Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii

Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii, part of the “Sk’ad’a Stories Series”, is a heartwarming story written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson and based on Robert’s experiences with his grandfather, or tsinii, when he was young. The simple tale of a day on the water is illustrated beautifully by artist Janine Gibbons.

The book takes place on Haida Gwaii (all three creators are of Haida heritage) and starts with a young Robert rowing out to a fishing spot with his tsinii. Tsinii knows exactly when and where to go. The small, often quiet moments the Davidsons choose to focus on are perfect: rowing out to find fish plus the excitement of catching them and learning to clean them. But the moments of Tsinii’s pretending to catch a fish to play a lighthearted trick on his grandson, the detail of paper-wrapped sandwiches served with sweet creamy coffee, and Tsinii’s exclamations of “HUP!” wrap those small moments in a layer of reality, pulling readers into the story. These elements help the story feel real to readers. It’s as though they don’t need to imagine what it would be like to be in the boat with Tsinii because, in a way, they’re there. Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii is much more than a simple fishing story, though. It is, at its heart, a story of Tsinii’s passing down knowledge to young Robert in the same way the text is full of little bits of knowledge about fishing and the sea for readers.

The illustrations in Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii are gorgeous. The paintings by Janine Gibbons are full of life. The colour pallet, deep blues and greys, evokes a cool day on the water. Gibbons painterly style that tends towards the realistic brings a closeness to the story, helping readers imagine they are sitting in the boat or crouching on the beach. The illustrations are all two-page spreads, but they do not overwhelm. Readers are greeted with a mix of close-ups on hands and fish, interspersed with scenes of sea and sky, allowing readers to ‘breathe’ and never feeling claustrophobic. This mix of close details and sweeping vistas perfectly captures the experience of being confined to a boat at sea.

There is a small amount of back matter in the book that helps to contextualize the story for readers. The short paragraph explaining that the book is based on real events is followed by a short biography of Robert Davidson Sr. (Tsinii), and the next page features a map of Haida Gwaii.

Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii is a heartwarming story that shares a piece of Davidson’s life and culture with young readers. The writing is strong, and the illustrations are excellent. It would make a good purchase for school and public libraries, especially those looking to feature more realistic fiction and Indigenous fiction.