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The Eagle Mother

By Hetxw’ms Gyetxw Brett D. Huson
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
Series: Mothers of Xsan
Imprint: HighWater Press

Categories: Children's Nonfiction, Environmental Science & Ecosystems, Indigenous, Birds, Seasons
Big Ideas: Aspects of Indigenous Cultures, Worldviews, Teachings, and Protocols, STEM, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Ecosystems, Life Cycles, Seasonal Cycles
Cultures & Peoples: Gitxsan
Indigenous Languages: Gitxsanimx, Words or Phrases

Interest Age: 9–12
Grade: 4–6
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell S, Lexile® Framework for Reading: 1040L
Hardcover : 9781553798590, 32 pages, April 2020
Ebook (EPUB) : 9781553798606, 32 pages, June 2020
Ebook (PDF) : 9781553798613, 32 pages, June 2020

Explore the life cycle of a bald eagle in this engaging look at how an ecosystem’s animals, people, and seasons are intertwined.

Description

Return to the valleys of the River of Mists with author Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and his award-winning, richly illustrative Mothers of Xsan series.  

“An incredible celebration of the deep connections that are essential to the relationships between mothers and their children”—The Globe and Mail

Nox xsgyaak, the eagle mother, cares for her brood in the embrace of a black cottonwood with the help of her mate. Will both eaglets survive the summer in an environment that is both delicate and unforgiving?

Learn about the life cycle of these stunning birds of prey, the traditions of the Gitxsan, and how bald eagles can enrich their entire ecosystem. Evocative illustration brings the Xsan's flora and fauna to life for middle years readers in book three of the Mothers of Xsan series.

Awards

  • Nominated, Information Book Award 2021
  • Short-listed, Norma Fleck Award 2021
  • Nominated, Red Cedar Book Awards 2021
  • Short-listed, McNally Robinson Book for Young People (Younger Category) 2022
  • Nominated, First Nation Communities READ 2021

Reviews

Among AICL's Best Books of 2020

American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

An incredible celebration of the deep connections that are essential to the relationships between mothers and their children in the animal world. Donovan's illustrations exquisitely enrich Hudson's text, beautifully melding Indigenous art motifs into her images of the eagle families.

Jeffrey Canton, The Globe and Mail

What a beautiful book. I am loving the Mothers of Xsan series from Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D.  Huson). Recommended.

Heidi Wood, Indigenous Learning – District Instruction and Curriculum Helping Teacher

The story you told wove a integrated tapestry of knowledge, experience and a glimpse of the life of these magnificent birds where you come from. The book invites us to better understand a way of living in the world were spirit, place, wildness and civilization is revealed as an integrated and interdependent life force. A place where the value of a life is linked to the value of a place. The book is a generous gift, and an invitation into your home. Thank you for sharing it with us all.

Lancelot Coar, University of Manitoba

Skillfully incorporating science and culture, these are beautiful books that adults and children will enjoy reading.

Jennifer Kimbley, Teacher Magazine, BC Teachers' Federation