Johnny Marks (1909–1985)

A young boy shows disrespect for the Salmon People in this folktale from Alaska's Tlingit people, casting away a piece of dried salmon his mother gives him in anger, because the end is moldy. Having violated a taboo, the boy is captured by the Salmon People and renamed Shanyaak'utlaax̱, meaning "moldy end." Living under the sea for a number of years, the boy is eventually reunited with his human family, when the salmon return to their ancestral stream. Transformed back into a human, he show more shares his story with his people, becoming the Salmon Boy...

Originally published by the Sealaska Heritage Institute in 2004, as Shanyaak'utlaax̱ / Moldy End, and then republished in this new edition as Shanyaak'utlaax̱ / Salmon Boy in 2017, with new artwork from Tlingit illustrator Michaela Goade, this folkloric retelling is a work of beauty! Goade is in fact the reason that I tracked it down, having greatly enjoyed her Caldecott Medal-winning artwork in Carole Lindstrom's We Are Water Protectors, and I was not disappointed. The visuals here are simply gorgeous, with a beautiful, vivid color palette, lovely stylized figures, and an overall composition that feels magical. The story is one of transformations, and Goade captures that in her artwork, which has a sense of motion that is perfectly matched to the tale. I am glad to have obtained a copy of this book, and glad to have discovered Sealaska Heritage, a Native non-profit intended to highlight and promote the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of southeast coastal Alaska. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, to admirers of Michaela Goade's artwork, to those who appreciate beautifully-illustrated picture-books, and to anyone seeking children's books with Tlingit cultural content.

Addendum: for an audio/video retelling of this tale, please see the Sealaska Heritage video HERE. The version presented, in Tlingit with English subtitles, is significantly more detailed than the print version in this picture-book. show less

This is a beautiful book -- the story, the pacing, the imagery, the message. Really, just a gift to get to read it.

I highly recommend Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy, a beautifully illustrated retelling of a traditional Tlingit story. This bilingual book, presented in both English and Tlingit, shares the tale of a boy who disrespects a piece of salmon and is taken by the Salmon People to learn the importance of gratitude and respect for nature. It’s a wonderful resource for learning about Alaskan Native culture and values.

Shanyaak’utlaax: Salmon Boy is a Traditional Folklore story in which a boy disrespects the salmon he has been given to eat because there is mold on it. The Salmon People take him away to live with them for several years to teach him to value their gift and how to honor and respect it. When they return to the river where they were born, he goes with them and is reunited with his family and teaches everyone what he has learned from living with the Salmon People. The illustrations are show more gorgeous and ethereal watercolors which highlight the story and show additional details of the culture and ways of both the Tlingit and the Salmon People. show less