Pierre, S.D.—Award-winning illustrator and author S. D. Nelson has taken the old and the new and fused them together. His latest children’s book from the South Dakota State Historical Society (SDSHS) Press showcases his beautiful art and the powerful messages that run through American Indian storytelling traditions.

In Greet the Dawn: The Lakota Way, Nelson offers young readers (ages 4-9) a joyous way of appreciating their culture and surroundings. Pickup trucks and eagles, yellow school buses and painted horses, Mother Earth and Sister Meadowlark all join together to greet the dawn. They marvel at the colors and sounds, smells and memories that come with the opening of the day. Animals and humans alike turn their faces upwards and gaze as the sun makes its daily journey from horizon to horizon.

Greet the Dawn is Nelson’s take on the Lakota way, a means of living in balance, something that is perfect for our hectic modern world, a lesson that we all can benefit from. He is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and his art reflects his ancestry. His story takes the reader on the daily journey from dawn to dusk, and he urges each of us to seize the opportunity that comes with the dawn of each new day.

Nelson has won numerous national awards for his work, including an Aesop Accolade for Dance in a Buffalo Skull, also from the SDSHS Press. His work can be seen in private and public collections throughout the country. He has illustrated or written eight children’s books.

Greet the Dawn: The Lakota Way can be purchased for $18.95 (plus shipping and tax where applicable) direct from the South Dakota State Historical Society Press by contacting (605) 773-6009, emailing orders@sdshspress.com, or visiting www.sdshspress.com. The book can also be purchased from most bookstores.

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The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Tourism. The Department of Tourism is comprised of Tourism, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the State Historical Society. The Department is led by Secretary James D. Hagen. The State Historical Society is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.