Salina Bookshelf preserves Navajo languages

the Arizona Book Award for Best Children’s Nonfiction book in 2007.

In her commitment to strengthening literacy skills within the Navajo Nation, Flood worked with author and illustrator SD Nelson to create Read at Home, a non-profit organization that provides children with monthly subscriptions to age-appropriate, easy-to-read magazines.

“It’s hard to be a good reader when you have nothing to read,” Flood said. “So, it is important that we bring appropriate books and that they are readily accessible.” customers we have around the world.”

One of the first things Flood said she noticed when she moved to the reservation, was that the books children had access to mostly talked about things that were hard for them to relate to. The children’s books they had talked about things they were not familiar with, like big cities with skyscrapers and zoos filled with animals they had never seen, Flood said.

Flood started working with other teachers to develop an appropriate curriculum the students could relate to.

The first book Flood started working on when she moved to the Navajo Nation was “The Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons.” Teachers on the reservation wanted a book that had something to do with how the seasons change on the Navajo Nation, she said. The book published by Salina Bookshelf is written in English and includes multiple words in Navajo.

With this commitment to Indigenous communities, the company works with many universities and tribal schools around the country. Mitchell said they are constantly talking to teachers and librarians about what type of books they want.

Most of the books in their catalog are written by Navajo and Hopi authors which showcase aspects of the language, history or culture the company believes can be taught in school.

“Whether it is the history of boarding school by Daniel Vandever in 'Fall in Line, Holden!' or the tragic history of the relocation of Southwestern tribes during the Long Walk, told through a children’s book and a novel series by the late Dr. Evangeline Parsons Yazzie, the books we publish have a lot to teach about our history,” Mitchell said.

The company is currently working on multiple children’s books that focus on Diné children as well as a young-adult novel that follows a young Navajo girl as she prepares for her Kinaaldá ceremony — a Navajo ceremony which celebrates a girl’s transition into womanhood. This last book will be showcased at this year’s Northern Arizona Book Festival in Flagstaff, which will take place March 31 through April 2.

Illustrations and book design are always an important aspect of what Salina Bookshelf publishes,

Mitchell said.

The company’s art director is Navajo artist Corey Begay who is active in the Flagstaff art community, with several murals to his name. He has painted murals in schools across the Navajo Nation and buildings around Flagstaff. Mitchell said Salina Bookshelf uses his knowledge of the art scene to help select Indigenous artists to illustrate children’s books who will give them a unique and beautiful touch.

A large number of the writers Salina Bookshelf works with are educators who are passionate about bringing literature to the children they teach, Mitchell said.

Victoria Tomas is a Navajo language teacher at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School in Flagstaff. She has been teaching Navajo language and culture classes for 22 years and was nominated for the 2023 Coconino County Teacher of the Year award.

Tomas works in a Navajo and English classroom with 28 students. She said although most of her students are Navajo, a lot of them do not have Navajo speakers at home, so they are learning the language on their own.

“The parents are non-speakers, so the kids take their work home, and they teach their parents,” Tomas said. “That is the amazing part of what I do at Puente de Hózhó. It makes a big difference.”

Tomas said with the limited materials available for Navajo language teachers, the books Salina

Bookshelf has published are a great help to her. The audiobooks that come with the textbooks are also an integral part of her lessons, since they allow her students to listen and practice the language at the same time.

“I really integrate the books that are available in my lessons,” Tomas said. “There are limited materials, and anything we have out as a resource is very valuable for me as a teacher.”

Aside from the linguistic aspects, Tomas said the books are also a good way to teach her students about their culture. Books like “Dzání Yázhí Naazbaa’: Little Woman Warrior Who Came Home” are connected to past oral stories and help transfer intergenerational knowledge, she said. By reading them, the students can learn about what the past looked like and share their cultural perspectives.

“Sharing our stories through our language is the best part of what is happening with Salina Bookshelf,” Tomas said.

Books published by Salina Bookshelf are used on the Navajo Nation.

Nancy Bo Flood is a child psychologist, educator and children’s author. She has been living and working on the Navajo Nation for 20 years. Flood has two books published by Salina Bookshelf: “The Hogan that Great-Grandfather Built” and “The Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons,” which received

“When I talked with Salina Bookshelf, it was wonderful that they wanted to include as many Navajo words as possible,” Flood said. “They even included a pronunciation guide, which is certainly difficult. But it is there, and it honors the language and, hopefully, it very much honors the culture as well.”

Flood said she admires how Salina Bookshelf uses Navajo artists as illustrators for their books and the company’s efforts to make the Navajo voice more accessible.

“There is so much wisdom in the Navajo culture and so much we can learn from them,” Flood said. “I really admire Salina Bookshelf’s commitment to accuracy and authenticity and to celebrating the Navajo culture — their people, their history, the different voices, all of it.”

Something separating Salina Bookshelf from other publishing companies is their commitment to creating beautiful books that are accurate and reflect Navajo culture in an authentic way, Flood said.

The accessibility of Navajo literature is essential to the company’s vision, Mitchell said.

“We work with Navajo and Hopi artists to create authentic depictions of Navajo and Hopi culture, to get rid of harmful stereotypes and showcase the importance of our culture and language to a wider audience,” Mitchell said.

Salina Bookshelf hopes to continue publishing bilingual materials that reflect Indigenous culture and aid in restoring Indigenous languages for years to come.