Honyouti, Mavasta. Coming Home: A Hopi Resistance Story. Mavasta Honyouti, Illus. Hopi translation by Marilyn Parra. Levine Querido, 11/2024. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-1-64614-457-0. GRADES 1–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Bilingual English/Hopi stories are rare, making this one a unique treasure. This is the author’s story of both his own childhood and his kwa’a’s (grandfather’s) childhood, when government agents took him from his Hopi family to a distant boarding school. Based on family and tribal events, this story explains in simple terms how the government-run boarding schools affected the Hopi, as well as many other Native American tribes. As an informational picture book, it works as just a story, or as part of a lesson to be read and discussed. Illustrations created from wood carved artwork (a style passed down from elders) are presented in a non-digital, almost tactile look, reflecting the story’s content. Several pages of back matter explain the basic facts of the story, the author’s familial connections to it, why a Hopi (or Hopilavayi) bilingual translation was included, and background on the illustration process. A serious topic, introduced in an easy to understand way, that will spark further learning and curiosity about the topic.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library