Windswept: Chitina Alaska Childhood

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Available online at

Windswept: Chitina Alaska Childhood

Aurora Hardy returns with a whimsical compilation of stories from her childhood. The Alaska Native author pens her memoir of adventures she enjoyed while growing up three miles south of Chitina, Alaska. Her childhood home on the bluffs of the Copper River below the gaze of the Chugach Mountains was lovingly called Windswept.

Aurora reflected on life deeply as the entire world dealt with the pandemic. She wanted life to be enriched. Her son, Pyrce Raphael, urged her to write down stories from her childhood in Chitina since they were so unique and would be lost to future generations.

Windswept: Tales for Children

A companion read-along children's book tells the stories of the animals of Windswept from their perspective as they participated in Aurora's childhood. Little Bear, Moose and Brown Mouse have their own stories to tell of their encounters with the Curious Girl.

Download Windswept Tales Teacher's Guide and Activities Here.

Alaska's Copper River and Chitina

Aurora Hardy

Aurora Hardy's childhood home was on the bluffs of the Copper River below the gaze of the Chugach Mountains. It was lovingly called Windswept.

Aurora’s career started in Fairbanks with the publishing of two books and several poems. Her first novel, Terror at Black Rapids, published in 2004, dealt with thwarting a malicious terrorist attack near the famous river in the Alaska Range south of Fairbanks along the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Her second shorter novel, Ramona’s Gift, won the Tanana Chief’s Story Telling Award and the Mary Tall Mountain Fiction Award in 2007.

See Aurora's salmon catch on the cover of Alaska Native Quarterly Summer 2024 issue and read more about Aurora on page 16.

Pyrce Raphael

Pyrce Raphael is an award-winning illustrator. He has received awards from the US Department of Agriculture for a poster and by Nintendo for a video game character concept.

Aurora was thrilled when he agreed to illustrate the Windswept stories. His interpretation of the stories he had grown up listening to gave the book life. His whimsical illustrations are filled with delightful views.