A painter and a teller of stories

Books

Prints

S.D. Nelson

Author and illustrator of award-winning books for children

SD Nelson is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas. He is motivated to give back to his community, and to build literacy among Indigenous children.

Nelson creates books for children that detail vibrant Indigenous community and that honor and preserve Lakota legacy through storytelling and an innovative and contemporary artistic style that engages young readers.

His childhood experiences and family history have translated into Lakota and Great Plains stories and illustrations with authority, credibility, and authenticity. Nelson’s books are recognized widely, and his paintings are held in many permanent collections.

In 2018 Nelson co-founded the non-profit organization Read at Home, to inspire early literacy among Native American children ages 2 to 6, which now reaches children from Arizona to Alaska.

SD Nelson portrait

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