Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North [Hardcover]

Michael Bania (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

On a beautiful Arctic morning, Kumak looks out the window of his house at the sun rising over the frozen river. "Ahhh, spring," says Kumak to his family. "The days are long, the nights are short, and the ice is still hard. Good day for fish." Eager to give Uncle Aglu's amazing hooking stick a try, Kumak packs up his family and heads out to go ice fishing. "Good day for fish!" they all agree. Hapless Kumac is the only one in his family without fish until the tug at the other end of his line incites a mighty battle. A clever ending reveals that the whale-sized fish that Kumak imagined was actually a line of small fish in tug o' war position. Kumak reigns, and there's plenty for everybody. Authentic details throughout the playful art and text, as well as endnotes on Inupiat fishing, provide young readers with a fascinating window into another culture in this follow up to KUMAK'S HOUSE a 2003 Children's Book Council Notable Trade Book in Social Studies.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Declaring that it's a "Good day for fish," a man and his family set off for a day of ice fishing, with Kumak carrying Uncle Aglu's "amazing hooking stick." While others begin catching fish, Kumak's line remains quiet. Suddenly there's a twitch on it and he begins to pull. His strength alone is not enough to bring the great fish through the hole in the ice and he must ask his wife for assistance, and then the remainder of his family. Still, their combined might is not enough to catch the mighty fish and fellow villagers join in the struggle. While the maxim traditionally says, "It takes a village to raise a child," in this case, it takes a village to catch a fish. Joyful watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations capture the icy although not colorless landscape and most particularly the expressive faces of the Iñupiat villagers. Even the animals wear expressions filled with humor and playfulness. This delightful blend of art and text brings the rich traditions and culture of the peoples of the Far North to life. A wonderful supplement to units on Alaska and the Arctic, this title surpasses mere curriculum support and stands alone as gifted storytelling.–Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Like Kumak's House (2002), this original comic tall tale about an Inupiat (Eskimo) family in the Arctic combines folklore and farce with some realistic detail of the setting and community. It's "a good day for fish," so Kumak loads his big family onto his sled with all their fishing gear. They dig their fishing holes, and everyone except Kumak catches something. But then, with Uncle Aglu's amazing hooking stick, Kumak feels a pull so big that he nearly falls into the hole. His family members line up behind him to help him drag in what's on his line. A few passersby stop to help, and finally, the whole village. Bania spent two decades in the Arctic, and her playful line-and-watercolor scenes show the people fishing on the bright, icy spring morning, pulling together across the pages and laughing. The tug of war is hilarious, and the catch is a great surprise. Both words and pictures celebrate cooperation, sharing, and humor. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882405837
• ISBN-13: 978-0882405834
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 10.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,545,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read Aloud Honor Winner, June 3, 2005

By 

Carol H. Sibley (Dilworth, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North (Hardcover)

On a spring day in the Alaskan Arctic, Kumak announces "Good day for fish" and packs his family, along with Uncle Aglu's "amazing hooking stick" into their dogsled for a day of ice fishing on the nearby lake. This Iñupiat variant of the traditional tale of the enormous turnip demonstrates that it takes a village to catch a fish. An endnote explains Bania's inspiration for her tall tale.

Bania's watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations, depicting the icy Arctic setting, provide readers with authentic details of the Iñupiat culture and show the joyfulness of the characters.

Two-year-olds through nine-year-olds enjoyed this book and were captivated by Kumak. They appreciated the dialogue and repetition of numerous phrases. The ending especially intrigued the children.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horray for Kumak, June 12, 2006

By 

BookLovingMama (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North (Hardcover)

My son wanted a book on eskimos...this was the best find I could have hoped for as Kumak and his village spend their day fishing and helping one another as only a fishing village can do. My son celebrates the victory as he jumps up and down on the final page yelling, "Hurray for Kumak!" We even had to go out and buy fishing poles so he could demonstrate just how exactly the amazing fishing stick twitches "this way" and "that way." A read-aloud that is great fun and teaches children about families, communities and other parts of our globe.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Story, March 3, 2011

By 

Akanani "akanani" (Lynn, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North (Hardcover)

The writing makes this a great read-aloud. Kumak needs the village to help him catch a fish - they all have to pull and pull and pull - what has Kumak caught in the ice fishing hole? It must be pretty powerful! A great "fish tale".