Former U.S. Poet Laureate says her new children’s book is for every grandchild
By Jeanette DeDios
June 6, 2025 at 4:02 PM MDT
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo recently published her latest children’s book titled “For A Girl Becoming.” KUNM spoke with Harjo, who said she wrote the book as an advice poem for her first grandchild.
JOY HARJO: When she was coming of age, I wanted to, I gathered the family around to kind of honor that she was becoming coming of age, and just to tell her how much she meant to us, and, you know, that we all were here for her and and that's what the poem is for. And I never had any intention of, I didn't write it to put it in a book, but I remember reading it. It was actually in Santa Fe at an event, and I read it, and people, everybody wanted a copy because it was helpful for a lot of people.
KUNM: How important was it to have a book that focused on a girl's journey into womanhood?
HARJO: I think that's an important doorway for all of us. You know, it's a doorway of transformation. And anytime there's transformation, there's danger, you know, it's you can think of becoming an adolescent, and you face so many choices. Which way is my story going to go? Who's there for me, and because we all go through, we all go through things, and especially at that doorway, you know, and it's important that you have protection. I see the poem as a kind of a protection poem, and it's important to know that you have community and family around you.
KUNM: And this is certainly not your first children's book. How's the process different from writing a collection of poems?
HARJO: It's just different, you know, children's books. My first one was the “Good Luck Cat.” And what’s similar is all storytelling. And what's interesting is that first children's book came about when I first became a grandmother with Christa. The way I think about it is, when a child is born to the mother, the child is born to the whole family and the grandmother plays an important role. And for me, that's when I started writing children's books for my grandchildren and for all the children.
KUNM: Were there any personal memories that guided or influenced when you were writing this book?
HARJO: Oh, for sure, for sure I was thinking about, for Krista when she was born, not in my home territory, but in Tucson, Arizona. I was teaching there, and her mom, and they were all living with me. And she was born, you know, in the desert, and the rains were coming over the mountains. And I was thinking about the gifts that both sides of the family brought, and that's pretty right on.
KUNM: Is there anything unique to the book that readers may be surprised about?
HARJO: I'll tell you, what surprised me is the art. It's beautifully done by Adriana Garcia. And what was amazing was how, you know, as the poem unfolds, her images tell a whole story. They show a girl being born and being blessed by her grandmother at the beginning. That's one of my favorite images. In her art, she shows a girl growing up, starting out as a baby and growing into a beautiful young woman.
KUNM: What do you hope this book offers to its readers?
HARJO: One, we all go through moments of, of becoming. You know, it's for a girl becoming. It could be for, you know, anyone becoming. We all have transformational moments. You know, where, you know, we stand at a doorway of change. Do I go this way or that way? Do I change my major? You know, what do I do? I'm in this situation, and it's the book that then becomes a reminder that, well there are treacherous places along the way, but,we have family, we have the guardians, the creator, around us. And I want it to be useful. I mean, with anything I do. I mean, I'm an artist, so I follow the art. Even as a little kid, I would get into these stances for justice and music was always part of it.
KUNM: And that’s interesting to say, because I was just about to ask you, do you wish you had a book like this when you were growing up?
HARJO: I would have loved to have had a book like that. And I remember somebody saying that you should write the books that you always wanted.
KUNM: You are such an acclaimed writer in this space for Native Americans, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
HARJO: To be who they are in their writing and to develop it you know, you have to practice. You have to write. A lot of people like to sit around sometimes and talk about writing to escape from sitting down. And I think it gets harder because we have so many distractions. And when you're writing or doing art, your mind slows down, it goes into another kind of period. So I would say it's to unplug, to get out into the earth and to listen and to read. Always learn things you know, always be learning something.
You can purchase Joy Harjo’s newest children’s book “For A Girl Becoming” here.
JOY HARJO: When she was coming of age, I wanted to, I gathered the family around to kind of honor that she was becoming coming of age, and just to tell her how much she meant to us, and, you know, that we all were here for her and and that's what the poem is for. And I never had any intention of, I didn't write it to put it in a book, but I remember reading it. It was actually in Santa Fe at an event, and I read it, and people, everybody wanted a copy because it was helpful for a lot of people.
KUNM: How important was it to have a book that focused on a girl's journey into womanhood?
HARJO: I think that's an important doorway for all of us. You know, it's a doorway of transformation. And anytime there's transformation, there's danger, you know, it's you can think of becoming an adolescent, and you face so many choices. Which way is my story going to go? Who's there for me, and because we all go through, we all go through things, and especially at that doorway, you know, and it's important that you have protection. I see the poem as a kind of a protection poem, and it's important to know that you have community and family around you.
KUNM: And this is certainly not your first children's book. How's the process different from writing a collection of poems?
HARJO: It's just different, you know, children's books. My first one was the “Good Luck Cat.” And what’s similar is all storytelling. And what's interesting is that first children's book came about when I first became a grandmother with Christa. The way I think about it is, when a child is born to the mother, the child is born to the whole family and the grandmother plays an important role. And for me, that's when I started writing children's books for my grandchildren and for all the children.
KUNM: Were there any personal memories that guided or influenced when you were writing this book?
HARJO: Oh, for sure, for sure I was thinking about, for Krista when she was born, not in my home territory, but in Tucson, Arizona. I was teaching there, and her mom, and they were all living with me. And she was born, you know, in the desert, and the rains were coming over the mountains. And I was thinking about the gifts that both sides of the family brought, and that's pretty right on.
KUNM: Is there anything unique to the book that readers may be surprised about?
HARJO: I'll tell you, what surprised me is the art. It's beautifully done by Adriana Garcia. And what was amazing was how, you know, as the poem unfolds, her images tell a whole story. They show a girl being born and being blessed by her grandmother at the beginning. That's one of my favorite images. In her art, she shows a girl growing up, starting out as a baby and growing into a beautiful young woman.
KUNM: What do you hope this book offers to its readers?
HARJO: One, we all go through moments of, of becoming. You know, it's for a girl becoming. It could be for, you know, anyone becoming. We all have transformational moments. You know, where, you know, we stand at a doorway of change. Do I go this way or that way? Do I change my major? You know, what do I do? I'm in this situation, and it's the book that then becomes a reminder that, well there are treacherous places along the way, but,we have family, we have the guardians, the creator, around us. And I want it to be useful. I mean, with anything I do. I mean, I'm an artist, so I follow the art. Even as a little kid, I would get into these stances for justice and music was always part of it.
KUNM: And that’s interesting to say, because I was just about to ask you, do you wish you had a book like this when you were growing up?
HARJO: I would have loved to have had a book like that. And I remember somebody saying that you should write the books that you always wanted.
KUNM: You are such an acclaimed writer in this space for Native Americans, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?
HARJO: To be who they are in their writing and to develop it you know, you have to practice. You have to write. A lot of people like to sit around sometimes and talk about writing to escape from sitting down. And I think it gets harder because we have so many distractions. And when you're writing or doing art, your mind slows down, it goes into another kind of period. So I would say it's to unplug, to get out into the earth and to listen and to read. Always learn things you know, always be learning something.
You can purchase Joy Harjo’s newest children’s book “For A Girl Becoming” here.