Springtime in Kitkatla
Wałaas is excited to visit her family's reserve, Kitkatla, for spring break.

Kitkatla always feels like home. She and her dzi'i (grandmother) travel there by fishing boat, and on the way Wałaas spots porpoises in the sparkling waves. Once they arrive, they stay with her da'as (auntie), and her mom comes too to join in the fun.

The days pass slowly as Wałaas spends time with family, wanders the shore and enjoys foods you can't get in town, like fresh chiton and sea urchin. She likes listening to her family speak Sm’algya̱x, even though her mom won't always tell her what they're talking about, and sharing an evening snack of homemade anaay (bread) and jarred cherries. The visits to Kitkatla are never long enough, but Wałaas knows she will always return to the reserve because it's her home.

Praise for Kim Spencer:

★“Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Weird Rules to Follow

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Springtime in Kitkatla
Wałaas is excited to visit her family's reserve, Kitkatla, for spring break.

Kitkatla always feels like home. She and her dzi'i (grandmother) travel there by fishing boat, and on the way Wałaas spots porpoises in the sparkling waves. Once they arrive, they stay with her da'as (auntie), and her mom comes too to join in the fun.

The days pass slowly as Wałaas spends time with family, wanders the shore and enjoys foods you can't get in town, like fresh chiton and sea urchin. She likes listening to her family speak Sm’algya̱x, even though her mom won't always tell her what they're talking about, and sharing an evening snack of homemade anaay (bread) and jarred cherries. The visits to Kitkatla are never long enough, but Wałaas knows she will always return to the reserve because it's her home.

Praise for Kim Spencer:

★“Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Weird Rules to Follow

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Springtime in Kitkatla

Springtime in Kitkatla

Springtime in Kitkatla

Springtime in Kitkatla

Overview

Wałaas is excited to visit her family's reserve, Kitkatla, for spring break.

Kitkatla always feels like home. She and her dzi'i (grandmother) travel there by fishing boat, and on the way Wałaas spots porpoises in the sparkling waves. Once they arrive, they stay with her da'as (auntie), and her mom comes too to join in the fun.

The days pass slowly as Wałaas spends time with family, wanders the shore and enjoys foods you can't get in town, like fresh chiton and sea urchin. She likes listening to her family speak Sm’algya̱x, even though her mom won't always tell her what they're talking about, and sharing an evening snack of homemade anaay (bread) and jarred cherries. The visits to Kitkatla are never long enough, but Wałaas knows she will always return to the reserve because it's her home.

Praise for Kim Spencer:

★“Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Weird Rules to Follow

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781459840102
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Publication date: 03/17/2026
Pages: 32
Product dimensions: 8.75(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range: 3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Kim Spencer is an award-winning, bestselling author. Her debut novel, Weird Rules to Follow, received a Kirkus starred review and was a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award finalist. The book won multiple awards, including a 2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, a 2023 Jean Little First-Novel Award and a 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award. It was also on the IBBY 2024 Honour List and the USBBY Outstanding International Books List in 2023. Kim is from the Gitxaała Nation and lives in northwest BC.

Karlene Harvey is Tŝilhqot’in and Syilx and currently lives on the unceded and ancestral home territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. They studied at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, earning a BFA in visual arts. When they are not making art, Karlene enjoys exploring rocky West Coast beaches with their daughter, learning their Tsilhqot’in language, and spending time in their garden.

What People are Saying About This

Samantha Beynon

“This story made me emotional. It’s the kind of book I wish I had as a child, growing up First Nations. It brings back memories of travelling by boat to Gingolx with my grandmother when I was seven—talking the whole way until Elders called me asgyaaba̱x, meaning chatterbox in Sm’algya̱x—and the beautiful times visiting Kitkatla/Gitxaała with friends in grade five, staying with their families. A story for today’s children, for those who came before and for those still to come.”

Lucy Trimble

“Kim Spencer’s Springtime in Kitkatla feels like coming home. Amg̲oogithl (beautiful) illustrations and words capture how it feels to be taken care of when you visit Gitxaała, the people of the open sea.”

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