines have on the Earth.

Rose, who grew up in Coast Salish Territory in Washington state and still lives there with her family, is a journalist whose work has appeared in Last Real Indians, South Seattle Emerald, and Mazaska Talks. 

She also contributed to the short story anthology The Haunted States of America and wrote for the documentary series Facing the Storm: An Indigenous Response to Climate Change.

The book is illustrated by Aly McKnight, an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and self-taught watercolor artist known for her colorful, story-rich paintings of Indigenous life. 

McKnight, who grew up in northern Nevada and now lives in Utah with her partner and daughter, brings the camp and its people to life with expressive, warm artwork.

The Sacred Stone Camp is aimed at readers ages 5–9 and offers families and classrooms a way to talk about Standing Rock, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard’s legacy, and the importance of standing up for Native American rights.