I’m a writer and traditional storyteller. An enrolled member of the Nulhegan Band of the Abenaki Nation, I’ve performed as a storyteller and sold books and my own crafts at northeastern powwows since the early 1980s. My family and I run the annual Saratoga Native American Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York. One of my favorite powwow memories is when I was honored with a blanket at the Shelburne Museum powwow in Vermont twenty years ago.
I was born in Tuba City, Arizona, but raised on the Navajo Reservation in northwestern New Mexico. My mother says I’ve been an illustrator since I was able to hold a crayon. I used to lie on my back and draw pictures under the coffee table in my parents’ living room. Apart from being an illustrator, I’m a storyteller, graphic designer, and musician. I reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and am a happily married father of two. Anything and everything I do, I do for my loved ones. The ultimate goal of my career is to do what I do, from the comfort of my home. Several of the characters depicted in this adorable story were inspired by loved ones in my own life, namely my mother, sister, and brother.
This high interest, low-risk adventure narrative pairs well with the clear and simple text, making it a win for beginning readers.
—School Library Journal Reviewer
Building his story around the trope of the Indian ghost, Abenaki author Bruchac addresses cultural practices in a loving Native family with sweet touches of humor. Deforest, who grew up on the Navajo reservation, gives his characters big, warm eyes and open, cartoon faces that make the illustrations familiar, warm, and friendly. A satisfying story in which two children discover the love of an ancestor.
—Kirkus Reviews
