Embark on a captivating journey through the cosmos in When Naiche Visits the Stars by Erika T. Wurth! Meet Naiche, a young mixed-race girl with a heart full of dreams. She yearns to follow in the footsteps of her parents, who are dedicated scientists working for NASA, designing magnificent spaceships that explore the mysteries of the universe. As Naiche's mother imparts the wisdom of her Apache and Chickasaw heritage, the young girl's imagination soars to the stars. She envisions a thrilling encounter with extraterrestrial beings from the distant planet Zotoc. Could her dreams one day become a reality? When Naiche Visits the Stars is a poignant and inspiring tale of ambition, curiosity, and the boundless power of imagination. It encourages young readers to reach for the stars, dream big, and believe that even the vastness of the cosmos is not beyond their grasp. Author's Note: "Like Naiche, I grew up right outside of the city (Denver), a child descended from three Native American tribes. Unlike Naiche, it was only my father who was an aerospace engineer. My mom owned a dance studio. I spent many hours listening to my father talk about his projects working for NASA, and just as many hours in my mother's studio - mainly sitting in the back, reading a book (usually about dragons). Like most Native children, I wanted to see the same, complicated, zany portrait of my world on the page as anyone else. Stories that were imaginative and fun to read. Stories that I or Chickasaw astronaut John Bennett Herrington (the first citizen of a sovereign Indian Nation to enter space), or Diné aerospace engineer Shayna Begay would've loved to have read as a child. It's nice to think that Native kids, no matter if they are from a reservation, or the city, or the country like me, might read this book and think, I can do anything I want, even travel to the stars.