Windswept: Homestead Tales from Chitina

Pryce Raphael’s illustration of “The Curious Girl” and a startled black bear from Windswept: Tales for Children. Courtesy of Fathom Publishing, photographed by Allison Sayer.

Allison Sayer

Aurora Hardy has written two books about her childhood experiences near Chitina in the 1960s and 1970s: Windswept: Chitina Alaska Childhood and Windswept: Tales for Children. The books are illustrated by Pryce Raphael. 

Hardy’s family relocated after their home in Kodiak was destroyed by a tsunami following the 1964 Earthquake. Hardy’s mother and the four children lived in the town of Chitina, then later built and moved into a cabin a few miles away. Hardy’s father worked elsewhere in the state. 

In Windswept: Chitina Alaska Childhood, Hardy describes a life with many chores and responsibilities, but also filled with the magic of nature. The reader can feel the change in life that went along with the change in seasons. There are also special details Hardy recalls, like her mother receiving boxes of books once a month from the State Library in Juneau for the family to read. 

This book would be appropriate for readers of any age who can read chapter books in addition to being enjoyable for adults. It is a relatively quick read. There are many animal stories in the book, which gave me the cozy feeling of sitting around a campfire listening to stories of encounters with Alaska’s wild creatures. There are also stories about dipnetting, building a cabin, and watching breakup on the Copper River. 

Pryce Raphael’s illustration of dipnetting on the Copper River at night, with a campfire on the beach, from Windswept: Chitina Alaska Childhood. Courtesy of Fathom Publishing, photographed by Allison Sayer.

My favorite story in the book recalls the family going out to sled by the light of the moon. In the second part of the story, Hardy’s mother shows the children tracks from a group of hares that were also jumping and sliding in the moonlight. 

For families who have been in this area for more than a generation, the stories here could provide a spark for their own storytelling of a more “unplugged” time. For people new to the area or folks Outside, these stories are a sweet window into a family’s experience not too long ago. 

The accompanying childrens’ book tells stories from the perspective of a bear, a mouse, a moose, and “The Curious Girl,” who represents young Hardy in the stories. I did not feel qualified to review a children’s book, so I looped in a nine year old consultant, Stella Lydon. 

Stella was genuinely engaged in the stories, wondering what would happen next. She also loved the cartoon quality of the illustrations. Her review: “I think it’s really awesome.” Her father Tim appreciated that the end of the book featured natural history facts about Alaskan animals to share. 

Both books are illustrated in unique and beautiful style by Pryce Raphael. With ink and marker, Raphael created a surprising array of textures with varying marker strokes. This style matches Hardy’s young narrator’s perspective of wonder. I also enjoyed the feeling that the more I looked at the illustrations, the more detail there was to see and appreciate.

The books were published by Fathom Publishing.