Children, Land, and the Stories They Carry

A new year invites new stories—and Read Your World Day 2026 is the perfect moment to add meaningful, multicultural titles to your reading list. This edition of Valerie’s Vignettes highlights Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World, a visually stunning and deeply thoughtful book that explores identity, place, and belonging through art and storytelling.

Origin invites readers of all ages to see the world through the faces, lands, and cultures of Indigenous communities—reminding us how stories connect us to one another and to the natural world we share.

#ReadYourWorld #ReadYourWorldDay #MulticulturalChildrensBooks #AllKidsNeedBooks #DiverseBooks #IndigenousStories #GlobalLiteracy #BooksThatBuildEmpathy #ValorenaPublishing 

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"ORIGIN"

An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World

By Nat Cardozo; with text by María José Ferrada

Illustrated by Nat Cardoza

                                            Publisher: Red Comet Press          Published: 2025
                                            ISBN: 978-1-63655-155-5             Pages: 64  

A visually striking and thoughtfully crafted celebration of Indigenous peoples, place, and identity.

Origin is a delight for the eyes. Through illustrations that feature children’s faces shaped by their Indigenous homelands, Franco-Uruguayan illustrator Nat Cardozo makes a clear and powerful statement about the beauty and humanity of Indigenous peoples, their lands, and the deep connections between them. Each portrait blends the faces of children with elements of land, water, plants, and sky, showing how place and identity are inseparable. Cardozo captures the spirit of each community through the eyes of its children, who become the living center of every composition.

The book stands out both for its visual presentation and its storytelling. It is rich and thorough without ever feeling overwhelming. The language is clear and approachable, offering depth without oversimplifying. Co-author María José Ferrada’s text works in close balance with the illustrations, allowing many voices and perspectives to come through while keeping the narrative cohesive.

Each spread presents a complete story, often including facts about population and location—an element that helps set Origin apart. Historical context, cultural knowledge, and environmental realities are woven smoothly into each page, adding meaning without disrupting the reading experience. Every spread feels like its own small universe, inviting readers to slow down, look closely, and reflect.

The structure of the book makes it especially useful in educational settings. Individual pages naturally invite discussion and comparison with other texts and stories from different communities. At the same time, the book as a whole establishes a tone of respect, curiosity, and connection. Readers of all ages will find themselves returning to it, noticing new details with each reading.

As its subtitle promises, Origin offers an illuminating look at Indigenous peoples and their relationship to the natural world. Beautiful, intentional, and deeply human, it succeeds as both an art book and a storytelling experience.

A striking, accessible tribute well suited for classrooms, libraries, and collections focused on culture, identity, and environmental understanding.

About the Literacy for Health™ Collaborators & Collaboration Series

Introducing the Literacy for Health™ Collaborators & Collaboration Series by Valorena Publishing, a new series that spotlights those working at the intersection of communication, community, and care. Through in-depth conversations and narrative features, the series amplifies the voices of advocates, educators, and organizations who are advancing health literacy as a pathway to equity and empowerment. Each story pulls back the curtain on the people and partnerships driving progress—demonstrating how understanding is not only power, but healing in action.

Subscribe to get Valorena Publishing’s Literacy for Health™ Collaborators & Collaboration Series and meet the people and partnerships advancing health literacy and understanding in communities near and far.

 

Let's Get Reading!

National Read a Book Day is celebrated on September 6th each year to encourages everyone to read, including children. 

If you're in or near Nyack, NY, please join Dr. Valerie and other children's authors on Children's Book Day at Big Red Books. Dr. Valerie will read from the Cocoa Kids Collection® Books (for kids aged 6-8). 

The event is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21st, 2025, from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Big Red Books is located at 120 Main St, Nyack, NY 10960.  See the flyer attached for details on the lineup of Readers.

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Cocoa, Community & Courage: A Young Author Reading for World Mental Health Day

 As part of our ongoing commitment to literacy, wellness, and celebration, we’d love to invite you to our next event.

REGISTER HERE.

When you register for this free event, you’ll also gain access to a digital copy of JoJo’s book of poetry, Cocoa’s Palace.

This special gathering will be a meeting of "cocoa-minded" mental health and literacy leaders, another occasion for the Cocoa Kids Collection’s® to celebrate its commitment to "the momentous and the mundane in the – ever-inspiring – world of chocolate."

It also reflects our continued commitment to providing social-emotional learning and resilience-building resources and outreach to youth, empowering young readers and their families to thrive.


About the Author – Jouvanna "JoJo" Brame is an African American Health Leader, Mental Health Advocate, and multimedia creative whose writing journey began at the age of 10. Initially focused on fiction, her passion gradually shifted toward poetry, where she explored both its internal structures and external forms. Her work has been featured in Harness Magazine and The Brazen Collective. JoJo will read from her debut chapbook, Cocoa’s Palace, screen her mini-documentary, Resilience Is, and preview new work from her next book, to my friend, sincerely, which will launch later this year. 
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We hope you’ll join us in what promises to be a thoughtful, inspiring evening.