Prairie Rain Publishing

 Deborah Yawney  has lived in several parts of Canada before settling in Southern Alberta.  

Deborah worked as a teacher on the Blood Reserve for four years.  She soon realized that there were few Blackfoot resources available.  

Deborah completed her Master's of Education at the University of Lethbridge in 2005 specializing in cross-cultural education.  Several articles she read while pursuing her M.Ed.  reiterated the importance of relevance and recognition in developing literacy skills. 
Deborah completed her PhD with a focus on sustainability
in June 2023.

She decided to write a series of stories about a young sister and brother growing up on the Blood Reserve and shortly thereafter, the characters Sierra and Blue were born.   






 

 
 

Makai'stoo - Leo Fox is a life long educator and native Blackfoot speaker.  

Leo has made it his life work to develop Blackfoot curriculum and preserve his culture.  He has worked with other members of his tribe to publish volumes 1- 1V of Kitomahkitapiiminnooniksi Stories from Our Elders.  He also published Kipaitapiiwahsinnooni with the Kainai Board of Education in 2001.  

Leo was an elementary school principal for the Kainai Board of Education for many years. In the later stages of his career, he worked for the Kainai Board of Education on the Blood reserve where he helped with efforts to preserve the Blackfoot language and assisted in developing much needed Blackfoot curriculum until his retirement in 2012.  

Annette Nieukerk - Visual Artist and Theatrical Designer. Annette is a lifelong learner, educator and artist.  

She has taught students from kindergarten through university - with the majority of those years being spent teaching art at a High School in Lethbridge, AB.  

Annette has also taught theatrical design and stagecraft classes at the University of Lethbridge.  She is currently retired and volunteers her time running art classes at the homeless shelter once a week.  

With a strong background in visual art - specifically drawing and painting - and in theatre design, Annette now free lances as a designer and continues to explore her own work.  

Sierra and Blue  Go to Visit their Cousins is her third book of illustrations.