Kiki is a city girl who calls Los Angeles home. But home is also a place filled with expressions of her family’s Tiwa Indian heritage. Her parents left the Taos Pueblo reservation long ago, and Kiki hasn’t been back since she was a baby. She hardly even remembers what the Pueblo is like, until she returns with her parents during spring break. Suddenly, Kiki feels like a tourist in a place that should feel like home.
Kristy Orona-Ramirez’s tender story sensitively portrays the rewards and challenges of contemporary Indian life, and Jonathan Warm Day’s vivid illustrations glow with the Southwestern sun.
Kristy Orona-Ramirez (Taos Pueblo/Tarahumara) grew up in California’s San Gabriel Valley. From an early age, she showed a penchant for the creative arts, and has been writing short stories and poetry since she was seven years old. Kiki’s Journey was inspired by Kristy’s own first trip to Taos Pueblo. Kristy focused on Native American studies at Humboldt State University, where she completed the Indian Teacher Personnel Program (ITEPP). A fourth grade teacher, Kristy also has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration. Kristy is also lead singer for the Native American Northern drumming group, The Mankillers. She currently resides in Riverside, California with her husband and four children.
Jonathan Warm Day (Taos Pueblo) is a well-known artist and writer who grew up on the Taos Pueblo Indian Reservation. Jonathan began woodcarving as a child, and was introduced to painting by his mother, Eva Mirabal, who was also an artist. He studied art at the University of New Mexico. His paintings have been exhibited in various galleries, and are included in several important collections. When writing, he draws inspiration from his personal experiences and his family’s oral traditions. He lives in Taos with his two daughters.
- 2006 Bank Street College's Best Books of the Year
“Kiki’s Journey is a heartwarming story depicting the complexity of Native people today—the transition from urban communities to reservation communities far away, and vice versa. The trail between these communities is well worn, but often a new generation must find that trail for themselves. Kiki’s story illustrates some of the complexity of growing up as a Native person today, and reminds us all to tread that trail back and forth, and to keep the path clear.” —Winona La Duke, author, activist, and Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project
“…clear, sequential text and evocative art, which together create an authentic work for use one-on-one or to foster classroom discussion about ethnic diversity and identity.”—School Library Journal
“… authentic, and with little on the contemporary Indian experience available for the age group, the book will open up discussion about cultural stereotypes.”—Booklist
"…a rare touch of authentic imagery by painter Jonathan Warm Day (Taos Pueblo).”—Taos Daily Horse Fly
