Fierce Aunties!

A joyful and vibrant celebration of what makes aunties so special, from Indigenous author and illustrator team Laurel Goodluck and Steph Littlebird inviting all kids to connect with the fierce aunties in their lives.

Who do you go to for advice and support? Or when you want an adventure and a little extra courage? Or when you need to find that warrior spirit inside you? Fierce aunties!

Aunties come in different shapes, sizes, and ages. They all have different laughs, skills, and stories. They might be your parents’ sisters, your older cousins, or even family friends. But there’s something they all have in common: They’re fierce, they love you, and they’ll help make everything better.

Laurel Goodluck writes picture books with modern Native themes that reflect Native children’s cultural experiences and everyday life, showing they have a unique and powerful perspective. Her books include Forever Cousins, Rock Your Mocs, She Persisted: Deb Haaland, Too Much, and Fierce Aunties!. Laurel was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, coming from an intertribal background of Mandan and Hidatsa from the prairies of North Dakota and Tsimshian from a rainforest in Alaska. She received a BA in psychology and an MA in community counseling and family studies from the University of New Mexico. Laurel began writing by crafting a curriculum for community advocacy involving Native teen leadership and later for children newly diagnosed with mental health challenges. Laurel lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her Navajo husband, where they raised two children who are also bent on storytelling. Please follow her on @LaurieGoodluck on Instagram.

Steph Littlebird is an enrolled member of Oregon’s Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and earned her BFA in painting and printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in Portland, Oregon. She is the illustrator of My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom and Fierce Aunties! by Laurel Goodluck. Littlebird is known for her vibrant imagery that combines traditional styles of her Indigenous ancestors with contemporary illustration aesthetics. Her work often examines issues related to Native identity, cultural resilience, and responsible land stewardship. She currently lives and works in Las Vegas.