Book review: Returning to the Yakoun River
Reviewed by Alex Hebert
Returning to the Yakoun River is the third book in the Sk’ad’a Stories Series by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson. The series is based on childhood memories of Sara Florence Davidson and is verified by her father, Robert Davidson. The series focuses on Haida culture, experience, and adventures. This narrative is suitable and entertaining for young readers aged 9-12.
For the summer, a young Haida girl and her family live on a fish camp on the land of their ancestors in Haida Gwaii on the Yakoun River. While her father and uncle fish, she, her brother, and cousin play together while also learning about the land of their ancestors through their grandfather.
This book is about learning the traditional ways of a Haida Fish camp such as: setting up and checking nets, visiting the spring for water, wiping cans, making brine, and preparing salmon. It is nice to show how children can learn from the land, which is the best education.
The children in the book are close in age and behave similarly to the target audience, this makes the message more impactful and clearer for readers.
The illustrations are eye-catching and keep readers engaged. They are detailed, support the theme, and help deliver the message of the book.
Sara Florence Davidson is a Haida/Settler author and assistant professor in Indigenous Education at Simon Fraser University.
Robert Davidson is one of the most respected and important contemporary artists in Canada. A Northwest Coast native of Haida descent, he is a master carver of totem poles and masks and works in a variety of other media as a printmaker, painter, and jeweller.
Janine Gibbons, a Haida Raven of the Double-Fin Killer Whale Clan, Brown Bear House, is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. She has illustrated three books in the Sealaska Heritage’s Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians.
Sara Florence Davidson,Returning to the Yakoun River, Winnipeg: Portage & Main Press, 2022.
ISBN: 9781774920213