Otter Doesn’t Know is part of author Andrea Fritz’s Coast Salish Tales series. Thuqi’ (sockeye salmon) is all grown up and ready to leave the ocean and go back up the Sta'lo’ to spawn, but she does not know the way. At the beginning of her search, she meets Tumus (otter) who refuses to help her. As Thuqi’ starts to find her way, she crosses paths with Tumus, who has gotten himself lost, and is looking for help. The two wind up helping each other, showing the importance of community. The story includes names of places and animals in Hul’q’umi’num’.

Andrea Fritz partnered with Joyful Learning Canada and recorded a read-aloud of the story and salmon drawing activity: https://joyfullearningcanada.ca/product/coast-salish-art-lesson-16-sockeye-salmon/

Other End Matter: glossaries, pronunciation guides, websites to learn hul’q’umi’num’, teacher’s resource
Images: Colour illustrations
Contributor Affiliation: Andrea Fritz (Lyackson First Nation of the Hul’q'umi’num'-speaking Peoples on the West Coast of Canada)
Bibliography: No
Index: No

Evaluator: Alethea S., Elementary School Teacher, Indigenous Books for Schools

Andrea Fritz is a Coast Salish artist and storyteller from the Lyackson First Nation of the Hul’q'umi’num'-speaking Peoples on the West Coast of Canada. She studied West Coast Native art with Victor Newman, a Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw master artist. Andrea strives to express her People’s history and all our futures using her art and stories. She focuses on animals and places of the West Coast and our intricate relationships with them. Andrea works in the mediums of acrylic on canvas and wood, serigraph, vector art and multimedia. She has had numerous gallery shows of her work and participates in community-based art pieces. Andrea lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Andrea Fritz's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

“A welcome contribution to the shelves of First Nations literature, as well as a starting point for learning more about Coast Salish art and traditional storytelling techniques.”

School Library Journal

“Fritz (Lyackson First Nation) has crafted a heartwarming tale that encourages readers to persevere despite uncertainty…A gem of Coast Salish storytelling”

Kirkus Reviews