School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--2--This husband-and-wife team tell a tale based on their family's experiences visiting Alaska. Each year their family of six flies 4,000 miles from their home to go salmon fishing. At last, the unnamed daughter is old enough to join the crew and not simply sit on the sidelines watching them do their work. It's a hard, messy business in windy, wet weather but the girl is excited to be part of the operation. Upon arrival, the family repairs their cabin, outhouse, and fishing nets in readiness for the season to get underway. Detailed and vibrant illustrations are crafted with pen, ink, gouache, and digital collage. The images come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and show the family keeping busy until the radio announcer states: "The salmon are coming." Then the hard work really begins, and readers are shown an almost step-by-step sequence of events that are necessary for netting the sockeye salmon. Four pages at the end of the book give more information on the annual family trek. VERDICT This is engaging tale about a summer vacation that is far from ordinary.--Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L. WI
Publisher's Weekly Review
Carrying on an unconventional family tradition that began in illustrator Behr's childhood, the married book creators (the Real McCoys series) and their kids travel 4,000 miles every summer to fish for sockeye salmon in a remote part of Alaska called Coffee Point. That adventure is chronicled here through the eyes and voice of a child who finally gets to join the family fishing crew. With irrepressible enthusiasm and an astute sense of detail, the child recounts the elaborate preparations (almost all supplies have to be brought in), the connection to nature and a close-knit community, and the grueling but exciting work itself, which is capped off with "cold spaghetti on the bluff while rain blows sideways up our noses." The family's camaraderie and collaboration are bountifully evident in Behr's skillful balance of reportorial renderings, impressionistic landscapes, and explanatory vignettes (suiting up for the expedition, for example, takes nine layers, "even though it's June"). "Some people never get to join the fishing crew," the narrator says. "Those people are not me." Readers may not be ready to sign on, but they'll feel grateful for being afforded a spectacular front-row seat. Back matter discusses sockeye migration, the history of Native fishing practices, and salmon as a natural resource. Ages 4--7. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
Summer has arrived and, with it, an annual--and unusual--family trip. Four siblings and their parents travel 4,000 miles to arrive in Alaska. The young pale-skinned, brown-haired narrator is excited to finally be part of the fishing crew this summer. Before dawn, outfitted in rubber waders, special gloves, and warm wool hats, the crew goes out to stack nets and attach them to a raft headed out into the waves in the dark, cold morning. But the young protagonist isn't strong enough to do it alone; luckily the crew is there to work together just as the sun comes up. Soon there are fish in the nets, and they have a catch for the day. Paired with ebullient first-person prose, the illustrations immerse readers in the changing colors of the sky and waves throughout the thrilling event. Extensive backmatter explains that illustrator Behr and author Swanson are actually the mom and dad in the story, and their children are the kids. Behr's parents bought land in a place called Coffee Point and learned to fish the waters in search of adventure and family togetherness. The backmatter also includes information about Native peoples in the area and their traditional practices of fishing and living off the land. An informative first-person story that combines family history with STEM concepts for a summer to remember. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The girl narrating this lovely picture book begins by showing how her family's summer vacation differs from the average kid's trip to the beach. Instead of swimsuits, they have rubber waders and woolly hats, and the beach is strewn with pebbles and jellyfish rather than sand. That's because her family goes to Alaska to fish for salmon each summer--but this year is special because the girl gets to join the fishing crew for the first time. Behr's mixed-media illustrations (a combination of pen, ink, gouache, and digitally sampled watercolor washes) are alive with saturated colors, the family's activities, and unexpected layouts. The girl describes their preparations, how they listen to the daily fish report, and how, when the tides are finally right, they get up in the early hours of the morning to set their fishing nets. Her eagerness and pride over being part of this work is palpable, and each moment feels important, locked in Behr's artwork as an individual frame among many or as a sweeping two-page spread that captures its magnitude and beauty. The excellent back matter reveals that this story is about the creators' own family, laying out their history as commercial salmon fishers, protections in place to prevent overfishing, and how some Alaska Natives continue to catch salmon according to their traditions. Eye-opening and awesome.
