AICL Best Books 2023!
Delightfully illustrated board book showing nature and activities that emerge in the springtime from the Taos Pueblo’s Tiwa Language Program.

The beautiful board books, written without text, were created by the Taos Pueblo’s Tiwa Language Program to preserve the Tiwa culture and revitalize the unwritten Tiwa language by teaching it to younger generations. Many other Indigenous languages also need to be revitalized, so it is the hope of the Taos Pueblo’s Tiwa Language Program that other American Indian nations will find the books useful to teach their languages to their  children. The beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations will also educate young children about the four seasons of the year. All proceeds of the book support the Taos Pueblo’s Tiwa Language Program.

We are the “Red Willow People” of Taos Pueblo and have sustained our ancient village as one of the longest continuously inhabited communities, for over 1,000 years. Taos Pueblo is located in northern New Mexico and our Tiwa language is a dialect of the Tanoan language, which is not a written language. Traditionally we learn our Tiwa Language through oral tradition but we are in danger of losing our ancient language due to colonization, modernization, and the shift from Tiwa as our first language to English as our first language. The efforts of the Taos Pueblo Tiwa Language Program are focused on revitalizing the Tiwa Language and culture by protecting and preserving it, through teaching it to our younger generations.

A self-taught artist, Frank Rain Leaf was influenced by observing his grandfather, Little Joe Gomez, who employed various mediums, such as pencil, to do sketches. This enabled Frank to develop his own special way of illustrating and painting. Drawing from memories of his youth in the village, his art captures the scenery and wildlife of the Taos Mountains. An elder councilman, Frank believes in the traditional way of life and is a strong supporter of tribal language revitalization. He is a famous championship hoop dancer and powwow fancy dancer and has performed in Disneyland. He also provided the artwork for the Taos Pueblo Nation’s tribal seal.