Only 1.5% of children’s books are written by Indigenous authors.
Young adult author Brian Young is looking to change that.
Young is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He grew up on the Navajo Reservation and later graduated from Yale University and Columbia University. He has published two children’s books, Healer of the Water Monster and Heroes of the Water Monster. He also won many awards for his writing including the American Indian Youth Literature Award and Bank Street’s Best Book of the Year. He has contributed to various short films, including Tsídii Nááts’íílid – Rainbow Bird and A Conversation on Race with Native Americans, and is currently working on a new book. He most recently contributed two short stories to in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s anthology Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids.
Young’s work aims to create the characters he wants to see in the media rather than focusing on the lack of Indigenous representation. He became an avid writer at a young age – starting with dinosaur adventures on the rez after watching Jurassic Park.
He and hopes that his own books will encourage children to fall in love with literature.
Young will lead a panel discussion on “The Power of Storytelling” and answer questions from the community about his books on Friday, October 20 in Ashurst Auditorium starting at 4 PM. The panel will bring to light the ways in which storytelling is integral to Native culture and explain how children’s books should reflect that.
Supporting writers of color who challenge outdated conventions can positively impact diversity in children’s literature. Books written by BIPOC made up less than half of published children’s books in 2022, with Native characters representing only a tiny fraction of that percentage, which means Native children don’t see much representation in literature. The state of Arizona has the largest Native American population in the U.S., and it is crucial to inform ourselves on issues that affect the tribal members of Flagstaff.
We must educate ourselves by listening to those who bring new perspectives to the table. By promoting diversity in children’s literature, we can ensure the next generation of Indigenous children can see themselves represented in the books they read.
– Katie Squires, Junior | English Literature Major | Journalism Minor | CAL Marketing Team Fall ’23