The Gift by Kristine L. Franklin & Illus Barbara Lavallee

Barbara Lavallee is an Alaskan artist that my mother fell in love with when I was a kid. We had prints of hers on our wall, trivets with her art, the mugs with her art were set in a separate place so my brothers and father wouldn't fill them with coffee and take them to some far flung part of the farm and leave them on fenceposts, under a tractor seat, or in the milkhouse. 

As a hangover from my childhood, anything Barbara Lavallee has illustrated has instantly become a bit special. I found this book on a library shelf in Anchorage last summer and had to check it out. With a 50 book limit* on our library card, we had to make some hard decisions about what we were and were not taking home with us, but this made the cut. 

(This may seem like a gigantic limit, but it had to supply four kids, as well as myself, so it actually was a little hard. Books had to be put back on the shelf and left behind, always a sad, sad thing.)

I was already in favor of the illustrator, but the story itself was well worth it as well--traditional native fishing villiage, elder wisdom, and amazement at nature. 

Jimmy Joe loved to fish, just like all the rest of his family. 

So Jimmy Joe heads over to "help" the fish woman catch some fish. They get everything ready to head out to fish. 

My cousin worked in a gift shop in Anchorage one summer and hated Barbara Lavallee due to the dividing line down the middle of the faces. Having been raised on these prints and illustrations, I never thought about it before. But there it is. In every face. 

Fish Woman has promised Jimmy Joe a salmon fishing expedition. Salmon in their richness and bounty hold a special place in the lives and imaginations of the native peoples of the Pacific Northwest/Alaska. Jimmy Joe is determined to catch the best, the biggest, and the most. 

Catching the fish and putting it on ice.

When he catches a fish and sees all its sparkling majesty snuffed out, Jimmy Joe is torn. He knows his mother wanted fish to eat, but how can he take this beautiful thing from the sea? 

Then!--the magic! The wolves of the sea appear. 

Deigning to show themselves is a gift from the sea. The wise Fish Woman and Jimmy Joe both recognize the honor. 

And suddenly, Jimmy Joe knows what to do with the magnificent fish he caught--return it as a gift to the orcas. 

This is a little confusing since he was hesitant to catch the fish and use it to feed his own family, but I guess being the meal of an orca is a bit more fascinating to a little boy than being the meal of a mere human. 

And he heads home--salmonless, but with an amazement and wonder of the sea. 

I like the practicality of this book--Jimmy Joe, while lamenting the necessity of killing such an amazing creature, also understands enough of nature to know the salmon can't escape being someone's meal. 

I love the Fish Woman helping him come to that realization. I like Jimmy Joe being allowed to spend time with (and wanting to spend time with) this elderly person who has so much wisdom and understanding to share with him. 

Alaska Boots for Chelsea by Phyllis Adams & Illus by Kathleen Lynch

Another Alaska book! 

Hopefully you don't get tired of Alaska books because, I have every intention of blogging about each and every Alaskan book that catches my attention. #noshame

This book is a tender look at personal responsibility, forgiveness, and renewal with a few traditional customs of the Athabaskan people thrown in. Or it looks at the traditional customs of the Athabaskan people with a side order of personal responsibility, forgiveness, and renewal. Depends on your perspective.

Chelsea is finally old enough for her very own pair of boots. Her sitsu (grandmother) tells her how to care for the boots as she makes them. 

"...they will be forever warm and light if you do not get them wet. Once they are wet, they become very heavy. You will feel like a Raven without wings. You can't fly, you can't dance."

These boots are made from the animals that are vital to traditional Athabaskan life--moose skin, caribou skin, and beaver fur. 

That is one thing I love about traditional customs--they tie people to the land so closely. Someone related to them likely shot, processed the meat, skinned the skin, and tanned the hide of these animals so they could be used. It is so much more intimate than mass commercial production. Of course it is also less productive and efficient. Trade offs! 

Beadwork decorations of Sitka rose and forget-me-nots.

And so Chelsea has her marvelous boots! And they keep her warm and make her dance all winter. 

But when the boots get wet in the spring, Chelsea throws them in a cache to hopefully let them dry out before anyone sees that they are wet. Except little creatures find her boots before Chelsea remembers to come back to get them.

When winter came again....

Chelsea went to find her boots. And instead of the beautiful boots her grandmother had made, she found damaged and ruined boots.

When she confesses all to Sitsu, Sitsu hugs her and tells her she can repair them. 

They are ready for dancing again for the potlatch.

And for watching the aurora borealis. 

At the back, there is a brief note from the author about Athabaskan traditions Chelsea experiences in the book and a glossary for terms. 

All You Need for a Snowman by Alice Schertle & Illus by Barbara Lavallee

This is a cute little winter book. And it is illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. Barbara Lavallee is an Alaskan artist that does a lot of art for the tourist trade. My cousin worked in a souvenir shop in Anchorage for a summer and she referred to Barbara Lavallee illustrations as "those two faced people artist." At first I didn't even know who she was referring to, but then she showed me a Barbara Lavallee mug--each person has a line down the face. "See? Two faces." I am a Barbara Lavellee fangirl, but I still thought it was funny! 

See? Barbara Lavallee kids are just adorable. 

Love all the color in amongst the blues and pastels of winter. 

The giantest snowman ever. 

One fun thing about this book is a bold declaration "that's all that you need for a snowman." And then, in the bottom right hand corner, there is an "EXCEPT" which is fun for asking kids what else they might need. 

Love the sweaters, scarves, and caps.

Kids get inventive with the things they can use for the snowman's clothes.

This is a fun book to pair with those instructive writing assignments "How to build a.... whatever the teacher chooses" 

Finished. Except....

He needed a friend.

This a light, fun, winter read.

Salty Takes Off by Gloria Rand & Illus by Ted Rand

When we were up in Alaska last summer, I maxed out my sister's library card at Loussac and got ALL the Alaska books out. 

This one caught my eye because it is based on a true story. And who doesn't love a good dog story? 

Salty.

I think I have mentioned my love for Ted Rand. Several times. 

In this story, Salty and Zack get off their boat and spend the winter on land. 

Salty makes friends with the locals

And life is pretty good. Even with a potentially deadly bear rug. 

Zach gets a job at the local airfield. So Salty hangs out there too, making friends with the pilots. 

On of the pilots, Jarman would take Salty with him on his flights to deliver the mail.

The children loved to see Salty hopping off the plane while Jarman handed over the mail and freight. 

But one trip, the turbulence was so bad, Salty got antsy and began to hop over Jarman. On one of his hops, he hit the door handle and flew out before Jarman could react. 

Salty was completely shocked by the fall, but the snow cushioned him and he huddled up for the night. 

The next morning, Jarman and Zack headed back to see if they could find any trace of Salty. 

And there he was! 

Oh the joy!

And of course, Salty was a local hero. 

Until finally, Salty and Zack could head out on their boat again.