Salmon Summer
Reviewed by Evelyn Battell

Salmon Summer is a short book describing traditional fishing on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The colour photographs on every page tell the story. A nine-year-old boy, Alex, helps his father catch the salmon in gill nets, pick the fish from the nets, and land the catch. They then clean the fish and hang them to dry. We learn of the magpie, fox, and bear who also feed on the salmon. One student writes that she couldn't believe how the seagulls eat out the eyeballs and guts of the fish! Later Alex helps with fishing for crab and, his favourite, halibut. Virginia in Duncan says, "I like him sharing with the elders. He's doing what his parents did before him." Another student comments that she likes how everyone pitches in with the work.

An important part of Salmon Summer is the dedication inside the front cover where Bruce McMillan acknowledges and honours the extended family that hosted him and taught him their traditional ways of fishing and living. It is clear as you look through the simple text and beautiful photographs that these activities have gone on in this same way at this same location for generations.

The book is about Alex's experience, so many students who read it remembered their times fishing with their families and even teaching their children the traditional ways. On the other hand, the written material is factual, which means the book easily appeals to adult students. The text is limited and good for beginning readers.

Because the photographs are so explicit and detailed, even non-readers could tell much of the story of the book. One student was interested in a picture of a Dungeness crab; she had never seen one before.

This book is written about a child in Alaska. It is not specifically aimed at adults and not Canadian. It is written and photographed by a non-First Nations man. Given these factors, the book is a remarkable find for our classrooms.

To see an actual sample page of this resource please refer to the PDF