Real Places. Fun Adventures. New Characters.

For this unique coloring/story adventure we created brand new characters and included facts about everything Alaskan! So before you dive in, we wanted to share a little about how we named each character, how to say their names, and where you can go to see our sources for the facts we present throughout our book.

Kiana

(Pronounced Kee-On-Uh) She was named after a small village in Alaska that equally represents the remote beauty of the state as well as Alaskan Native culture. Kiana grew up in the remote village of Pedro Bay and eventually moved to the much larger city of Fairbanks in her teens. She always had a large extended family that was made up of both serious academics as well as adventurous artistic types. She eventually became an extremely well rounded and capable individual because of the influence of so many ranging from her wise Elders to her comical friends.

She is the type of person that is likely to be on board for a last minute adventure, however is also just as likely to turn one down if she thinks it a little too irresponsible. She is a voice of reason in a group, but is not above abandoning the rules when curiosity gets the better of her (she often finds herself in ridiculous circumstances because of this).

Kiana was raised in an environment where she learned a great deal through Alaska Native storytelling and so additionally embodies the love of history and mythology in Alaska.

Kenai

(Pronounced Kee-Nigh) He was named after the city of the same name that is renowned worldwide for its excellent Salmon fishing and has been occupied from 1000 B.C. to the modern day! He grew up alongside his older sister Kiana, but unlike her, he was born and raised in Fairbanks. His parents had sled-dogs and he loved to play with them, in the dirt or snow it did not matter. He is a high energy, unpredictable, and incredibly trusting kiddo who never looks before he leaps.

Kenai sees all of Alaska as his playground and can be so over the top enthusiastic about just about any topic that he is often seen as a handful. He shares the same birthday as the massive 1964 earthquake that devastated parts of Alaska, and his wild personality perfectly embodies the chaos of that event.

Kenai embodies the pure wildness of nature, the trusting nature of a child, and the spirit of adventurers the world over who always pushed forward no matter the challenge.

Kodiak

(Pronounced Ko-Dee-Ack) He was named after the main city on Kodiak Island in Alaska, which interestingly, was once the capital of Alaska when Russia controlled the territory. He was raised along with his sister Kiana in the remote village of Pedro Bay where he was taught the many skills needed to live a subsistence lifestyle (living off the land). He would often escape the rigors of this lifestyle by reading all manner of books. He eventually grew to be a highly intelligent and hard working man with a tremendous respect for wildlife and the ecosystems they inhabit here in Alaska.

Kodiak is a very serious, but very loving, teacher of all things Alaskan no matter what situation he finds himself in. In fact he dedicated himself to this pursuit and after gaining a degree in biology, he became a park ranger.

Kodiak represents structure, order, and understanding of the wild Alaskan environment that surrounds him. He is never the type to make a rash decision and must think things through completely before he takes action.

Adventure Bonnie

(Pronounced Adventure-Bon-Ee) She was named after the spirit of all things relating to Alaskan adventure, exploration, and was the first character created by The Alaska Frontier. She was born near Baytown, Texas and moved to Wasilla, Alaska when she was very young when her father got a new job. She grew up in a very modern Alaska but was always drawn to explore the incredible wilderness outside of the city.

Although her friends in Anchorage hardly ever wanted to go out and explore, she eventually met her best friend Kiana on a school trip to Fairbanks who encouraged her to do just that. In fact, Bonnie began to go on so many constant adventures around Alaska with Kiana, that Kiana eventually just started asking her “Where is Adventure Bonnie taking us today?” and the nickname stuck.

Adventure Bonnie is a highly energetic, extremely curious, nature and wildlife photographer/filmmaker. She also enjoys drawing in her journal and trying to capture the best Alaska has to offer to share with the world. She is almost constantly in motion and on some kind of far flung adventure either by herself or with others.

Hatcher The Pika

(Pronounced Hatch-Ur The Pie-Kuh) Was named after Hatcher Pass Alaska which is home to the historical Independence Gold Mine and the now world famous Pika Township. He was the first animal friend that Adventure Bonnie ever discovered and visited frequently. No matter what adventures she had during the year, she always made time to go visit him high up in the mountains at least a few times. Defying all logic, Hatcher, after years of friendship with Adventure Bonine, started popping up in the strangest places as she traveled around Alaska.

He would sometimes travel directly by her side, while other times he would explore all on his own, but Hatcher was always around somewhere to bring joy, advice, and an animal’s perspective to things. Hatcher falls into the category of both a real creature as well as something right out of a fantastical Alaskan mythological story.

Hatcher embodies pure cuteness, compassion for wildlife, and bridges the gap between reality and a whimsical animal world here in Alaska. He can communicate with all Alaskan animals and also with Adventure Bonnie, leading to many interesting situations on their adventures.

If you are curious about where we sourced our facts in this book, need to source them for school, or are simply curious, please check out our website at thealaskafrontier.com/sources for more information!