The Girl Who Swam with the Fish: An Athabascan Legend

During a summer trip with her family to an Alaskan riverbank, an unnamed girl wonders what it would be like to be a fish while she waits for the king salmon to make their annual appearance. She soon discovers the answer to her question when she is transformed into a salmon and swims with the “ocean kings” for years, quietly learning how the salmon wish to be respected. Eventually, she grows big enough to return to her human form and she shares what she learned with her family, who follow the [...]

When an Athabaskan girl wonders what it’s like to be a fish, she transforms into a salmon, journeying through the cycle of a salmon’s life and learning the respect her people should show the salmon. This exceptional odyssey teaches the reader to keep their knives sharp and their drying racks clean as a way to show respect to the salmon. The pale coloring contrasts superbly with the thick dark woodcuts, bringing the story to life.