Whale, That Was Unexpected

Written by Casey Lyall

Illustrated by Kathryn Durst

Tundra Books 

 978-1-77488-361-7

40 pp.

Ages 3–7

Releases June 30, 2026 

 

Maude believes she's seen everything. Going out on the sea in her little fishing boat with her dog Claude year after year, Maude doesn't expect anything different. But soon she learns that anything can happen. 

From Whale, That Was Unexpected, written by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Kathryn Durst

It's a typical day of fishing for Maude and Claude. Her boat, aptly called trusty little boat, has all she needs plus snacks, a cozy armchair, and tea service. Unbeknownst to Maude, there is a humongous whale beneath the boat.

From Whale, That Was Unexpected, written by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Kathryn Durst

Soon Maude and Claude and the little boat are tossed to and fro as they are swallowed by the whale. Maude doesn't waste time flipping out about their circumstances. Instead, she begins to prepare a goodbye party. 

From Whale, That Was Unexpected, written by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Kathryn Durst

She and Claude paint a big banner that proclaims, "Farewell Maude and Claude" and they recruit the writer to proclaim the official farewells. So begin the farewells. And there are many.

Farewell, Maude, a grand old dame.

Farewell, Claude, sixth of his name.  

Farewell, trusty little boat. (pg. 16-18)

And just as they prepare to say goodbye, there's a magnificent "whooosh" and a crab and an octopus are thrown onto the deck. Well, now there will more farewells that will need to be said. It's a cumulative story, that goes from farewells to Maude and Claude and a little boat, to include that crab and octopus, as well as a goat, a sea lion, and a puffin, before they can get to their party.

From Whale, That Was Unexpected, written by Casey Lyall, illustrated by Kathryn Durst

But how they revel in that farewell will be a whale of a story of another kind, and one that even Maude could not imagine.

 

Casey Lyall has made Maude the perfect curmudgeon. Her dour expression is only matched by her matter-of-fact attitude. Maude just does what she always does and is only mildly miffed when things go differently, but with a casual air. When she realizes that they've been swallowed by the whale, her response is, "Well, how about that." (pg. 11). Then she starts planning a farewell party to commemorate their imminent departure from the world. And with each new arrival, Maude takes it in strike, adds to their banner, and gets the author to add more farewells to their tribute. Maude is such a character, as is Claude in his own quiet way. Maude is folksy and unfussy, taking all in stride. Even near the end when Maude and her guests are immersed on a flooded deck, she berates the author to, "Speed it up a little. I'm hungry." (pg. 29) With Maude and Claude and a host of other characters, Casey Lyall brings the humour to a bleak situation. And, with her punny word choices and repetitive and cheeky farewells, Casey Lyall makes being swallowed by a whale less frightening and more inconvenience to Maude and more playful for readers.

 

My first impression of Toronto's Kathryn Durst artwork is amazement at how she makes Maude both grumpy and matter-of-fact about her circumstances. Nothing fazes her. (Maude, that is.) From the striking marionette lines on Maude's face, her no-nonsense work clothes, and practical hair braids, Maude is a woman who has lived a life on the water and is nonplussed about getting swallowed by a whale. Beyond the characters, Kathryn Durst gives us a richly textured landscape, both in and out of the whale. The maritime community is a colourful patchwork of colours and shapes, which Kathryn Durst brings to the limited deck of the trusty little boat. The inside of the whale may be dark but even it has character through line and colour. 

 

For a whale of a tale and word play at sea, Casey Lyall and Kathryn Durst's Whale, That Was Unexpected is a voyage of epic fun and colour. And coming from Casey Lyall, that was absolutely expected.

Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii (Sk'ad'a Stories)

Written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson

Illustrated by Janine Gibbons

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-981-8

40 pp.

Ages 6-9

September 2021

 

Jigging is a type of fishing in which a lure called a jig is used to attract and catch fish. Of course, successful jigging requires skill. Co-authoring with his daughter Sara Florence Davidson, Robert Davidson honours the knowledge that his tsinii (grandfather) shared with him about jigging as well as about life principles in this first picture book of the Sk'ad'a Stories series from HighWater Press.

From Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, illus. by Janine Gibbons

When his tsinii knows that the weather is right for jigging, the boy and his grandfather head out in his dinghy. From the onset, they do things as is best. From how they sit in the boat and work with the tide, to following Tsinii's instincts and nominal talk, the measures of their excursion are sacrosanct.

From Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, illus. by Janine Gibbons

From their waiting for hours to their lunches and most importantly to their catching of the fish, there is ritual here. Tsinii shows respect for the halibut by speaking to it, even as the fish is flung onto the boat. When his grandson catches one, he shows that same respect, though he does so as his knowledge permits.

Eventually, the halibut breaks through the surface of the ocean. I need to club it before bringing it onto the boat, but I do not know the words that my tsinii says. Instead, I think about how grateful I am to have caught this halibut to share with my family, and I pull the halibut onto the boat with the gaff.

Following the old ways, they return to shore and clean their fish in silence–There is no need to talk–anticipating the halibut stew that the boy's naanii (grandmother) will undoubtedly be preparing that night.

From Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, illus. by Janine Gibbons

I was so taken by the solemnity of Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii. The note appended to the story describes it as based on Robert Davidson's own experiences with his tsinii and the story's merit is undoubtedly a reflection of the co-author's respect and admiration for his grandfather. With his daughter, Sara Florence Davidson, Robert Davidson has made us observers of a significant relationship and the knowledge that is passed on through it. The boy of the story has learned much, from how to be with his tsinii, when to speak, how to jig, and what is important. The traditions of the Haida are honoured both by child and grandfather and story.

Art that is rich in textures, whether through multi-media or skilled application of medium, always draws me in, and Janine Gibbons's artwork does this easily. From the textured wood on the beach to the cool waves of water and the strength of Tsinii's hands, Janine Gibbons, a Haida Raven of the Double-Fin Killer Whale Clan, Brown Bear House, took me to the West Coast and onto Tsinii's hand-crafted dinghy. I could sense the coolness of the air, feel the wind that laps waves across the hull, and smell the freshness of the fish. And still there is always a softness to Janine Gibbons's art that matches the heart of Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson's text. Strength and softness together defines the story and permeates the illustrations, reflecting the solemn relationship between child and his tsinii. 

Educator Sara Florence Davidson and artists Robert Davidson and Janine Gibbons have given young readers a story about a special relationship but, by basing it in the Haida traditions and the distinction of the West Coast, Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii becomes more than a lovely story. It becomes an important one that honours the people and the teachings that prevail.

•  •  •  •  •  •  •

Though I won't be able to review it, a second book in the Sk'ad'a Stories releases tomorrow as well. Learning to Carve Argillite, written and illustrated by the same team that created Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii, is another picture book that brings together a traditional skill with a significant relationship with an elder. I encourage young readers and their teachers to invest in both to discover more about sk'ad'a, the nine teaching principles of the Haida.

Learning to Carve Argillite

Written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson

Illustrated by Janine Gibbons

HighWater Press

978-1-55379-984-9

40 pp.

Ages 6-9

September 2021

Kimmy & Mike

Written by Dave Paddon

Illustrated by Lily Snowden-Fine

Running the Goat, Books & Broadsides

978-1-927917398

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

March 2021 

I'm sure siblings Kimmy and Mike have had some pretty extraordinary adventures on the sea but even I find it hard to believe how a simple fishing outing could become a round-the-world trip of danger and folly. But that's a tall tale for you. See what you believe in this narrative poem and tall tale from Newfoundland and Labrador's Dave Paddon.

It has often been said, and I can't disagree,

That there's no one as tough as our folk of the sea.

But two of the toughest, if the rights was known,

Were Kimmy and Mike, who lived in Belloram.

So begins the tale of Kimmy and Mike who go fishing on order from Mom to "Get something for the pot!" Unfortunately, their best fishing spot lands them only a few sculpins and kelp so they scull around the Gulf and the Straits and elsewhere before deciding they need to cross the pond i.e., the Atlantic Ocean.

From Kimmy & Mike by Dave Paddon, illus. by Lily Snowden-Fine

Not only do they cross the ocean, they pass through two hurricanes, declaring the 90-knot winds and 60-foot waves to be "a bit of a lop", and catch a small submarine and a squid with 60-foot arms and a 30-foot head. But, throwing both back, they head southward towards the Cape of Good Hope where they encounter a 100-mile iceberg which they cleave with an axe, before Kimmy fights off some pirates single-handedly.

From Kimmy & Mike by Dave Paddon, illus. by Lily Snowden-Fine

Then there's the merman named Saul and a visit to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii before their mother finds them. Having taken out their father's old punt, she's been doing her own fishing and intends to continue on, sending the twins home.

She said, "Get on home out of it, through the Panama Canal,

And make your father his tea–you know he's not well.

I'm just going to dart 'round Cape Horn while it's light

And stop into Rio for bingo tonight."

From Kimmy & Mike by Dave Paddon, illus. by Lily Snowden-Fine

The twins eventually make it back home, after a stop at the Galapagos and tunnelling beneath the Panama Canal, while their mother, having won a jackpot in Rio and salting and drying her plentiful catch, returns the next morning.

Readers will finish the rhyming story of Kimmy & Mike with a smile upon their faces, envisioning the twins' exploits and the extent of their travel. (This would be a fun geography lesson, especially when coupled with math to determine the probability of this all happening in one day.)  It could even become a ballad if set to music, with its rousing story, melodic nature of ups and downs, highs and lows, and big moments. Add a fiddle, an accordion and maybe an ugly stick and you got a kitchen party going. With this tall tale of fisherfolk, Dave Paddon takes us to Newfoundland and Labrador, to the people who have stories to tell, who use a language of their own (I had to look up several of the words like crousty, stage and sooky in the "Glossary" provided) and try to outdo each other with their tongue-in-cheek stories.

With Lily Snowden-Fine's gorgeous gouache artwork to complement Dave Paddon's story, though, Kimmy & Mike goes beyond just a folk tale. It may have the whimsy that is often associated with folk art but there is a refinement in Lily Snowden-Fine's lines and shapes that make each illustration a work of art, stark but refined, colourful and resonating with the spirit of the Newfoundland and Labrador. 

In the tradition of the recitations, which Dave Paddon discusses in his "Afterward," Kimmy & Mike's fishing adventure would win any kitchen storytelling contest, for its rhyme, plot and artwork. I only wonder what Kimmy and Mike, and their mother, will get up to next time because, you know, there will be another story to tell.

Capelin Weather

Written and illustrated by Lori Doody

Running the Goat Books & Broadsides

978-1-927917-09-1

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

July 2017

When the small fish known as capelin are rolling, it's a sight to behold and one with which many Newfoundlanders and some others on the Gaspé and in Nova Scotia are familiar.  Normally the capelin arrive to spawn on the beaches sometime between June and July, at the onset of summer, and grey, cold, wet weather is referred to as capelin weather.  But for Kate, the end to Capelin Weather can't come soon enough!

From Capelin Weather by Lori Doody

Like many children, summer holidays means the freedom to be outside playing in the sun and warmth.  For Kate, it means picnics and swimming and soccer and bonfires on the beach.  But not this year.  This year it is cold and overcast and rainy.  All the things she wants to do can't be done.  Her bingo-playing grandmother explains that when this "capelin weather" passes i.e., when the capelin arrive and people have collected their fill, a hot and sunny summer will be left behind.  Kate tries to make the connection between the small fish and the weather, imagining them falling from the sky like rain.  That is until the capelin do roll in.  Then the people come out to catch some, as does Kate, heralding the true beginning to summer.

From Capelin Weather by Lori Doody

Lori Doody's story is quintessential Newfoundland with its rocky beaches, summer past times, icebergs, lupines, lighthouses and more.  From the paintings on the wall of Kate's room and where her grandmother plays bingo–pictures of the Queen and a Newfoundlander dog– to the landscapes of shores and sea, Capelin Weather is a folk artist's rendering of the province affectionately known as the Rock.  The story is not an unusual one–a child wishing for warmer weather to have some outdoor summer fun–but it is unique in the context of that summer weather being signalled by the arrival of some fish and a fishing expedition like no other.  Of course children who've participated in this summer ritual and live in Newfoundland will love this story. But I'm sure other young ones will enjoy it as well, fascinated by the practice, the scenery and the weather lore within.  From her story to her boldly-coloured art, Lori Doody gets the flavour just right (though I do wonder what capelin taste like!)

Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing

Written by Nadia Mike

Illustrated by Amanda Sandland

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-135-5

32 pp.

Ages 4-8

April 2017 

Ukaliq is an Arctic hare and Kalla is a lemming and they are friends, though they are very different.  Ukaliq is energetic and loud and acts before thinking.  On the other hand, Kalla is careful, thinking before he acts and preparing for all circumstances.   When the impetuous Ukaliq disrupts Kalla’s quiet to insist they go fishing, their trip becomes a study in contrasts.

From Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing

by Nadia Mike 

illus. by Amanda Sandland

While Ukaliq is already heading out on his snowmobile, noisily disturbing the char beneath the ice surface, Kalla is thoughtfully preparing snacks and ensuring he has sufficient fuel.  Ukaliq has already been fishing, impatiently yanking on his line by the time Kalla arrives but it is Kalla who quickly catches the first of many fish.  Kalla tries to advise Ukaliq about patience, but the Arctic hare pays him no heed.  Eventually Ukaliq realizes the wisdom of Kalla’s approach, benefiting from the lemming's preparedness and attention to detail in more than a few ways.

From Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing 

by Nadia Mike 

illus. by Amanda Sandland

The lesson in Nadia Mike’s Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing is easily recognizable, making it essentially an Arctic fable about self-control and foresight.  The silly Arctic hare may appear to be the go-getter, but he’s loud, too quick off the mark and exasperating.  It’s the lemming who is shrewd and considerate.  With Amanda Sandland’s cartoon illustrations, the humour in Ukaliq’s brash and inconsiderate behaviour is unmistakable.  I suspect it’s better to laugh at his silliness rather than focus on how futile or dangerous his efforts are.  Kalla, on the other hand, is Yoda-esque, small in stature but big in heart and insight.

From Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing 

by Nadia Mike 

illus. by Amanda Sandland

With Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing, Nadia Mike and Amanda Sandland have created a children’s book that contrasts different personalities and teaches an obvious lesson about being self-possessed and cautious in the unique setting of the Arctic.  Moreover, this lesson is sure to be extended beyond just this book as it is also available in an Inuktitut edition and like another Inhabit Media picture book, The Owl and the Lemming, Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing has become a short (5 min.) film by Taqqut Productions.  

Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing Inuktitut edition

Hand Over Hand

by Alma Fullerton

Illustrated by Renné Benoit

Second Story Press

978-1-77260-015-5

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2017

Alma Fullerton is becoming well known for taking young readers to other parts of the world to appreciate different ways of life.  There was A Good Trade (Pajama Press, 2012) set in Uganda; Community Soup (Pajama Press, 2013) which is based  in a school garden in Kenya; and In a Cloud of Dust (Pajama Press, 2015) which emphasizes the long distances Tanzanian children travel to school.  Now Alma Fullerton, with Renné Benoit’s soft illustrations, transports young readers to the Philippines in Hand Over Hand and takes up the cause of a young girl determined to not let her gender limit the life she wants to have.

It’s evident that Nina is expected to stay on shore and tend to racks of drying fish because she is a girl.

From Hand Over Hand 

by Alma Fullerton 

illus. by Renné Benoit

When she proposes to her grandfather, Lolo, that he take her out fishing in the banca boat with him, he scoffs at first.  But Nina is determined and insists she will bait her own hook and remove the caught fish.  It is obviously a milestone for the young child but one her grandfather accepts and even defends to the other fishermen who discount Nina.  However, though Lolo instructs his granddaughter in the art of baiting and jigging, demonstrating the hand-over-hand technique for drawing his line in, Nina is catching no fish.  When she becomes dismayed, repeating the other fishermen’s refrain that a girl can’t fish, Lolo shares the wise words, “Posh! The fish can’t tell you’re a girl.” Just when she is checking that the bait is still intact, she gets a tremendous tug on her line.  Nina, fearful she might not be strong enough to bring in the fish, almost gives it up to Lolo but he instead encourages her to use the hand-over-hand technique and persevere.

From Hand Over Hand 

by Alma Fullerton 

illus. by Renné Benoit

Hand Over Hand is a story of empowerment and determination when faced with naysayers and traditions that keep opportunities at bay.  Alma Fullerton’s simple story is loaded with lessons in seeing beyond gender, of courage to take on new struggles, both emotional and physical, and of the amazing things that can be accomplished with a supportive hand.  Even the other fishermen are surprised when they see the big fish little Nina brings in. The messages are evident but the context of Hand Over Hand is just as powerful, revealing the fishing traditions of the Philippines, as well as the stereotyping of roles that are being broken all over the world.  With a charming but realistic relationship between grandfather and granddaughter, Alma Fullerton encourages cultural competence amongst all readers.

Illustrator Renné Benoit whose artwork has garnered numerous awards and nominations (e.g., Proud as a Peacock, Brave as a Lion by Jane Barclay, Tundra, 2009;  The Secret of the Village Fool by Rebecca Upjohn, Second Story Press, 2012; A Year of Borrowed Men by Michelle Barker, Pajama Press, 2015) was the perfect choice  for Hand Over Hand.  Her watercolour and coloured pencil with pastels lend an airiness to the outdoor setting of sky and water, and an innocence to Nina and her endeavours.

Hand Over Hand has a purity of text and image that promotes an appreciation for another culture but it extends beyond by furthering the idea of gender equality, helping a little girl and her grandfather both see a new way of doing things.

From Hand Over Hand 

by Alma Fullerton 

illus. by Renné Benoit

Fishing with Grandma

by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-084-6

32 pp.

Ages 5-7

2016

The beginning of the year is a wonderful time to catch up on hidden gems that I missed last year, especially ones that were released at extraordinarily busy times or at incongruous times, like a winter book in the spring.  To that end, I am so pleased to review Fishing with Grandma, a marvelous picture book that provides a glimpse into Inuit traditions of fishing and food and the important role of female elders in the family and community.

A young boy and his sister go to visit their grandmother, Anaanatsiaq, in search of an adventure.  With the house smelling of bannock, the children playing string games, and their grandmother sewing a sealskin, with her ulu on the ground beside her, the setting will be familiar to many Inuit but eye-opening for many others.  The children ask their anaanatsiaq to take them jigging for fish, a type of fishing the uses a jig or a lure. Their grandmother instructs them how to dress appropriately for the outdoor activity and then loads up the ATV with the appropriate equipment and they're off. While teaching her grandchildren how to test the ice for walking, how to make holes in it, and the movements of the wrist necessary to entice the fish, Anaanatsiaq introduces them to tools such as a tuuq, an ice skimmer, a jigging stick and an ice probe.  But it's the excitement of the sounds of the ravens and other fisher people jigging from their mats and of the sights of fish swimming by, as well as the thrill of the catch that elevates the outing to an adventure.

From Fishing with Grandma 

by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula 

illus. by Charlene Chua

The story of Fishing with Grandma balances the blending of old and contemporary cultures with a special intergenerational relationship, making it a wonderful story for teaching acceptance and cultural competence. I love the children's grandmother, wise in tradition and facility, knowing the right thing to do and with the right tool.  I suspect that Nunavut author Susan Avingaq learned from her own grandmother just as she now would take her own grandchildren fishing and camping to teach them important land skills.  Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula's text of Fishing with Grandma is like Grandma herself, forthcoming without preaching, modelling acceptance and wonder and a joie de vivre.  Illustrator Charlene Chua, whose artwork in Akilak's Adventure (Inhabit Media, 2016) drew much attention, keeps the children's admiration and fascination for their grandmother and the adventure elevated as she does for young readers of the story.  Most importantly, the essence of being Inuit, from going jigging and sharing their catch with the community, is always uppermost in the story's text and illustrations, both teaching and entertaining readers of all cultures.

From Fishing with Grandma 

by Susan Avingaq and Maren Vsetula 

illus. by Charlene Chua

250 Hours

Written by Colleen Nelson

Coteau Books

978-1-55-5—641-9

152 pp.

Ages 12+

September 2015

“I don’t want to set them. But it’s like if I don’t do it, something worse will happen.  Watching something burn means I’ve saved a different bad thing from happening.”  He knew it sounded crazy, but maybe she’d understand because there was hurt inside of her too. (pg. 68)

And Jess Sinclair is right.  The hurt that compels him to set fires, hence his 250 hours community service, is also in 18-year-old Sara Jean whose grandmother’s garage is being cleaned out by Jess.  But, while both deal with abandonment issues–Jess by his father eight years earlier and Sara Jean at two months of age by her mother–and have significant relationships with their grandmothers, Jess’s hurt is wrapped up in living with the double-edged discrimination of being Métis as Sara Jean deals with being shackled to small-town life as primary caregiver to her 450-lb. grandmother, Gam.

While the two teens attempt to accept their responsibilities to their families and communities, they yearn to become independent of the hurts that define their lives, and they find themselves drawn to each other, particularly after Sara Jean discovers memorabilia of her Grandpa’s teaching at the local residential school.   But everyone seems to be keeping secrets and the discrimination Sara Jean detects from her boyfriend and his family, her own Gam and Aunt Mim towards Jess and Aboriginal People compels her to learn more, especially after she finds a small pair of moccasins that, unbeknownst to her, Jess is convinced his kokum had made.

Colleen Nelson tells another powerful story (see my review of The Fall, Great Plains Teen Fiction, 2013) in 250 Hours, but focuses on small-town mindedness, the injustice of the residential schools, and family expectations in such a way that the reader will sympathize for Jess and Sara Jean who feel trapped by the stifling suffocation of their histories.  How do you break free to make a new life for yourself when there is so much holding you back?

There’s always a reason to stay.  I guess there has to be better reasons to go. (pg. 69)

Don’t be surprised if you feel enraged by the injustices perpetrated against these young people and against Aboriginal people.  That’s good because we all should be.  I suspect that 250 Hours is a truer reflection of life for many who experience blatant discrimination, whether wholesale as evoked by the residential school situations or  randomly by ignorant individuals, and for youth limited by the influence of family and peers.  Not surprising that everyone seems to know what's best for others. Thankfully, Colleen Nelson makes sure that Sara Jean's and Jess's stories are told, albeit in a fictionalized tale, to give them voice, freedom and limitless possibilities to be themselves.  It’s a powerful story of redemption where none seemed possible.

Fishermen Through & Through

by Colleen Sydor

Illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Red Deer Press

978-0-88995-517-2

32 pp.

Ages 4+

November 2014

There once lived three fishermen: Peter, Santiago, and Ahab. They were tough. They were as salty as the bottom of a pretzel bag. They were as weathered as a twisted stick of driftwood. (pg. 3)

These three men are the titular fisherman, a companionable trio whose lives on the sea do not preclude their ability to dream. Peter dreams of camel travel across a desert of sand,  Santiago imagines balloon travel on the wide expanse of sky, and Ahab is enamoured with the vision of endless fields of coloured tulips. But, as Fishermen Through & Through, they continue to fish, until one day, blow me down, a beautiful, white lobster becomes entangled in their nets.

Not wishing to be selfish, the three take their catch to the Fisherman's Net, a local restaurant, to be honoured by placement in a grand seawater tank, for all to enjoy.  News of the albino lobster spreads and everyone, from reporters to biologists and photographers, come to visit and witness the splendour of the lobster.  But, when the fishermen are offered a great deal of money for the lobster, they find themselves considering their dreams, the lobster and life on the sea to help them make the right decision.

Whether Colleen Sydor's three fishermen represent Saint Peter, Hemingway's old fisherman from The Old Man and the Sea, and Moby Dick's captain Ahab is irrelevant–though fitting–they are a credit to their vocation, fishermen through and through.  And their respect for the ocean, and what it gives and takes, is uncompromising.  With Brooke Kerrigan creating the graphics, the pencil illustrations are beautifully awash in soft watercolours, bringing the gentle waters and straightforward characters to complement the positive text.  Illustrator of Wellington's Rainy Day (Beck, 2011) and award-winning Kiss Me! (I'm a Prince) (McLeod, 2011) Brooke Kerrigan doesn't just add the pictures; she creates the spirit of Colleen Sydor's story through line and colour. Fishermen Through & Through is a complete story, through and through.