Kumak's Fish
A Tall Tale from the Far North
by Michael Bania


On a beautiful Arctic morning, Kumak looked out the window of his house. Through the willows he could see the sun rising over the frozen river. “Ahhh, spring,” said Kumak to his family. “The days are long. The nights are short and the ice is still hard. Good day for fish.” Eager to give Uncle Aglu’s amazing hooking stick a try, Kumak packs up his family and heads out to go ice fishing. “Good day for fish!” they say. Kumak waits patiently while the rest of the family pulls in fish after fish. Finally, his line twitches and he pulls, but can’t land the fish. Everyone in the village joins in, straining to help, but Kumak is sucked into the hole. They give a mighty pull, and out Kumak flies with an explosive “whoosh” and a string of fish, each holding onto the fish in front of it. With a catch big enough to feed the whole village, they head home exclaiming, “Good day for fish.” Authentic details throughout the playful art and text, as well as endnotes on Iñupiat fishing, provide young readers with a fascinating window into another culture in this follow up to Kumak’s House (a 2003 Children’s Book Council Notable Trade Book in Social Studies, page xx).

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