The Sockeye Mother (Mothers of Xsan Series #1)

by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw Brett D. Huson, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator)

Overview

To the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia, the sockeye salmon is more than just a source of food. Over its life cycle, it nourishes the very land and forests that the Skeena River runs through and where the Gitxsan make their home. The Sockeye Mother explores how the animals, water, soil, and seasons are all intertwined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781553797395
Publisher:	Portage & Main Press
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Series:	Mothers of Xsan Series , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	130,839
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, also known as Brett D. Huson (he/him/his), is from the Gitxsan Nation of the Northwest Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Growing up in this strong matrilineal society, Brett developed a passion for the culture, land, and politics of his people, and a desire to share their knowledge and stories. Brett has worked in the film and television industry for over 13 years and is a volunteer board member for organizations such as Ka Ni Kanichihk and sākihiwē festival. Brett also works with the Prairie Climate Centre to connect western science and Indigenous Knowledges.

The award-winning Mothers of Xsan series is Brett’s first series of books and part of a larger vision to share the worlds of the Gitxsan Nation. With the support of his wife, Jeri, and their children, Warren and Ruby, Brett endeavours to continue sharing stories with his writing, artwork, and photography.

Natasha Donovan (she/her/hers) is a Métis illustrator originally from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her sequential work has been published in This Place: 150 Years Retold, Wonderful Women of History, and Thomas King's graphic novel Borders. She is the illustrator of the award-winning Surviving the City graphic novel series and Mothers of Xsan children's book series, as well as Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer. She currently lives by the Nooksack River in Washington State. @natashamdonovan

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

BC ERAC approved resource.

Winner of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Youth Book Award 2018 .

Shortlisted for the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/22/2018
Writing in lyrical prose, Huson, who belongs to the Gitxsan Nation, honors the sockeye salmon as a resource and potent symbol within Gitxsan culture: “Little does this small sockeye fry know that its life cycle not only nourishes the people and other beings along the watersheds, it is the whole reason the forests and landscapes exist.” He describes the journey of a young sockeye from the river to the Pacific and back again to spawn, incorporating (and defining) vocabulary words related to salmon ecology, including semelparous (“breeding only once in a lifetime”) and keystone species. Donovan, a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia, incorporates masklike images into her dynamic spreads, as well as motifs of flowing currents, plumes of campfire smoke, grasses, and tree bark. Huson eloquently conveys the fragile interconnectedness of the natural world and the moral imperative to protect it. Ages 10–14. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Highly recommended!

Debbie Reesen Indians in Children's Literature

Accessible to fluent readers in the late primary and intermediate grades, this book is a rich source of information and fits well with the Social Studies and Science curriculum.

Canadian Teacher Magazine - Brenda Boreham

Accessible to fluent readers in the late primary and intermediate grades, this book is a rich source of information and fits well with the Social Studies and Science curriculums.

CM Review - Gillian Richardson

Highly recommended!

American Indians in Children's Literature - Debbie Reese

When you live in a city, you tend to get disconnected from nature. We might see it in the park, and we might see it in our gardens, but we don't connect it all in our minds. And this might be the problem with why so many people do not get that we really are interconnected.

This lovely, lush, beautifully illustrated picture book uses the example of the Sockeye salmon to explain how important it is to the existence of all life around it, not just the people, Gitxsan, of the Xsan (or River of Mists or the Colonial name of Skeena River).

We learn the life's path of the Miso'o or the sockeye, from fry (their earliest form post egg) to their final breeding form, as the months change, and the different moons signal different things in the life of the fish.

This is a wonderful way to introduce children, and probably some adults, to just how important a small little fish can be, and why it is important to the Gitxsan rely on it.

NetGalley - Laura Rinaldi

The stunning, over sized images of salmon and grizzly on the cover are repeated throughout the book. The bright animated figures flow across double page spreads to create an impression of motion along the river. The bold orange/red and green salmon stand in brilliant contrast to the black of the rushing river, and a blend of blue/green used for the background (and end papers) of waving fronds of water weeds. One huge image of the grizzly eating a salmon almost leaps off the page in an impressive display of the reverence with which these animals are held.

The Sockeye Mother will be a terrific addition to the titles already in the marketplace about the salmon story which is of such importance to west coast Indigenous people.

Highly Recommended. ***½ /4

- Gillian Richardson, CM: Canadian Review of Materials.

This lovely, lush, beautifully illustrated picture book uses the example of the Sockeye salmon to explain how important it is to the existence of all life around it, not just the people, Gitxsan, of the Xsan (or River of Mists or the Colonial name of Skeena River). [...] This is a wonderful way to introduce children, and probably some adults, to just how important a small little fish can be, and why it is important to the Gitxsan rely on it. [...]  Highly recommended to children, libraries, schools, and homes. A lovely book to own and look at, and perhaps, learn from.

- NetGalley review


Huson eloquently conveys the fragile interconnectedness of the natural world and the moral imperative to protect it.
- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review


"An excellent addition to curriculums that tie scientific principles to cultural practices; the work should be embraced by libraries to help educate readers about the Gitxsan." - Kirkus Reviews


A wonderful exploration of science and culture with many ties to curricula. A top selection for nonfiction collections.
– Meaghan Nichols, Archaeological Research Associates, Ont. School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2018
Gr 3–6—Gyetxw, also known as Brett D. Huson, has penned a moving meditation on the life cycle of the Sockeye salmon from the perspective of the Gitxsan people of Northwestern British Columbia. This beautifully illustrated book captures the growth of salmon from fry to full maturity and beyond. The Sockeye salmon are a keystone species along the Xsan (Skeena) River. Each section of the book highlights how this fish shapes the life of the people and animals along the Xsan. Vocabulary words are highlighted on each page with clear definitions. Gyetxw is a member of the Gitxsan nation and his passion and love of his culture is evident in the care with which the text has been written. Donovan, a member of the Métis nation, uses rich colors and bold lines to create stunningly detailed scenes of Xsan river life—readers will not be able to look away. VERDICT A wonderful exploration of science and culture with many ties to curricula. A top selection for nonfiction collections.—Meaghan Nichols, Archaeological Research Associates, Ont.

School Library Journal

2018-02-26
A member of the Gitxsan Nation in British Columbia uses his singular perspective to craft this debut picture book about the life cycle and environmental impact of the sockeye salmon.The narrative follows a sockeye salmon from birth to death, describing each phase of its life and culminating in the fish's swimming upstream to spawn and die. While there is much literature about the remarkable migration of salmon, this tale succeeds in linking this natural phenomenon to the cultural practices of the Gitxsan and their interpretation of the seasons. The story also emphasizes the migration's ecological importance. Readers are told that the small sockeye's "life cycle not only nourishes the people and other beings along the watersheds, it is the whole reason the forests and landscapes exist." The book is clearly written, and Huson is not shy about using a sophisticated vocabulary, supplementing many passages with definitions or explanations to help readers digest the information. In addition to the scientific terms, readers are introduced to Gitxsan words, phrases, and ideas ("New snow, which the Gitxsan call dalugwa"). The pictures by debut illustrator Donovan are beautifully rendered, reminiscent of ink-and-brush work, and make use of imagery from Pacific Northwest cultures. The book closes with a brief description of the location and practices of the Gitxsan, along with a map.An excellent addition to curriculums that tie scientific principles to cultural practices; the work should be embraced by libraries to help educate readers about the Gitxsan.

Kirkus Reviews