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A review by lauriehnatiuk
The Sockeye Mother by Brett D. Huson
5.0
I discovered the Sockeye Mother by accident as a new release (Grizzly Mother) from this author came across one of my social media feeds. Intrigued by the upcoming release I sought ou this book at my local library and am glad I did. What an absolute stunning book! This book explains the life cycle of the Sockeye salmon.
There are several ways that distinguishes it from other life cycle books. Most importantly, it is a First Nations #ownvoice book and both author and illustrator are Canadian. Hetxw'ms Gyetxw references the Gitxsan language throughout the story - "This is the time of Wihlaxs (the Black Bear's Walking Moon), "New snow which the Gitxsan call dalugwa" and "Ceremony is held and and feasts occur to welcome the runs of salmon who come to replenish the land" introduce vocabulary and how the salmon are a part of the Gitxsan's lives and how they are connected to one another. These insights enhance and enrich the story beyond a simple life cycle.
The story progresses as a life cycle book would from birth to death of the salmon but these connections to other animals and the importance it plays to these animals and habitat give readers a deeper understanding of how life and land are interconnected besides the life cycle. The illustrations are beautiful and capture the movement of the salmon, the details to both the totem and life like animals talked about in the story drew me in and I found myself finding more details each time I read through the book.
At the very end Gyetxw provides readers with more information and a map about the Gitxsan people and where they lived. I appreciated and noted the importance of using the Gitxsan names for the area (Xsan river or River of Mist) rather than the colonial names given (Skeena River) which n addition on the inside jacket there is a detailed video pronunciation guide link to assist readers and see more of the illustrations in the book (https://youtu.be/p_LvJDbsmkE) In addition on the inside jacket there is a video pronunciation guide link to assist readers. A definite must have and based on this book I would purchase Grizzly Mother at the same time as I was negligent about not purchasing Sockeye Salmon for my school libraries.
There are several ways that distinguishes it from other life cycle books. Most importantly, it is a First Nations #ownvoice book and both author and illustrator are Canadian. Hetxw'ms Gyetxw references the Gitxsan language throughout the story - "This is the time of Wihlaxs (the Black Bear's Walking Moon), "New snow which the Gitxsan call dalugwa" and "Ceremony is held and and feasts occur to welcome the runs of salmon who come to replenish the land" introduce vocabulary and how the salmon are a part of the Gitxsan's lives and how they are connected to one another. These insights enhance and enrich the story beyond a simple life cycle.
The story progresses as a life cycle book would from birth to death of the salmon but these connections to other animals and the importance it plays to these animals and habitat give readers a deeper understanding of how life and land are interconnected besides the life cycle. The illustrations are beautiful and capture the movement of the salmon, the details to both the totem and life like animals talked about in the story drew me in and I found myself finding more details each time I read through the book.
At the very end Gyetxw provides readers with more information and a map about the Gitxsan people and where they lived. I appreciated and noted the importance of using the Gitxsan names for the area (Xsan river or River of Mist) rather than the colonial names given (Skeena River) which n addition on the inside jacket there is a detailed video pronunciation guide link to assist readers and see more of the illustrations in the book (https://youtu.be/p_LvJDbsmkE) In addition on the inside jacket there is a video pronunciation guide link to assist readers. A definite must have and based on this book I would purchase Grizzly Mother at the same time as I was negligent about not purchasing Sockeye Salmon for my school libraries.