Ben the Sea Lion - Book by Roy Henry Vickers

Ben the Sea Lion - Book by Roy Henry Vickers

Tsimshian storyteller and artist Roy Henry Vickers shares an adventure from his childhood in the Indigenous village of Kitkatla, on BC’s north coast.

When Uncle Johnny accidentally catches an orphaned sea lion pup in his fishing net, young Roy and his cousin Bussy take responsibility for nursing the tiny creature back to health. They name the pup Ben, short for Teeben―the Tsimshian word for sea lion. With the boys’ loving care, Ben eats and eats and grows and grows, getting up to all sorts of fun in Kitkatla, including towing the boys in their skiff and showing local dogs who is boss! Eventually, Ben must return to the wild, leaving his human friends to remember him fondly.

Fifteen original illustrations by Roy Henry Vickers accompany the text, capturing the beauty of the West Coast and the richness of village life. Ben the Sea Lion will delight readers of all ages.

About the Authors:

Roy Henry Vickers, CM OBC, born in June 1946 in Laxgalts'ap (now Greenville), British Columbia, is a Grammy-nominated Canadian First Nations artist. He operates a gallery in Tofino, British Columbia.  Born on the Nass River and raised in Kitkatla, Hazelton, British Columbia, and Victoria, B.C., Vickers' father was a fisherman with Tsimshian, Haida, and Heiltsuk heritage. His mother, a schoolteacher with English parents, was adopted into the Eagle clan at Kitkatla, B.C. in the 1940s, making Roy also an Eagle clan member. His grandfather, a Kitkatla canoe-carver, influenced his work, which incorporates elements of traditional First Nations art of the Pacific Northwest while maintaining a unique style.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harbour Publishing (May 14 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 155017973X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1550179736
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 494 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 30.48 x 0.9 x 20.96 cm