Children's Fiction Native Canadian
Returning to the Yakoun River
- Publisher
- Portage & Main Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2022
- Category
- Native Canadian, Camping & Outdoor Activities, Multigenerational
- Recommended Age
- 6 to 8
- Recommended Grade
- 1 to 3
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781774920213
- Publish Date
- Sep 2022
- List Price
- $21.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781774920220
- Publish Date
- Oct 2022
- List Price
- $18.00
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Based on author Sara Florence Davidson’s childhood memories, this illustrated story captures the joy and adventure of a Haida fish camp.
Every summer, a Haida girl and her family travel up the Yakoun River on Haida Gwaii, following the salmon. While their father fishes, the girl and her brother spend their time on the land playing and learning from Tsinii (Grandfather).
About the authors
Sara Florence Davidson (she/her/hers) is a Haida/Settler Assistant Professor in Indigenous Education in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. Previously, she was an educator working with adolescents in the K-12 system in British Columbia and Yukon Territory. Sara is the co-author of Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning through Ceremony, which she wrote with her father, and Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii, which she wrote with her stepmother, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson.
When she is not reading or writing, Sara can be found walking with her dog, drinking tea, or listening to stories and learning something new.
Sara Florence Davidson's profile page
Robert Davidson is a carver, sculptor, painter, printmaker and jeweller, whose work is in private and public collections internationally. He is also a student of the Haida language, culture and history, and performs Haida songs and dances as a member of the Rainbow Creek Dancers. Two books have been published on his work, Robert Davidson, Haida Printmaker by Hilary Stewart and Robert Davidson: Eagle of the Dawn edited by Ian M. Thom, in conjunction with a major retrospective of his work at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Robert Davidson's profile page
Janine Gibbons, a Haida Raven of the Double-Fin Killer Whale Clan, Brown Bear House, is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. Janine’s works are inspired by the waters and lands of the Pacific Northwest, and their myriad colours, energies, and languages. Janine graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Janine has illustrated four books in the Sealaska Heritage’s Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians, an AIYLA Honor Book, and most recently Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales), which is entirely in the Haida language Xaad Kíl.
Awards
- Long-listed, PMC Indigenous Literature Award
Editorial Reviews
Among American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) Best Books 2022
American Indians in Children's Literature
When author Sara Florence Davidson was growing up, much of her love for storytelling was inspired by her father, renowned carver and artist Robert Davidson. Enter Returning to the Yakoun River and Dancing With Our Ancestors, written by Sara and Robert.
Windspeaker
Among CBC Books 40 Canadian picture books to watch for in fall 2022
CBC Books
Among IBBY Canada's 2020-2022 From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Book Collection
IBBY Canada
Among The Beat's A Small Press Spotlight
Comicsbeat
Among CCBC's Best Books for Kids & Teens 2023
CCBC
Each of the four books documents a different day in the authors’ lives, including learning to carve argillite and fishing on the Yakoun River. Along the way, they immerse the reader in an Indigenous approach to teaching and learning. The collection really honours the people in the stories.
Vancouver Sun
