Groundwood Books
A Salmon for Simon
Written by Betty Waterton • Illustrated by Ann Blades • Read by Graham Greene
For students in grades
P
-
2
|
Published August 25, 2020 |
ISBN 9781773065755
JUVENILE FICTION / People & Places / Canada / Indigenous
About this book
A Salmon for Simon
Betty Waterton • Ann Blades • Graham Greene
Simon has always longed to catch a salmon. But when his luck suddenly changes and an eagle accidentally drops one into a tidal pool, Simon is torn between sympathy for the fish and the desire to catch something of his own. The enhanced epub version, in celebration of Groundwood's 35th anniversary, includes a read-aloud feature of the story narrated by Graham Greene.
All summer long, Simon, a young First Nations boy, has been desperate to catch a salmon. He goes fishing every day, but has no luck. Then one day a high-flying eagle drops a salmon into a clam hole right before his eyes, and Simon must decide whether to take it home or let it go.
This simple story, with its evocative watercolor paintings of the Northwest Coast, was an environmental fable before its time when it was first published in 1978. But its true power rests in the magical combination of text and pictures, which have made it a best-selling classic.
About the Creators
Betty Waterton
Betty Waterton was the author of nineteen children's books, including the Quincy Rumpel novels and a number of well-loved picture books. Over the course of her writing career she traveled all over Canada giving readings to children. For many years she lived on Canada's West Coast, where A Salmon for Simon, her first children's book, takes place.
Ann Blades
Ann Blades is one of Canada's leading illustrators. Her distinctive watercolors appear in many children's books, including A Salmon for Simon, which won the Governor General's Award for Illustration and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award. Ann now teaches kindergarten at an inner-city school in Surrey, British Columbia.