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cweichel's review
5.0
This review is also posted on my blog at https://dickenslibrary.blogspot.ca/2018/03/the-sockeye-mother-by-hetxwms-gyetxw.html
If you want to see samples of the glorious illustrations you should go there.
In early spring, during the time of Wihlaxs (the Black Bear’s Walking Moon), salmon fry leave their hatching grounds in search of nursing water. It doesn't take long for these tiny fish to become independent of their yolk sacs. After a couple of years, the little sockeye becomes a smoult, preparing itself to move from freshwater to the saltwater of the ocean. When the spring salmon make their trek up the Skeena River, it is time for these smoults to make their journey to the sea.
The Gitxsan, who live near the Skeena River, prepare their nets to capture these spring salmon. A ceremony is held to give thanks and pray that the salmon will always return and nourish the people and land.
Those smoults who make it to the Pacific swim north to feed and grow. After two years, the “sockeye mother” swims against the current of the river to return to the exact place where she was spawned. This is the time of Lasa lik’i’nxsw (the Grizzly Bear’s Moon). People and bears catch thousands of salmon at this time. Grizzlys often carry their catch into the forest where they eat only the eggs and fatty bellies leaving the rest of the fish to decay and nourish the forest.
The salmon that make it to the nesting areas lay their eggs and “die a replenishing death” thus fertilizing the water and land.
What I love most about this book is how it highlights the Salmon’s role as a keystone species both ecologically and culturally for the Gitxsan people in Northern BC. At the same time as it takes the reader through the life cycle of this important fish, it shows us how connected the people are to it during each phase.
I appreciated that the text uses Gitxsan terms and doesn’t hesitate to use challenging vocabulary. It explains that the sockeye has to avoid predators and “dodge the changing landscape denuded by the clear-cutting of man.” Some scientific vocabulary is explained in small text boxes. The back matter gives extra information about the Gitxsan people and shows a map of their unceded territory.
The sense of connection between people and salmon is there in the use of the Gitxsan language in the text, but it’s integral to the illustrations. The images are gorgeously coloured in the shades of the rainforest and river. Having visited this part of the world, I can attest that it captures the terrain brilliantly. What brings it all together though, is the use of traditional art into these landscapes.
All school libraries should own at least one copy of this book.
If you want to see samples of the glorious illustrations you should go there.
In early spring, during the time of Wihlaxs (the Black Bear’s Walking Moon), salmon fry leave their hatching grounds in search of nursing water. It doesn't take long for these tiny fish to become independent of their yolk sacs. After a couple of years, the little sockeye becomes a smoult, preparing itself to move from freshwater to the saltwater of the ocean. When the spring salmon make their trek up the Skeena River, it is time for these smoults to make their journey to the sea.
The Gitxsan, who live near the Skeena River, prepare their nets to capture these spring salmon. A ceremony is held to give thanks and pray that the salmon will always return and nourish the people and land.
Those smoults who make it to the Pacific swim north to feed and grow. After two years, the “sockeye mother” swims against the current of the river to return to the exact place where she was spawned. This is the time of Lasa lik’i’nxsw (the Grizzly Bear’s Moon). People and bears catch thousands of salmon at this time. Grizzlys often carry their catch into the forest where they eat only the eggs and fatty bellies leaving the rest of the fish to decay and nourish the forest.
The salmon that make it to the nesting areas lay their eggs and “die a replenishing death” thus fertilizing the water and land.
What I love most about this book is how it highlights the Salmon’s role as a keystone species both ecologically and culturally for the Gitxsan people in Northern BC. At the same time as it takes the reader through the life cycle of this important fish, it shows us how connected the people are to it during each phase.
I appreciated that the text uses Gitxsan terms and doesn’t hesitate to use challenging vocabulary. It explains that the sockeye has to avoid predators and “dodge the changing landscape denuded by the clear-cutting of man.” Some scientific vocabulary is explained in small text boxes. The back matter gives extra information about the Gitxsan people and shows a map of their unceded territory.
The sense of connection between people and salmon is there in the use of the Gitxsan language in the text, but it’s integral to the illustrations. The images are gorgeously coloured in the shades of the rainforest and river. Having visited this part of the world, I can attest that it captures the terrain brilliantly. What brings it all together though, is the use of traditional art into these landscapes.
All school libraries should own at least one copy of this book.
elizabethlk's review
4.0
I was already a fan of Natasha Donovan's artwork, but this absolutely solidifies this. The art here is stunning. The story itself is a really cute way to learn about both sockeye salmon and the Gitxsan people.
This picture book is perfect for older children, but it would be suitable for younger kids with help or for older readers who enjoy picture books.
This picture book is perfect for older children, but it would be suitable for younger kids with help or for older readers who enjoy picture books.
tashrow's review
5.0
This picture book combines biology with a storytelling feel to create a very special tale. It is the story of sockeye salmon. From their time as a small fry just losing their yolk sac through to adult sockeye returning to their birthplace to spawn before they die. The picture book is also about the Gitxsan people of the Pacific Northwest and their connection to the river and the salmon. The book looks at the various stages of the live of the salmon and offers scientific information about them, the bears, environmental impact of humans, and much more.
The book is deep and lovely, the tone unique and lush. Seasons are captured in words but also in the senses. The scent of pine and cedar, the replacing of old snow with new snow, the run of water in the river, all fill this book with elements of the Pacific Northwest. The illustrations are large and mostly focused on the river and the salmon. Even the smoke from a fire flows across the dark sky like the river flows on other pages. A picture book written and illustrated to honor the Xsan river and the animals and humans who depend on it. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
The book is deep and lovely, the tone unique and lush. Seasons are captured in words but also in the senses. The scent of pine and cedar, the replacing of old snow with new snow, the run of water in the river, all fill this book with elements of the Pacific Northwest. The illustrations are large and mostly focused on the river and the salmon. Even the smoke from a fire flows across the dark sky like the river flows on other pages. A picture book written and illustrated to honor the Xsan river and the animals and humans who depend on it. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
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