From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-This simple family story is set in Kwethluk, a Yup'ik village in western Alaska. Five-year-old Kitaq awakens one morning determined that this will be the day of his first ice-fishing expedition. He soon convinces his visiting grandfather that he is old enough to make the journey to the fishing spot and back again. The excursion yields three healthy pike and the promise of a family celebration, but the long walk back home challenges the child's endurance. By ending the story before the celebration, Nicolai keeps the focus on the relationship between the boy and his grandfather. The lengthy text creates an authentic atmosphere and Kitaq's excitement is palpable in both the words and pictures. Rubin's oil paintings effectively depict key moments of the story. Dark, rich colors glow with the kerosene light of the family's snug home and the midday twilight of an Alaskan winter sky. A page-long note about Kwethluk explains village life and a glossary with a pronunciation guide defines the handful of Yup'ik terms used in the text. A warm picture book with a strong sense of place that will appeal to readers everywhere.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AKCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A descriptive narrative of a young Yup'ik boy's initiation rite--ice fishing with his grandfather for the first time. Kitaq's excitement swells with the pancakes in his stomach as he proudly dresses himself in layers to go ice fishing. ``Apa, I am big now,'' he tells his grandfather, and assures him he can, at five, walk a long way in the cold without crying. With a string on a pole dangling in the ice hole and salmon eggs for bait, Kitaq almost instantaneously catches a pike large enough to feed a whole family. The formal patterns of speech give the story a polite, respectful tone, although the instructional voice of the narrator reigns in the suspense of snagging a fish and distances readers from the excitement of Kitaq's adventure. Overcoming that small weakness is the afterword about Yup'ik lifeit's informative and unexpectedly compelling. Startling reds of clothing and sunsets add warmth to the thick blue wintry scenes of the oil paintings. The look of the short day in the long polar winter comes through, as well as the affection among Kitaq's family members. (Picture book. 4-7) --
Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
