Swimmer

by Shelley Gill, Shannon Cartwright (Illustrator)

This thrilling story of the Chinook salmon beautifully illustrates nature's circle and the cycle of life. The story of the Chinook salmon is nothing less than a miracle of nature. She hatches from a tiny pearl-colored egg and begins her adventure - a 10,000-mile journey from the gravel bed of Caribou Creek to the Pacific and back. 

This book is part of the PAWS IV Publishing series and was originally published in 1995. Special thanks to biologists Bill Bushur, Henry Yuen, Suzi Lozo and Richard Barnes and elder Elena Charles and all the kids and parents from Newtok, Atmautlauk, Napaskiak and Kwethluk who helped me understand yaaruiq.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Alaskan author Shelley Gill lives in Homer, Alaska at the end of the road in North America. Her books reflect her life: racing in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, doing humpback research in Prince William Sound and working as a naturalist in various habitats: Alaska, Antarctica and Hawaii. Her current project, Whale Detective, follows her own research into the community life of humpbacks in Alaska. Her APP What's Up With Whales is in the App Store and looks at the new science about whales around the world. And in February her first board book: If I Were A Whale will be released by Sasquatch Books. She has visited 4800 schools around the world inspiring students to be avid readers and great writers. Her autobiography, Gabe-a girl, her dog and the 1970's, was released in the fall 2016.

Reviews

[Melissa Namba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie. I learned SO MUCH from this book. I've lived in Alaska for a year and a half now and I feel like this book should be given out at the airport instead of free Covid Tests. I had no idea that you could tell the age of a salmon by the rings on its scales! Or what Gill Netting versus Trawling were. Now I know! Highly recommended!

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well written and illustrated. Learned a lot!!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like three books in one.

First, is the picture story. If I were reading this with a young children or an older child who has not experience with the ocean, salmon, or life in the NW, we would study the picture, trying to pull together a story and wondering about things we see but can't explain.

Second, is the historical fiction of a girl whose family depends on salmon to support their style of life. I'd use this story when the child has outgrown the picture story. It would be particularly good for young students who are beginning to learn about ecosystems, natural history of particular animals, food chains, and other biological concepts. (But I wish the story were a little more engaging.)

And finally, there's the factual information bands at the tops and/or bottoms of the page, which are useful for anyone wanting to know more about salmon.

As I read this, it dawned on me that salmon was to the people of the NW comparable to what bison meant to the plains-dwellers. (Having spent most of my life in the central states and the NE, I know very little about salmon so I'm probably rating this differently from a rating assigned by someone native to the NW.)

[Little Champs]

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