Salmon Forest

by David Suzuki, Sarah Ellis, Sheena Lott (Illustrator)

In this tribute to the Pacific rainforest for kids 5 to 8, join Kate for a walk in the woods—and discover why it’s called the “salmon forest.” One Fall day, Kate goes with her father, a fish biologist, to the river where he works in the Pacific rain forest—the “salmon forest,” as he calls it. Together, they watch the sockeye salmon returning to the river to spawn, watch fat slugs and squawking gulls, and witness a bear scooping up a salmon. Next, they meet a boy named Brett and his family fishing at a pool in the river, and learn how to clean and cook salmon before sharing a tasty meal. With charming, informative text and watercolor illustrations that magically evoke the spirit and mystery of the West Coast, Salmon Forest celebrates the surprising connection between the salmon and the forest, and why they need each other.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Science

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2003

About the author

David Suzuki is a Canadian science broadcaster and environmental activist. A long time activist to reverse global climate change, Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, to work "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." The Foundation's priorities are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and David Suzuki's Nature Challenge. He also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982-1987.

Reviews

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents basic information about the life cycle of salmon and the ecology of their stream habitat as a story of an outing in which a father takes his child to check out a salmon stream and visit with fishing neighbors.
It was age appropriate for our 5 year old son who had similar stream visits last year investigating salmon spawning on the Kenai Peninsula, but the language and concepts might be slightly over the head of preschoolers who do not have that first hand experience of salmon streams to connect with the story.

[Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple introduction to the life cycle of the salmon and its vital role in the ecosystem via a father and daughter's stroll along a creek. A lot of "telling" versus showing. The white father and daughter's interactions with an Indigenous family make me nervous because there's no indication of which Indigenous group the family belongs to and it's hard to tell if they are being portrayed respectfully. The illustrator portrays them as modern every day folks who are at least acquainted with father and daughter enough to invite them to eat with them; the only distinction is that they are wearing clothes with what might be traditional symbols and the story implies that they fish for and eat salmon regularly. An author/illustrator's note about the decisions they made would give their depiction more authority. This book was published in 2003 before back matter started making the difference in authority and accuracy, but this book is still in print so...

[Kaitlin Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The forest is like a hat for the river..."

This is a neat way to share with kids the importance of keeping our forests and rivers clean and safe for our salmon friends. It teaches about ecosystems in a way that is easy-to-digest, told through a conversation between a father and daughter as they hike along the riverbank. It illustrates the sadness and beauty of a salmon's life cycle, as well as the impact of that life cycle on the whole forest. It's amazing, really.

"'Our people say, "In nature, everything is connected."'"