Books for Kids~ Navajo Nation

Ya'at eeh & Greetings from the The Navajo Nation. My name is Susan and I am a Registered Nurse working here on the reservation. The Navajo Nation encompasses portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, covering over 25,000 square miles of land. Although it is a beautiful land, it is also a very barren & isolated land. An estimated 43 percent of Navajo people live below the federal poverty line, with an average per capita income on the reservation of $7,300, as compared to the U.S. average of $43,000. Nearly 40 percent of the 173,000 Navajo in the U.S. don't have a tap or a toilet at home. (For non-Native Americans, that number is just .6 percent). Yet, The Navajo are a strong & resilient people, with their own unique traditions, language & culture. In Navajo tradition, each song is a prayer to the Holy People -or supernatural beings- who take care of them. Navajo songs are sung in ceremonies to cure the sick or to protect their families, homes, crops or herds. Every Navajo ceremony includes a "Blessingway Song". It provides a blessing for a long and happy life. Navajo were given the name Ni’hookaa Diyan Diné by their creators. It means "Holy Earth People". Navajos today simply call themselves "Diné", meaning "The People". My goal is to give every child who I see in the clinic a book to read, a coloring book & crayons, or drawing pad of their very own. This may not be much ~ but it may bring a little joy to a  sick child & put a smile on their face. "peace begins with a smile"