I Am the Sun

Janessa Parker graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in speech communications. The inspiration for I Am the Sun came from a deep desire to connect with her Diné (Navajo) culture and shine a light on her late-father's life. She resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the mother of three and loves to storytell through her photography. I Am the Sun is her first children’s book.


Beverly Blacksheep, an award-winning artist and illustrator, has established herself as one of the most recognized women painters from the Navajo Nation. Inspired by the beauty and culture of the Navajo people, the colorful landscapes in her homeland of Salina Springs, Arizona, her art has captivated collectors and art enthusiasts from all over the nation and around the world. Other books she has illustrated include the four-part baby book series from "Baby's First Laugh" published by Salina Bookshelf. "I Am the Sun" is her first book for Bushel & Peck Books.

After a boy greets the rising sun (“First light. First gift”), he sets about learning “the Diné way” in a picture book that underlines themes of connection, culture, and kinship in the everyday. Diné author Parker’s onomatopoeic text follows the figure from dusk to dawn as he helps his father work with turquoise and silver (“Tap, tap./ ...a symbol to wear with honor”), sits with his mother at her loom (“Swish, swish./ ...I am woven forever with my ancestors”), and more before donning regalia and dancing (“Thump, thump!”) “for healing./ ...for remembrance./ ...for freedom./ for the future./ for the Diné!” In saturated hues, Navajo artist Blacksheep renders patterned borders and thin-lined landscapes; an inset panel on most spreads positions the sun in the sky. And finally, watching the sun set from the tallest rock, the narrator observes “In me, the Sun will always rise....// Yes, I am the Sun” and determines to, in turn, show the way to others. Includes author’s notes and a glossary. Ages 6–9.—Publishers Weekly, Publishers Weekly