An introduction to Native American folklore – illustrated by the author
The Flute Player
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Songs of Shiprock Fair
A young Navajo girl enjoys every part of the annual Shiprock Fair, including the dances, parade, carnival, exhibits, contests, food, and the chance to visit with relatives.
Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from a Native American Childhood
Chronicles the childhood of EdNah New Rider Weber as she is moved from her Pawnee home to live with her father on a Navajo reservation and then is again uprooted and placed in the Phoenix Indian School.
Meet Mindy
Details a day in the life of an Arizona girl of Hopi descent, looking at her family, the history of her tribe, and some traditional ceremonies and customs that are still observed today.
Apache Rodeo
Felicita leads a modern life but also participates in traditional tribal customs.
Navajo: Visions and Voices across the Mesa
Collection of twenty poems accompanied by full color paintings of mountains, plateaus, deserts, and wildlife from the American Southwest and of the Native people who live there. Book begins with spiritual elements, moves on to told stories, Begay’s memories, members of the community, and rituals, and ends with hope for an early spring. Throughout there is a sense of striving to balance the old ways and beliefs with the intrusive outer world and to protect the Earth, which is regarded as sacred.
The Gift Of Changing Woman
Describes the traditional coming-of-age ceremony for young Apache women, in which they use special dances and prayers to reenact the Apache story of creation and celebrate the power of Changing Woman, the legendary ancestor of their people.
Mayeros: A Yucatec Maya Family
Text and photographs present the life and customs of the descendants of the Maya now living in the Yucatan Peninsula area of Mexico.
La Llorona / The Weeping Woman
La Llorona (yoh-RROH-nah), now available for the first time in a full-color paperback, is the ghost story to end all ghost stories and truly the most popular cuento of Hispanic America. This story of the weeping woman appears at first to be only a frightening tale filled with mysterious events which cause children to sit wide-eyed. Yet it’s the simple, universal wisdom at the core of the story that finally works its magic into their hearts. Joe Hayes is best known for his bilingual tellings of stories from the American Southwest. La Llorona is one of his favorite stories.
Luz Sees The Light
Change is in the air. Power outages are increasing, and gas prices are soaring. At first, 12-year-old Luz balks, hardly thrilled by the prospect of actually having to walk to the mall. But Luz doesn’t mope for long. After all, her name — pronounced “loose” — means “light.” Soon, this intelligent and spirited chica begins to understand that she must change with the times. As food prices rise, Luz decides to help create a more self-sustainable community by transforming a run-down city lot into a garden where she and her neighbors can grow their own fruits and vegetables. But when she solicits help from her friends — boy-crazy Anika and computer-whiz Robby — they think she’s a little loco. Luz pedals her idea on the street, but the community is equally dismissive. Can Luz pull off her plan and help change her world alone? This graphic novel is a kid-friendly take on sustainable living in a fossil fuel dependent world. Preteens will love the fearless, fiery and resourceful heroine and will find inspiration in her efforts to steer her society toward self-sustainable living. Hip and energetic illustrations bring Luz and her world to life in a jazzy, appealing fashion, and a bonus chapter teaches kids how to make garden compost.