Kumak's River: A Tall Tale from the Far North (review)

Since ice breakup and dramatic river surges are common springtime phenomena in the far north, Kumak and his family take the flood of their small Alaskan village in stride ("Hooray! No classes today!" cheer the children), clambering matter-of-factly onto the roof and putting all the dogs in a boat that they tie to the house as the river sweeps away everything that was left on the ground. Eventually the ice jam breaks and the river level drops, so the family goes in search of their swept-away items, finding their fishing gear, oil drums, and more importantly, the dogs, whose boat broke its rope and drifted away, but who have washed up safely elsewhere in the village. This new title about Kumak (Kumak's House; Kumak's Fish) and his Inupiat village is a fascinating contrast to stories of floods as disaster; here the flood is like a snow day, with the break of normal routine adding a note of excitement and festivity (although the book is awfully sanguine about the messy cleanup). The story is told in spare yet rhythmic prose, with the repeated refrain of "Just in time!" adding structure. The book's compact trim size makes the art best suited for the close-up and keen-eyed, but the line and watercolor art is jaunty and appealing, with teeming vignettes of people and stuff contrasting with the wide open skies and broad blue river. A float-ringed thumbnail "window" cleverly provides an ongoing dog-cam that follows the exploits of the drifting dogs as the family waits for the waters to subside. With a style that's suitable for reading alone or reading aloud one on one, this is an unusual adventure that will intrigue many young residents of the lower 48.