With the new school year upon us, Salt River Schools hosted its annual fun-filled literacy event, “Fall into Reading.” The family-friendly, all-ages event was held on September 12 at the Accelerated Learning Academy gymnasium.

The occasion allows students and Salt River Schools staff members to dress up as their favorite book characters while learning about the positives of literacy. This year’s themes were “Once Upon a Time” and Yu-Gi-Oh!, the popular anime series. 

Indigenous creatives Daniel Vandever (Diné), a children’s book author, and Deon Mitchell (Diné/Black), an illustrator, led workshops for the attendees. Hailing from New Mexico but presently living in Tucson, Vandever said he was thankful to be able to visit and meet with Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community families. “This the first time being in Salt River for me; it’s nice,” said Vandever. 

Vandever’s 2017 book “Fall in Line, Holden!” is about a young Navajo boy as he spends the day at boarding school. In the book, while Holden is supposed to follow strict rules, his imagination takes him outside of the boarding school environment and into a world of wonder. The book would go on to win the 2018 American Indian Youth Literature Award from the American Indian Library Association. 

“I got started by accident; [in the beginning], I just wanted to make a book for my nephew,” Vandever said. “I worked in higher education, working for the tribal college on the Navajo Nation for a while. I wanted to make something that could be used as a tool for literacy.”

Vandever’s workshop featured readings from his books. He will be releasing two new books this year, “Behind Every Rug” and “We Weave.”

“To me, literacy is developing the understanding and communication of the past and present. Understanding that helps us move forward to the future,” he said.