Supporting Ecosystems

Part of the Mothers of Xsan series, The Wolf Mother is the newest addition to the series written by Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and illustrated by Natasha Donovan. In this book, readers get to learn all about wolves, particularly the female leaders who guide their packs.

 The story starts in the spring with the birth of a new pack. One pup, a small female, distinguished by her charcoal black coat takes the focus for the remainder of the cycles of the moon. Readers follow the Nox Gibuu (wolf mother) as she chooses and grows her pack, leading the other members and becoming an important part of the ecosystem. The Wolf Mother particularly highlights the importance of the mother drawing parallels to the Gitxsan Nation and their matrilineal lines. 

As with the other books in the series, the terms are defined on the pages where they are located which makes navigating through the story so much easier than having to flip back and forth from the words to a glossary in the back. One of my favourite things in this series is the descriptions at the end of The Gitxan Moons. The Gitxsan have the most beautifully descriptive words for each of the moons, my personal favourite being Lasa gwineekxw Getting-Used-to-Cold Moon, which we are experiencing as I write. 

Natasha Donovan’s illustrations are outstanding. Beautiful depictions of the neutral coloured wolves highlighted by the piercing sky, incorporating traditional imagery to create a feast for the eyes.