Molly of Denali

Poster for Molly of Denali.Molly of Denali, a new animated series that debuted nationwide in summer 2019 on PBS stations, the 24/7 PBS KIDS channel and PBS KIDS digital platforms. Produced by WGBH Boston, Molly of Denali is an action-adventure comedy that follows the adventures of feisty and resourceful 10-year-old Molly Mabray, an Alaska Native girl. Molly of Denali is the first nationally distributed children’s series in the U.S. to feature an Alaska Native lead character. Molly helps her mom and dad run the Denali Trading Post, a general store, bunkhouse, and transport hub in the fictional village of Qyah, Alaska. Each episode follows Molly, her dog Suki and her friends Tooey and Trini on their daily adventures in Alaska, from fishing to building snow forts to delivering a camera to friends on a volcano via dog sled.

Molly of Denali is designed to help kids ages 4-8 develop knowledge and skills for interacting with informational texts through video content, interactive games, and real-world activities. A foundational aspect of literacy education, informational texts are designed to convey information, and include written words, images, and oral language. In each episode, Molly’s life and adventures are enhanced, illuminated, and broadened by using and creating a variety of informational texts, including books, online resources, field guides, historical archives, indigenous knowledge from elders, maps, charts, posters, photos, and more. Molly also shares the information that she gathers through a vlog, offering short-form videos in which she shares aspects of her life in Alaska with kids in the lower 48 states and around the world.

 

 

Premiere Interstitial for “Grandpa’s Drum”, directed and produced by Maya Salganek, along with students, alumni, and faculty from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

“Ice Carving” Directed and Produced by Maya Salganek, along with Students and Alumni from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

“Jig Dance” Directed and Produced by Maya Salganek, along with Students and Alumni from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

“Museum Artifacts” Directed and Produced by Maya Salganek, along with Students and Alumni from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

“Awesome Alaskan Kids: Blueberries” Directed and Produced by Maya Salganek, along with Students and Alumni from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

Feb 21, 2021 Follow Anabah on another awesome adventure in Fairbanks, Alaska! This time Anabah goes to fish camp, a place her family gathers every year to catch, smoke, and preserve fish! Directed and Produced by Maya Salganek, along with Students and Alumni from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

 

 

Press

 

New Mexico In Focus, a Production of NMPBS Published on Jul 19, 2019 July 19, 2019 – Correspondent Antonia Gonzales talks with producer Maya Salganek about a new PBS KIDS series about a 10-year-old Alaska Native girl, called “Molly of Denali.” The show weaves together literacy skills and Native values. It’s the first nationally distributed children’s television series to feature a Native American lead character. Salganek was born and raised in Santa Fe.

  The New York Times
"With 'Molly of Denali,' PBS Raises its Bar for Inclusion"
Julian Jacobs
July 15, 2019