Uplifting Cultural Knowledge with Navajo Picture Book Author Daniel Vandever
About this episode
Daniel Vandever discusses the deeper meanings in his picture books and their cultural significance.
On the surface, Diné author Daniel Vandever's picture books might appear to be straightforward stories, but the messages about the power of imagination and adventure in his books are imbued with layers of meaning. In his book Fall in Line, Holden!, a little boy breaks free from the constraints of rules and discipline by using his imagination. On a deeper level, the book speaks to the history of Indian Boarding Schools in pushing cultural assimilation. Likewise, in his wordless picture book Herizon , a girl goes on a magic scarf ride to find her lost sheep. This book is imbued with symbolism about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic, as well as cultural references to the Navajo Nation. Herizon was nominated to represent New Mexico at the 2024 National Book Festival. Mentioned in this Episode: Fall in Line, Holden! by Daniel Vandever Herizon by Daniel Vandever We Weave by Daniel Vandever Salina Bookshelf New Mexico representation at the 2024 National Book Festival The Long Walk Livestock Reduction Act "A Brief History of Navaj- Churro Sheep" in the Spring 2025 issue of El Palacio Navajo Code Talkers Deb Haaland's Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative…
People in this episode
Guest: Daniel Vandever
Topics covered
- Navajo culture
- children's literature
- imagination
- cultural history
- Indigenous issues
Keywords
- Navajo
- picture books
- cultural assimilation
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
- imagination
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Salina Bookshelf, New Mexico
Books & works: Fall in Line, Holden!, Herizon, The Long Walk, Livestock Reduction Act, A Brief History of Navaj- Churro Sheep, El Palacio, Navajo Code Talkers, Investigative Report: Volume I and Volume II, The Foot Book, Roadrunner's Dance
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