The Frog Mother, fourth in the Mothers of Xsan series, offers rich opportunities for weaving Indigenous ways of knowing through the curriculum. Readers learn about the life cycle of the Columbia spotted frog through story, seeing through the eyes of a frog what those life stages look and feel like. Seeing how this multi-year cycle is connected to plants and animals helps readers realize the interconnectedness of all living beings, as well as their roles in the balance of life. The author also shares how the stories and energy of life are held within all living creatures, with the frog being revered as a storyteller. The detailed illustrations and text features with vocabulary terms are beautifully embedded within the story. Further learning is supported with information about the Gitxsan people, their territory, clan system, and seasons. | Hetxw’ms Gyetxw’s first book, The Sockeye Mother, won the Science Writers and Communicators Book Award.

32 pp., 6.5 × 10", colour illustrations

Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) (Gitxsan Nation) • Natasha Donovan (Métis Nation of BC), illus.

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, also known as Brett D. Huson (he/him/his), is from the Gitxsan Nation of the Northwest Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Growing up in this strong matrilineal society, Brett developed a passion for the culture, land, and politics of his people, and a desire to share their knowledge and stories. Brett has worked in the film and television industry for over 13 years and is a volunteer board member for organizations such as Ka Ni Kanichihk and sākihiwē festival. Brett also works with the Prairie Climate Centre to connect western science and Indigenous Knowledges.

The award-winning Mothers of Xsan series is Brett’s first series of books and part of a larger vision to share the worlds of the Gitxsan Nation. With the support of his wife, Jeri, and their children, Warren and Ruby, Brett endeavours to continue sharing stories with his writing, artwork, and photography.

Hetxw’ms Gyetxw Brett D. Huson's profile page

Natasha Donovan is the illustrator of the award-winning Mothers of Xsan series (written by Brett Huson). She illustrated the graphic novel Surviving the City (written by Tasha Spillett), which won a Manitoba Book Award and received an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA) honor. She also illustrated Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer which won an Orbis Pictus Honor Book and an American Indian Youth Literature Award (AIYLA). Natasha is Métis, and spent her early life in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although she moved to the United States to marry a mathematician, she prefers to keep her own calculations to the world of color and line. She lives in Washington. www.natashadonovan.com

Natasha Donovan's profile page

• Short-listed, Mary Scorer Award for Best Book by a Manitoba Publisher
• Long-listed, First Nation Communities READ

Among Bank Street College of Education's The Best Children's Books of the Year (2022 edition)

Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee

Among CBC Books 28 Canadian middle-grade books we are excited to read in spring 2021

CBC Books

Highly recommended. Every school library in Canada should own copies of this remarkable series. Parents will enjoy reading them with kids at home.

Vancouver Sun

The biological and ecological knowledge is skillfully intertwined with the traditional and contemporary lives of the Gitxsan. The artwork is exemplary. It works with the text not only to illustrate but to add layers of meaning and connections.

The Ormsby Review

Among Loanstars Junior Top 10 Picks

Loanstars

Readers are treated to an exploration of both the life cycle of frogs and, in particular, the role that frog mothers play in the lives of their offspring with the help of Donovan’s breathtaking illustrations.

The Globe and Mail

In his engaging book, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw enhances plain biological facts by putting them in their cultural context; for example, the Frog Mother reflects the Gitxsan Nation’s matrilineal system. Donovan provides wonderfully sinuous illustrations that deftly capture frog movement and utilize color.

Kirkus Reviews

Highly recommended.

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)