Annie Chen on Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back

In this post, we feature author and illustrator Annie Chen. You can hear her speak about her debut picture book, Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. You can also try her “invitation to imagine” activities and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back

Written and illustrated by Annie Chen
Published by Red Comet Press
Release date: November 4, 2025

Salmon Run follows a Pacific coho salmon as she begins her journey in the freshwater rivers of Washington State, travels to the vast Pacific Ocean, and finally returns to the place of her birth to spawn and begin the cycle of life once again. During this arduous adventure that spans hundreds of miles, she will grow and change through five distinct stages of life: egg, alevin, fry, smolt, and adult. From river to estuary to ocean, she will hide from predators, search for food, and encounter a range of marine environments. With a careful balance of scientific accuracy and luminous illustrations, Salmon Run invites young readers to explore the remarkable life of this keystone species in the North Pacific ecosystem—and the magic of its journey home.

An interior image from Salmon Run showing a glowing large painting of a salmon egg with an embryo curled inside it.

An interior image from Salmon Run showing a large framed image of a whole adult salmon surrounded by water. The color palette of the salmon's body shifts from left to right to show the salmon's smolting process, changing from dark stripes to a slivery sheen.

Explore Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back

Listen to Annie Chen talking with TeachingBooks about creating Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activities contributed by Annie Chen.

Imagination Activities with Annie Chen

Imagine that the place you live—your home, your neighborhood, or even your whole city—is a giant ecosystem, just as rivers, forests, and coastlines are for animals. First, draw yourself as a creature who has evolved to live in this environment. What adaptations would help you survive and thrive here? Maybe climbing pads for navigating stair “mountains,” heat-sensing eyes for spotting sunny “meadows,” waterproof skin for crossing rainy “river crossings,” or patterned scales for blending into the environment.

Next, draw a map of the journey your creature must take each day or season: Where do you find food? Where do you rest? Where do you go to play, explore, or meet other species? Mark the important ecological features—safe zones, dangerous areas, migration routes, resource patches, and the “predators” or “helpers” you might meet along the way (pets, classmates, buses, trees, traffic lights). Your final map can be as realistic or imaginative as you want. After you finish, let someone else explore your map and discover what it’s like to move through your world as your creature—every journey tells a different story!

Finish This Sentence . . . with Annie Chen

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy the response from Annie Chen.

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is actually leaving my studio, and going for a walk or hike outside. I get a lot of joy from noticing the small things, like sparkly leaf light, wiggly water ripples, and shy animal cameos; those small moments slow me down (in a good way!) and help me stay present with the world around me. Plus, I always return with a fresh mind and new ideas brewing…plus the occasional bug stuck to my shoe.

“My favorite books as a child were…”

My favorite books as a child The Leaf Men by William Joyce, The Mitten by Jan Brett, The Eragon series by Christopher Paolini, and My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George! As you might tell, I am a big fan of stories that mix nature, adventure, and a sense of wonder—books that make the outdoors feel alive and full of hidden worlds.

More Connections to Annie Chen and Salmon Run: An Epic Journey to the Ocean and Back

Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Annie Chen and Red Comet Press and may not be used without expressed written consent.