Jolyana Begay-Kroupa dreamed of becoming Miss Navajo as a little girl. Her chance finally comes after years of learning the language, culture, and traditions. Discover the inspiring true story of Jolyana who shows us what it takes to become Miss Navajo and how the competition is just the beginning. Becoming Miss Navajo includes pictures taken during the 2001-2002 competition.
United States
Materials from United States of America
Learning My Rights With Mousewoman
A first of its kind, Learning My Rights with Mousewoman tells the story of a legendary figure in the oral and visual practices of the Northwest Coast Indigenous culture. Both a grandmother and oracle, Mousewoman can travel in and out of the spirit world. During crucial times she will sit on young people’s shoulders and whisper advice and knowledge. Mousewoman is never afraid to stand up to bigger beings for the protection and guidance of young people.
Memory Garden
Nana and granddaughter enjoy an afternoon together in the garden, laughing, discovering and connecting. Written and illustrated by a mother daughter duo, Memory Garden invites readers to enjoy the beauty of Iranian gardens and cultures, while reminding us to cherish the moments we must leave behind, but that we will always remember.
Saints Of The Household
Bribri American brothers, Max and Jay, have always depended on each other for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, they have learned that the only way to protect themselves, as well as their mother, is to keep their heads down and adhere to a strict schedule. But after intervening when a classmate gets into a fist fight, resulting in the school’s star soccer player being beat to a pulp by both brothers’ hands, they must grapple with the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought. In order to move forward, they will have to reach back to their Bribri roots.
Rez Ball
Debut novelist, Byron Gtaves, tells the story of Tre Brun who finds solace and purpose on the basketball court of the Red Lake Reservation high school team, despite grappling with the persistent ache of losing his older brother, Jaxon, to tragedy. When Jaxon’s former teammates extend a hand of camaraderie, Tre views this opportunity as a chance to honor his Ojibwe heritage and pursue his ambition of leading his team to their inaugural state championship.
Winner of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award and the William C. Morris Debut Award from the American Library Association.
Mexikid
Pedro Martín has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito, his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn’t mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache. Along the way, Pedro finally connects with his abuelito and learns what it means to grow up and find his grito.
Featured in Volume XVI, Issue 3 of WOW Review.
Rafa Counts On Papá
Rafa and his dad love to measure anything and everything including how much Rafa’s dad loves him.
Veo, Veo, I See You
While out running errands with their mami during the Covid-19 pandemic, Marisol and Pepito play a game of Veo, Veo (I Spy) that helps them see how the workers in their neighborhood are, and will always be, essential.
The Words We Share
A young girl helps her dad navigate life in a new country where she understands the language more than he does, in an unforgettable story about communication and community. Angie is used to helping her dad. Ever since they moved to Canada, he relies on her to translate for him from English to Chinese. Angie is happy to help: when they go to restaurants, at the grocery store, and, one day, when her dad needs help writing some signs for his work. Building off her success with her dad’s signs, Angie offers her translation skills to others in their community. She’s thrilled when her new business takes off, until one of her clients says he’s unhappy with her work. When her dad offers to help, she can’t imagine how he could. Working together, they find a surprising solution, fixing the problem in a way Angie never would have predicted. A gorgeously illustrated picture book from up-and-coming author-illustrator Jack Wong (When You Can Swim, Scholastic) that is at once a much-needed exploration of the unique pressures children of immigrants often face, a meditation on the dignity of all people regardless of their differences, and a reminder of the power of empathy
Benjamin’s Thunderstorm
Benjamin loves the rain. He loves splashing through puddles in his bright yellow rain boots and watching the colors of a rainbow in the water as they ripple around his feet. But most of all, Benjamin loves thunder. To him, thunder, piyêsiwak and sounds like his grandfather’s drum. It calls to him, like the songs his grandfather plays while his father and other powwow dancers spin and step in time to the drumbeat. As Benjamin hears the thunder rumble overhead, he imagines himself as a powwow dancer. He spins, he taps his feet and he lifts his knees. Faster and faster he twirls, delighted by and filled with the rhythm of piyêsiwak.