In this post, we feature author and illustrator Nat Cardozo. You can hear her speak about her new picture book, Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World, a California Reading Association Eureka! award winner. You can also try her “invitation to imagine” activities and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World
- Written by Nat Cardozo and María José Ferrada, illustrated by Nat Cardozo, and translated by Layla Benitez-James and Ian Farnes
- Published by Red Comet Press
- Release date: September 9, 2025
We are all one. We all inhabit the same planet, and we all have a common human origin. This is the core theme of this book featuring portraits of Indigenous children and their communities from around the world. Each double-page spread presents a contemporary and fascinating look at more than 20 Indigenous peoples from across the globe. These first nations were the first humans to inhabit their territories, which are under threat today from “civilization” that seeks to profit from them and their lands.
In these societies, a sense of community life prevails, based on reciprocity, solidarity, mutual aid, avoiding excess, and honoring what nature provides. Indigenous peoples are also the guardians of 80 percent of terrestrial biodiversity—they are the first conservationists of the natural environment. Franco-Uruguayan author Nat Cardozo has created a unique book with beautiful illustrations that blur the lines between humans and their environment. In addition to collecting 22 first-person stories, this informative book is about the past and present of Indigenous peoples, recounting a long history of struggle and resistance and of defense—not only of their territories but also of their languages and traditional ways of life. This collection of portraits offers a stunning invitation to acknowledge our common origin and reflect on how we might create a more united humanity.
Explore Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World
Listen to Nat Cardozo talking with TeachingBooks about creating Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to author Nat Cardozo pronounce her name.
- Sample an e-book of Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World on Overdrive.com.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activities contributed by Nat Cardozo.
Imagination Activity with Nat Cardozo
The activity I like to share with all ages is a self portrait. Use a mirror and sketch your face. Try to include the looks like the landscapes that live inside you. So, it’s not necessarily the landscape that surrounds you but also what you feel. You can play with proportions, and even reframe what you would like to change. Then, try to imagine telling one of the children from the book about your portrait.
Finish This Sentence . . . with Nat Cardozo
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy the response from Nat Cardozo.
“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”
A surprising thing that helps me work is having a long walk on nature, particularly where there are trees. Also, silence and time alone always work for me.
“You may not know that I can…”
You may not know that I can bake delicious poundcakes, embroider, and dance salsa!
“A favorite comment from a young reader is…”
I usually get lots of very interesting questions from young readers. Here is a favorite comment made by a young girl in Mexico: “After hearing you talk about this book, I realize that I really want to start living outside a flowerpot and learn about my roots.”
“I hope my book encourages readers to think about…”
I hope that my book may readers to think about what we assume as true, to question themselves, and to believe that their voices count and that there’s always something we can do as individuals and as a part of the world community. This process begins by learning more.
Thank you!
To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Nat Cardozo for signing a book for all of us.
More Connections to Nat Cardozo and Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World
- Discover books like Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World on TeachingBooks.
- Red Comet’s page about Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World, written by Nat Cardozo and María José Ferrada, illustrated by Nat Cardozo, and translated by Layla Benitez-James and Ian Farnes.
- Buy Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural World, written by Nat Cardozo and María José Ferrada, illustrated by Nat Cardozo, and translated by Layla Benitez-James and Ian Farnes.
All text and images are courtesy of Nat Cardozo and Red Comet Press and may not be used without expressed written consent.
Leave a Reply