after a guest speaker presentation. | Photo by Jaylin Emond-Hardin
April 22, 2026 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
Growing up as a Native kid, I didn’t have many books that were for me. As a tiny tot, I had one called “Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back,” which told the story of the 13 moon cycles of the year on the back of Turtle Island. By the time I got into chapter books, there were more, but not by much — “Indian in the Cupboard,” “The Birchbark House” and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” were titles I was more than familiar with.
But now, Native authors are becoming a greater part of the author demographics, and with that, so are their stories.
Among these authors is Steph Littlebird, a Kalapuya and Chinook artist, who recently published “You Are the Land.” Released Feb. 24, 2026, “You Are the Land” is Littlebird’s first published children’s book, though she has illustrated for other works before. These books include “My Powerful Hair,” “Body Beautiful” and “Fierce Aunties,” all celebrations of the power of indigenous people and their cultures. Littlebird also did the illustrations for the book “The Summer of the Bone Horses,” a chapter book written by Virginia Driving Hawke Sneve.
It’s not just children’s book illustrations, however, that Littlebird pours her love into. As an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde community, she curated the exhibit “This IS Kalapuyan Land,” which opened in 2019 at the Five Oaks Museum and in 2023 at the Pittock Mansion, both in Portland.
In the exhibit, Littlebird annotated panels from the museum’s previous exhibit on the Kalapuyan peoples, curated modern Native artwork into the exhibit and added historical pieces from David Lewis, who has a doctorate in anthropology and is a preeminent scholar on the tribes of Western Oregon.
In her spare time, Littlebird creates art for her Instagram, @artnerdforever, most of which is protest art and aims to bring awareness to the movements that she supports. She especially focuses on reinterpreting vintage imagery, often reworking historically problematic depictions with a modern, critical perspective. Among these are her interpretations of the Land O’Lakes Native woman, Pocahontas and Tiger Lily from “Peter Pan,” along with Land Back themes and other works that reflect her perspectives on contemporary political issues.
Recently, Littlebird announced her collaboration with author Karina Iceberg on the book “Free to Fly,” a multigenerational story that pushes and reminds readers to look towards the future with hope, even with the knowledge of the pain the past brings us.
“Free to Fly” is set to release in June this year, while “You Are the Land,” “Summer of the Bone Horse,” “Body Beautiful,” “Fierce Aunties” and “My Powerful Hair” are available in bookstores and online.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
