Springtime in Kitkatla

PreS-K–Any child whose family returns over and over to the same place for vacations will relate to seven-year-old First Nations girl Wałaas and her love of Kitkatla, her family’s reserve in British Columbia, Canada. She travels there by fishing boat with her grandmother, to be joined later by her mother on a plane. Wałaas describes in observant detail the nature of the five-hour boat ride to Kitkatla. When she arrives, she spends blissfully lazy days exploring the beach and eating traditional foods, such as chiton and sea urchin, with the women of her family. Wałaas’s stay in Kitkatla passes all too quickly, and at the end of the trip she is sad to leave this place that is so special to her. While the book’s narration hews closely to the theme of feelings about a beloved place, the additional layer of Wałaas’s culture creates opportunities for further exploration for children who aren’t already familiar with the Northwest First Nations. Both author and illustrator are Indigenous (Spencer is from Kitkatla’s Gitxaała Nation), and the text includes a smattering of Sm’algyax words, with an index at the end. Harvey’s cartoon-style illustrations appear to be digitally created and are bright and cheerful, conveying the pleasure of being together in Kitkatla.