The award is part of the annual American Book Awards established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation of Oakland, California. The purpose of the award is to promote American multicultural literature. The award was presented to Garza on January 30 at a ceremony in Anchorage held in conjunction with the Alaska Native Educators conference. Published by the University of Alaska Sea Grant Program in Fairbanks, Tlingit Moon and Tide combines Native knowledge of the natural world with modern scientific inquiry. Through lessons and activities, students explore Native knowledge of the moon and tides with art and stories, and they learn scientific principles such as how to measure the passage of time and relate lunar and tidal cycles.
Students also learn how to catalog and describe the flora and fauna that live within the tide zone.
The book is part of the National Science Foundation's Rural Systemic Initiative implemented by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Rural Systemic Initiative's goal is to address the education needs of Alaska Natives. The Alaska Sea Grant College Program is a marine research, education and outreach service headquartered at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Sea Grant is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the state of Alaska and private industry.