Review by Booklist Review
Chen vividly captures the incredible life cycle of a coho salmon in the Pacific Northwest in this inviting, warmly illustrated primer. Each double-page spread marks a different phase in the journey, from fragile egg to determined adult returning home to spawn. Chen's text is clear and accessible for young readers, yet rich enough to spark deeper conversation. The rhythm of the language mirrors the salmon's persistent movement, and the narrative never shies away from the peril involved in survival. With luminescent watercolor artwork that beautifully complements the text, the book invites readers to marvel at both the science and the poetry of nature. The back matter includes a heartfelt author's note, in which Chen shares her personal connection to the Pacific salmon, enhancing the book's emotional resonance. It also offers additional information about coho salmon and the species' life cycle to extend learning. A valuable resource for science instruction on animal life cycles and an excellent choice for any library looking to enrich its nonfiction collection on wildlife.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Chen charts 1,450 days of a coho salmon's life in this eye-opening picture book. On day one, a Pacific salmon "begins her life in the cool waters of the Duwamish River," and ensuing pages detail the numerous changes the fish undergoes, from "tiny orange egg, smaller than a pea!" to fry drawn to journeying oceanward before adapting for a saltwater environment. When she eventually navigates back to her birth site to lay eggs, she takes on the red and green hues for which salmon are known. Concise narration paints a spare but incredible scientific story; watercolors have the translucent feel of sun prints, even as they offer realistic renderings of watery settings. An author's note and more conclude. Ages 5--8. (Nov.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--Chen's debut children's book explores the life cycle of a type of Pacific salmon called a coho salmon. Through realistic and expressive watercolor illustrations, readers journey with an embryo on the banks of the Pacific Northwest's Duwamish River to adulthood in the Pacific Ocean and back. A salmon's life, both in youth and maturity, can be a treacherous one; predators like otters and larger fish are a real danger. That's where some really neat adaptations come into play--like markings that help a young salmon blend into its scenery to protect itself. Each page features a span of days that represents phases of the fish's growth. The narrative comes full circle, beginning with coho salmon eggs and concluding with a fully grown salmon laying eggs of her own. Scientific jargon is sprinkled throughout but isn't a focal point of the text. There are enough interesting facts here to delight most nature or animal lovers. Chen includes a panel of facts and terms in the back for those hungry for more. VERDICT A recommended purchase wherever animal books are extremely popular.--Alison Schwartz
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
"On a crisp autumn day, a Pacific salmon is born." From an embryo inside an egg to the just-hatched alevin stage to a fry, the salmon's early life is fraught with danger at every turn. It remains so as she swims down the river to Puget Sound and into the open ocean, where she will spend most of her adult life. After a couple of years, she heeds the instinctive urge to return to her birthplace, so back she swims -- upstream -- against the treacherous currents until she reaches the place and deposits her eggs (the fertilization process goes unmentioned) in a nest of protective rocks. The text straightforwardly communicates the life cycle of the salmon, while the watercolor-esque illustrations, dominated by blues, greens, and reds, are both beautiful and informative. Maps and time-lapse images are seamlessly incorporated into the art, while the upper-left corner of each double-page spread indicates how many days have passed in the life cycle. Chen's debut children's book is sure to inspire a sense of wonder and awe in respect to the natural world in general and coho salmon in particular. Back matter includes information about the fish, their life cycle, and the author's formative inspiration and creative process. Jonathan HuntNovember/December 2025 p.83 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
"On a crisp autumn day, a Pacific salmon is born." Chen's straightforward, chronological account of the life cycle and migration of a coho salmon begins with an egg in the Duwamish River in Washington state. The egg's development unfolds across the course of the first half of the book (each page marks the passing of time) as the embryo becomes an alevin (a newly spawned fish, with the egg's yolk still attached), a fry, and, by day 560, a full-grown fish with "a deep instinct to travel west" to the Pacific Ocean. These stages of life are clearly illustrated in a lush palette of blue and green washes, with splashes of salmon orange. As the salmon gets closer to the ocean, Chen carefully describes how her body adapts for the journey, including developing "a silvery sparkle" on her scales to camouflage her from ocean predators. The salmon will spend up to several years in the ocean until, "guided by an internal compass," she feels the urge to return home to spawn, a journey depicted by lovely swirling currents framed by underwater flora. The soothing narration, reminiscent of a voiceover in a nature documentary, notes that this cycle will repeat with each new salmon egg. The backmatter includes further information about coho salmon but disappointingly makes no mention of the challenges salmon face, such as habitat loss, overfishing, climate change, and pollution. A gentle, lucidly told nature story. (author's note, QR code linking to further information on the coho salmon)(Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
