The Cedar Mother (Mothers of Xsan)

Written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)
Illustrated by Natasha Donovan
HighWater Press
978-1-77492-158-6
32 pp.
Ages 9–12

February 2026

 

Eight years ago, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, who is also known as Brett D. Huson, started his Mothers of Xsan graphic novel series to share his knowledge of the stories of the Gitxsan Nation of the Northwest Interior of BC. This series, now of eight books, has covered insects, fish, birds, amphibians, and mammals, and now I'm delighted to share his book about the cedar tree. Not only does The Cedar Mother speak to the life cycle of a cedar tree and its connection with other living things, but Hetxw'ms Gyetxw also shares his knowledge of the Gitxsan Nation and their Moons.

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

This story of the western red cedar begins in April and the Spring Salmon's Returning Home Moon (Lasa ya'a). This tree, which has been around for over 300 years, now sits by a road that was "only a trail used by the Gitxsan, who had never seen a car, wagon, or horse." (pg. 2) Its growth from a tiny seed is helped by nutrients, rain, and sun. (Words that might be new to young readers, including nutrients, foliage, photosynthesis, and reverence, are defined in info boxes throughout the book.) 

 

But Hetxw'ms Gyetxw also explains how Nox Sim Gan (the cedar mother) is connected to other organisms in the ecosystem. She provides shelter and feeds animals with foliage and oxygen. She gives materials to the Gitxsan for clothing, for home-building, for medicines and, at the end of her life cycle, she will become a story pole. Because of her persistence and vitality, "she is a beacon of hope and a symbol of the enduring strength of the natural world. (pg. 15)

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw writes with reverence for Nox Sim Gan in The Cedar Mother and for the role she plays in the environment and for the Gitxsan Nation. From birth through death, she provides. And, because of this, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw gently reminds us that attention must be paid, and our stewardship is required so that she may continue to share herself with the earth and its living things. Not a boring life cycle story, The Cedar Mother tells us how a western red cedar is a part of something far greater. It is part of a community.

From The Cedar Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan

Natasha Donovan, who illustrated the earlier books in Mothers of Xsan series and Tasha Spillett's Surviving the City series, takes readers into the forests where Nox Sim Gan grows and flourishes, giving and sharing. Its majesty is evident from the scale at which she draws it, and the benevolence of its presence is clear in all illustrations as it interacts with other species. Natasha Donovan keeps the focus on Nox Sim Gan always, whether at the base of its trunk or buried in its foliage, preserving the natural elements in earthy colours of browns and greens. With Natasha Donovan's illustrations and Hetxw'ms Gyetxw's occasional contributions of formline art (see the spirit pole above), as well as his text, The Cedar Mother is a respectful acknowledgement of the connection between the natural world and the Gitxsan, and the reverence necessary to appreciate and to sustain its place.

 • • • • • • •

 

Mothers of Xsan series

The Sockeye Mother (2018)

The Grizzly Mother (2019)

The Eagle Mother (2020)

The Frog Mother (2021)

The Wolf Mother (2021)

The Raven Mother (2022)

The Bee Mother (2024) 

The Cedar Mother (2026) 

The Bee Mother (Mothers of Xsan, Book 7)

Written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)

Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

HighWater Press

978-1-774920800

32 pp.

Ages 9-12

May 2024

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and Natasha Donovan's latest volume in their illustrated non-fiction series, Mothers of Xsan, takes readers into the insect world for the first time, having previously highlighted mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians. Though the bee may be the smallest of the species showcased, it is no less significant.

From The Bee Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

The story begins with the recession of winter and the awakening of the bee mother, Nox Ap. The bee mother first looks to make a new home in a burrow or hollow tree. Also making new homes for themselves are the yellow jacket wasps and introduced honeybees. With new moons, Nox Ap builds a nest and lays her eggs which pupate and emerge as worker bees to collect pollen and nectar to sustain the nest. And once pollination is done, the bumblebee queen, as well as those of the yellow jacket and honeybee, must find an overwintering space.  

 

As with all books in the series, the life cycle of the bee is paramount, but The Bee Mother goes beyond a compendium of natural history facts. It is a story, and it all takes place within the Gitxsan Nation, Indigenous Peoples of the unceded territories of the Northwest Interior of British Columbia. Hetxw'ms Gyetxw ensures that the reader understands that the bee mother's story is not one of isolation. It is a story that includes her connection with the environment and those within it. As such, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw speaks of the contributions of Nox Ap and the other bee relatives, from the provision of honey and the pollination of flowers to help provide fruits and vegetables, to pest control and providing food for other species. They are a part of everything.

From The Bee Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

Hetxw'ms Gyetxw's text certainly speaks to life, as do Natasha Donovan's illustrations. They are vibrant, most especially in colour and shape. From the oomph of pinks and fullness of line and shape in the book's cover to the warmth of greens and golds in close-up art of the bees in their natural habitats, Natasha Donovan gives us stylized but realistic depictions of flowers and plants, bees and other animals, water and snow. Because the topic is the small bee, Natasha Donovan takes us up close to focus on the bee, creating art akin to macrophotography to ensure details are not missed.

From The Bee Mother, written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

Because of the Indigenous roots of both the author and illustrator–Hetxw'ms Gyetxw is from the Gitxsan Nation and Natasha Donovan is Métis– The Bee Mother goes beyond a rehashing of STEM facts and takes on a new life of storytelling and appreciation for the connection of living things. In fact, because the Gitxsan Nation follows a matrilineal line which suggests that the stories come from the mothers, highlighting the mother of each species in the Mothers of Xsan series is both reasonable and respectful. (Hetxw'ms Gyetxw provides notes about the Gitxsan Nation and the Gitxsan Moons, along with a map of their territories.) And, by making the story specific and still broad, it demonstrates to readers  who the bee mother is and what she does and what happens every year, but also that she is part of something bigger. You can read it as a story of a life cycle but read beyond that and recognize that there is far more to the story that needs to be appreciated.

• • • • • • •

Mothers of Xsan series

The Sockeye Mother (2018)
The Grizzly Mother (2019)
The Eagle Mother (2020)
The Frog Mother (2021)
The Wolf Mother (2021)

The Raven Mother (2022)

The Bee Mother (2024)

The Wolf Mother (Mothers of Xsan)

Written by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson)

Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-978-8

32 pp.

Ages 9-12

September 2021

The Mothers of Xsan series from Hetxw'ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and Natasha Donovan are a series of illustrated non-fiction books for middle-grade readers that examine one animal species in depth and with an Indigenous perspective. The Wolf Mother is the fifth volume in the series and focuses on the life of one wolf pup as she grows into a wolf mother and on the communities and ecosystem in which she thrives.

From The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

Beginning in the Gitxsan Moon of Lasa'Yan'tsa, The Wolf Mother's story opens with a description of the young wolf pups' capabilities and needs, focusing on a small charcoal black female.

The smallest of the pups is a charcoal black female, who has a tiny strip of white fur above her left eye. The black wolf already has a sense of smell 100 times better than any human, and even domesticated dogs cannot compare to her ability. Right now, she only has a nose for mother’s milk. Her ears grow larger every day, her eyesight gets sharper, and her legs stretch farther, and she is beginning to desire to explore beyond their cozy den among the pines.

From The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

With each new lunar cycle (the list of Gitxsan Moons is appended to the story), the grey wolves develop new skills, hunting prey like gax, the rabbit, and venturing further and further into their habitat.

From The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

After two years, the small black pup is now ready to become Nox Gibuu, the Wolf Mother. She sets out alone, eventually welcomed by another pack and bonding with a young male, ready to grow her own family.

From The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

As she grows that family, the Wolf Mother along with her pack become a community of caregivers, each with a role to play with respect to the young and their environment, keeping all in balance and thriving.

From The Wolf Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illus. by Natasha Donovan

Though the text of The Wolf Mother reads as a story, rather than organized as much children's non-fiction, the wealth of its information about the grey wolf's biology and behaviour cannot be disputed. By telling it as a natural history story, Hetxw'ms Gyetxw invites us to witness the wonders of these animals and their communities and place in the world. There are still several non-fiction features, like the purple-boxed footnotes to identify new words like "natal" and "domesticated" and a map of the Gitxsan Nation of their unceded territories of the Northwest Interior of British Columbia, but that information sweetens the story rather than impedes it. There is no distraction from the Wolf Mother's story from pup to mother and leader.

Natasha Donovan's artwork continues that gentle storytelling, giving us the real depictions of the animals and the land, appropriate for a non-fiction book, but also embedding elements of West Coast art. From a stylized moon or a wolf, Natasha Donovan reminds young readers of the First Nations' framework for the story, brightening that realism with a sense of connection between the grey wolves and the land and its people.

The Mothers of Xsan series is a popular one for children, especially for those who love non-fiction and are too often told they're not reading if they're not reading fiction. With this series, they are reading, they're learning about an animal and its place in a bigger world and they're gaining an appreciation for the richness of a First Nation in terms of its community and customs. As the newest addition to that series, The Wolf Mother echoes that storytelling, taking the book beyond information book, and treating readers to textual and graphic art that is dramatic both in its content and heart.

The Sockeye Mother (2018)

The Grizzly Mother (2019)

The Eagle Mother (2020)

The Frog Mother (2021)

The Wolf Mother (2021)