Additional information
by Sd Youngwolf (Author), Shonto Begay (Illustrator)
A thought-provoking picture book about the ways we create our own realities through the words and actions that we put out into the world.
In the early morning hours, two young children go on a journey of discovery with their grandfather, a great chief. After offering prayers to Creator, Grandfather leads Aiyanna and Little Wolf separately to the river gorge to meet the Echo People. There, surrounded by the beauty of Mother Earth, the children connect with the Echo People in a way that reveals something about themselves and learn a valuable lesson that will guide them throughout their lives.
Winner of Lee & Low's New Voices award, The Echo People gently teaches young readers that if we meet the world with love and kindness then that kindness is echoed back to us.
Author Biography
SD Youngwolf, an enrolled citizen of the Tsalagiyi Nvdagi Tribe, is an award-winning fine artist, mask maker, and storyteller. A former art educator in Oklahoma, Utah, and Arkansas, he is dedicated to the preservation and teaching of Indigenous cultural values. The Echo People was Lee & Low's New Voices winner and marks his debut as a children's book author. He lives in New Mexico. You can learn more about the author at theindigenousheart.com.
Shonto Begay is a citizen of the Navajo Nation, and an acclaimed writer, educator, and painter. His acrylic paintings are done in a series of small brush strokes that repeat like the words of a traditional Navajo blessing prayer. Begay's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide. He lives in Diné land. You can see more of his luminous work at shontobegay.net.
