Jack Pine Fish Camp

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

In this picture book about life in northern Manitoba, Iskotew’s family
moves for the summer from their home in Brochet to Jack Pine, the fish
camp. After describing their preparations, the boat journey, and their
arrival on the island, the narrative relates how the fish are caught in
nets and how Iskotew and her dad are caught out on the lake in a storm.
It also tells of the family’s lifestyle at the camp and the family’s
return journey to Brochet at the end of the summer.

There is little drama in this slow-moving, gentle look at life in the
North. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are sometimes awkwardly
executed. For example, the silver fish house on the island appears to
sit in the water and the human figures are poorly proportioned.
Recommended with reservations for libraries needing materials on the
North.