In 2006, Reese founded American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL), an organization and website that offers critical analysis of Native and Indigenous peoples in children's literature.[4][6][7] She frequently discusses the inaccuracy of depictions of Natives in classic American children's literature like Peter Pan and Little House on the Prairie series, and suggests that they lead readers to believe that Natives are no longer present.[4][6]
Reese advocates for teachers and parents to select books written for and by Native Americans as the best way to engage their narratives.[6] She has repeatedly spoken against the publication of Native stories by white writers from the "big five" publishers.[4] Reese was one of several writers who spoke out against the publication of children's book A Birthday Cake for George Washington and used AICL to track the publisher's response to the campaign.[8]
In 2019, she and Jean Mendoza co-wrote An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People, based on An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States.[3] The book was named a 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Young Adult Honor Book.[9]
Personal life
Reese lives in New Mexico. She is married and has one daughter.[3]
Works
Mendoza, Jean; Reese, Debbie (2019). An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People. Penguin Random House. ISBN9780807049396.