scholarly journals Arctic Wolf by W. Flaherty / Bowhead Whale by J. Karpik / Walrus by H. Paniaq

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Bowhead Whale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Human Form ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University

Flaherty, William.  Arctic Wolf. Illustrated by Sean Bigham. Inhabit Media, 2018. Karpik, Joanasie.  Bowhead Whale. Illustrated by Sho Uehara. Inhabit Media, 2018. Paniaq, Herve.  Walrus. Illustrated by Ben Shannon. Inhabit Media, 2017.   Inhabit Media has published three more volumes in their successful “made in the Arctic” Animals Illustrated Series. Herve Paniaq’s Walrus, Joanasie Karpik’s Bowhead Whale and William Flaherty’s Arctic Wolf follow the pattern of the earlier works in this series (see review https://doi.org/10.20361/G2NM3W). Each book is a natural history of the animal, including range, physical characteristics, diet, babies, and fun facts. Each book also has one or two sections specific to the animal. For example, in Arctic Wolf, there is a section for “Wolves in Human Form.” Both Bowhead Whale and Walrus have sections on “Traditional Uses.” Although there is a different illustrator for each volume, the styles are similar and the content of the images are parallel throughout the three books. For example, page 6 of each book shows a naturally coloured skeleton on a black background, while page 12 is about Babies, and each book shows a mother and baby image. The illustrations are excellent throughout and extend to the end pages.  This series would be good research material for elementary school children studying the North. These books are highly recommended for public libraries and elementary school libraries.  Highly recommended:  4 out of 4 stars Reviewer:  Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals On the Shoulder of a Giant: an Inuit Folktale by N. Christopher

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Bowhead Whale ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Quality Work ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Christopher, Neil.  On the Shoulder of a Giant:  an Inuit Folktale. Iqualuit:  Inhabit Media, 2015. Print.This is another in a series of works designed by Neil Christopher, one of the founders of Inhabit Media, to preserve traditional Inuit stories.  In this book he retells a story, which is known in various forms all across the Arctic, of a giant who adopts a hunter as his son.  This giant, named Inukpak,  is one of the inukpasugjuit or “great giants” of Inuit stories.  Inukpak is so big that he can walk across the Arctic in “just a few days” and when he stands in the sea the water "never come[s] up past his knees". He is so big that he thinks that the hunter is a lost child, so he adopts him and carries him on his shoulder.This is a simple retelling, designed to teach about the mythical giants and to explain why the story is found in many cultures across the Canadian Arctic.  However, it also models a big person/small person relationship in which small people do not correct or talk back to big people.  Children will relate to the hunter, who is treated as a child and because the story is told from the hunter's perspective.  The giant sometimes doesn't recognize the impact of his own actions.  For example when he runs back to shore, he creates waves that swamp the hunter, but the giant thinks the hunter has been playing in the water.  "The hunter wanted to tell the giant that he had not been playing in the water.  He also wanted to explain to Inukpak that he had caught a bowhead whale, not a sculpin.  But, once again, the little hunter did not want to argue with a giant, so he just said, 'Okay.' "This is mainly a picture book. The illustrations run over two-page spreads with text over-printed on them.  Jim Nelson does a good job of presenting the difference in size between the giant and the human.  Inukpak is presented as a happy fellow, with black shaggy hair and a full beard.  Children will be amused by the giant picking up a polar bear by the scruff of its neck, like a kitten. The images are realistic and the backgrounds are lovely representations of Arctic landscapes. Overall, this is an enjoyable and high-quality work that should be included in elementary school libraries, public libraries and libraries specializing in Arctic children’s books.Highly Recommended:  4 out of 4 starsReviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals The Orphan and the Polar Bear by S. Qaunaq

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Polar Bear ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Human Form ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The Common ◽  
Push Down ◽  
The University

Qaunaq, Sakiasi.  The Orphan and the Polar Bear.  Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media, Inc., 2011. Print.One of the common themes in Inuit stories is that of the orphan child alone on the land.  In this version, told by Arctic Bay elder Sakiasi Qalinaq, who learned his stories from his grandmother, the orphan is abandoned by hunters from his village and adopted by a village of polar bears.  The bears teach him to hunt and survive on the land and, when he is grown, return him to his people.  The image on the cover of the book showing the child riding the polar bear is an iconic one. This mythological relationship between child and polar bear is also found in non-Inuit literature, most notably in Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. In the bears’ village the orphan is trained to hunt and survive on the land.  The bears also teach him their traditional wisdom.   For example, when one of the bears wants to go “push down” some humans because they “look so silly standing on their skinny legs”, a wiser elder bear says, “Never talk that way…don’t make humans our enemy.  Stay clear of them and their camps.” The book is primarily a picture-book. Unlike many of the other books of Inuit legends published by Inhabit Media, the pictures are not scary.  Rather they are quite beautiful.   The extra width of the landscape format gives artist, Eva Widermann, the opportunity to spread her illustrations across two pages reflecting the wide expanses of the Arctic.  Text usually takes up one corner or a few lines of a page.  Widermann’s images are realistic.  However, because this story is from a time when animals could shape-shift into human form, she sometimes gives the bears human postures and gestures.  For example, in the image on page 15, the polar bear is standing with a harpoon grasped in its front paws, handing it to the orphan.  Bears are also shown in their human form in three images. In the image on page 20, depicting the inside of an igloo in the bears’ village, a woman with human form is tending the fire.Overall this is a lovely rendition of the story.  While designed for an elementary school audience, anyone with an interest in traditional Arctic tales will enjoy it.  Recommended for elementary schools and public libraries. Recommendation:  4 out of 4 starsReviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

scholarly journals Sometimes I Feel Angry / Sometimes I Feel Nervous / Sometimes I Feel Jealous / Sometimes I Feel Lonely / Sometimes I Feel Sad Illus. A. Sandland.

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The North ◽  
The University

Sometimes I Feel Angry /   Sometimes I Feel Nervous / Sometimes I Feel Jealous /   Sometimes I Feel Lonely /   Sometimes I Feel Sad. Illus. Amanda Sandland. Iqaluit: Inhabit Education, 2017. The Nunavummi Reading Series from Inhabit Education situates emotional literacy learning in the Canadian Arctic. These books are part of a leveled reading series and are graded at Fountas & Pinnell Text Level J (books designed to be read aloud to young children). Amanda Sandland’s illustrations are spare and uncluttered.  Backgrounds are plain or contain simple landscapes. The characters developed by Ali Hinch are anthropomorphized animals representing small children.  The nervous caribou has a hat and satchel and Aqi, the sometimes sad and lonely bird, has boots. Some of the characters appear in several books. One of the most helpful things about these books is that the resolutions are realistic. The characters display real emotions and reactions. These situations are resolved through talking with friends and recognizing which responses are healthy and which are not. There are none of the trite “quick-fixes” that so often appear in children’s books related to emotions. There are many children’s series that address emotions, but because these books are set in the Arctic and use Arctic animals, children in the North will be more comfortable with the content. The characters do things that Northern children would do: playing one-foot high kick, looking for fossils, picking berries, ice-fishing and going sliding. Children who do not live in Northern environments will be able to learn more about the North, as well as about emotions. This is a high-quality, relatively inexpensive series that is highly recommended for elementary school libraries and public libraries.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sandy Campbell Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals Lesson for the Wolf by R. & S. Qitsualik-Tinsley

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Face Length ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
The University

Qitsualik-Tinsley, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.  Lesson for the Wolf.  Illus. Alan Cook. Iqaluit, NU:  Inhabit Media, 2015. Print.The writing duo of Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley are back with a story about being comfortable in your own skin, literally.  The wolf in this story is not happy to be a wolf, so with the help of “the magic of the land”, he acquires owl’s feathers, the wolverine’s tail and the caribou’s antlers.  But he cannot fly like the owl or eat lichen like the caribou and he is too different from the wolves, so he becomes sad, lonely and starves.  Eventually he learns the beauty of being himself and the magic of the land restores him.  The story is a lovely Arctic fable on the lesson of being true to one’s self. Alan Cook’s paintings capture the wildness of the Arctic, with sweeping brush-strokes and suggestions of distant landscapes.  The animals are all cartoon-like creatures, sometimes verging on caricature.  Both the wolves and the caribou are drawn with over-accentuated face length and extreme thinness of the abdomen. Children who are struggling to be satisfied with and confident in their identities may be able to identify with the wolf.  This book would be a good starting point for discussion.  Highly recommended for elementary school libraries and public libraries.Highly recommended:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals Skraelings by R. & S. Qitsualik-Tinsley

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Oral Storytelling ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
History Of ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
The University ◽  
Blue Eyes

Qitsualik-Tinsley, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.  Skraelings. Illus. Andrew Trabbold. Iqaluit, NU:  Inhabit Media, 2014. Print.This volume is the first in the Arctic Moon Magick series.  In it writing duo, Rachael and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, have recreated an Inuit world at the time of Viking contact, presented through the eyes of a young Inuit hunter, Kannujaq.  In his travels, he comes across people of the Tuniit culture, of whom he has only heard legends.  He meets Siku, a boy-shaman, whose name means “ice” and is named for his blue eyes.  The Tuniit have been attacked in the past by Vikings from Greenland.  They return each spring and Kannujaq finds himself in the middle of a battle, where he becomes a reluctant warrior. The title Skraelings, which means “Weaklings”, is a Viking taunt to the Tuniit.This is a well written chapter book for ages 12 and older and the language is age-appropriate. There are a few black and white drawings that complement the text.   While much of the story proceeds logically along the plot line,  occasionally, the authors break in, not as narrators, but simply to give the reader additional information.  For example:  "Oh, we forgot to tell you:  Shamans were pretty clever when it came to the things that plants and other natural materials could do" (p. 26). While this is unusual in a novel and breaks the flow of the story, it is completely in keeping with oral storytelling and is rather endearing.  However, this book should not be mistaken for simple story.  It is an engaging read, culminating in a final plot twist that demonstrates the authors’ broad and compassionate understanding of the regional history of the Eastern Arctic. This is an excellent work and unique in young adult Arctic literature.  It should definitely be included in junior high and middle school libraries and public libraries everywhere.Recommendation:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds by M. Pelletier

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Physical Description ◽  
Full Page ◽  
Field Identification ◽  
History Of ◽  
Image Page ◽  
The University ◽  
Species Descriptions

Pelletier, Mia.  A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds.  Iqaluit, NV:  Inhabit Media Inc., 2014. PrintMia Pelletier is an ecologist who, since 2010, has worked with seabird populations in Nunavut.  In this children’s field guide, she introduces fourteen species of Arctic birds.  Each bird is introduced in two pages. One full page displays Danny Christopher’s illustrations of the birds and the facing page provides the natural history of the species.  Each description includes both English and Inuktitut names, though notably, not the standard Latin name.  The text is broken into easy to read paragraphs for:  physical description, where to look for the birds, what they eat, the sounds they make, nests, eggs, chicks and where the birds winter.  In addition to the species descriptions, Pelletier has supplied helpful sections including a coloured chart of the birds’ eggs, a size comparison chart, and comparative descriptions of the birds’ feathers, bills and feet.   In addition to her own knowledge, Pelletier has based her work on research, including visiting a museum in Iceland to view species and eggs that she had not seen in the wild.Danny Christopher’s watercolours are excellent representations of the birds.  Every species could easily be identified from the paintings.  Each image page also contains a “Feathered Fact” that tells the reader something special about the bird.  For example:  “Long-tailed ducks like to sneak their eggs into the nests of other long-tailed ducks”.Overall, this is an excellent introduction to common Arctic birds, which could be used to learn about the birds or as a guide for field identification.  This work is highly recommended for public libraries and elementary school libraries.Highly Recommended:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals A Walk on the Tundra by R. Hainnu & A. Ziegler

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Field Guide ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Plant Names ◽  
The University

Hainnu, Rebecca and Anna Ziegler.  A Walk on the Tundra. Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media, 2011.  Print. This volume is a cross between a picture book, a story and a field guide to edible plants.  Inuujaq is a little girl who wants to play with her friends, but they are still asleep.  Her grandmother, Silaaq, takes her out on the land to collect plants.  While Inuujaq is more concerned about her friends and snacks, her grandmother patiently passes on the traditional knowledge that her grandmother had taught her.  As Silaaq teaches the reader learns about the plants as well.  For example, when they pick qijuktaat, we are told that “Its long green fingers and white bell blossoms flutter in the wind.  Inuujaq touches the little branches.  They feel prickly on her palms.  And they smell fresh, like the summer wind when it comes from the hills.” Authors, Rebecca Hainnu and Anna Ziegler, have worked on several educational publications. That background is apparent in this book.  There are eighteen Inuktitut words, including 6 plant names, introduced in the text.  They are explained and italicized when they are first introduced, for example “Nirilikkit – eat them”. The next time the word is used, it is assumed that the reader knows what it means. Because there are several Inuktitut words on each page, I was not able to remember them as I read and had to use the glossary or look back to the first use of the word, which is distracting.  However, as a tool for building vocabulary, or as a story book for students who have some familiarity with Inuktitut, this work would be excellent. The pictures that accompany the story are cartoon-like with lots of bright colours.  Artist, Qin Leng, has given the land a lot of colour.  The ground is covered with green grass and bright flowers, reflecting the Arctic summer.  Silaaq and Inuujaq wear pinks and purples and blues with green boots and pink shoes.  The plant glossary, or field guide, is illustrated with photographs for accurate identification. There are very few children’s books about Inuit plant use.  The content is valuable, but because of the incorporation of Inuktitut words, it is more challenging to read.   A Walk on the Tundra will find most of its readers at the upper elementary level rather than the age 6 to 8 group which is its defined audience.  Recommended for elementary school and public libraries. Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

scholarly journals The Spirit of the Sea by R. Hainnu

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
Human Form ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Non Fiction ◽  
Underwater Image ◽  
The University

Hainnu, Rebecca.  The Spirit of the Sea. Illus. Hwei Lim. Iqualuit, NU:  Inhabit Media, Inc., 2014.  Print.This volume is another of Inhabit Media’s fine productions of Inuit legends.  It tells an old story, which exists in many variations. This version comes from Rebecca Hainnu, who lives in Clyde River, Nunavut.  While Hainnu’s previous works have been non-fiction including children’s books on mathematics and tundra plants, she does a fine job of storytelling, as well.   Arnaq is a beautiful young woman who is tricked into marrying a fulmar (a kind of bird) when he appears in human form.  When her father tries to rescue her, he ends up sacrificing her to the fulmars to save his own life. She sinks to the bottom and becomes the Spirit of the Sea.  As Nuliajuq, she controls the sea animals and hunters must appease her to have good hunting and calm seas.Throughout the volume, text appears on one page and an image on the facing page.  The text, which is appropriate for upper elementary readers and above, is meant to be read aloud and generally has the sound of a traditional storyteller’s voice.  However, there are occasional modern phrases that are incongruous and break the flow.   “Eventually, Arnaq succumbed to complete depression”.  The text contains some Inuktitut words, which are italicized and listed in the pronunciation guide at the end of the volume.The watercolours by Hwei Lim are beautiful and ethereal.  The colours are mainly blues and browns, reflecting the marine environment.  The underwater image of Arnaq looking up at the bottom of a boat is particularly effective.The Spirit of the Sea is highly recommended for elementary school libraries, public libraries and libraries specializing in Canadian Indigenous materials. Highly Recommended:  4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give. 

scholarly journals We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by R. Higgins

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Dark Hair ◽  
Curly Hair ◽  
Starting School ◽  
Moral High Ground ◽  
The University

Higgins, Ryan T. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. Disney-Hyperion, 2018 This is a messy book. Ryan Higgins' drawings are much messier and less precise than his earlier books about Bruce, the bear. However, when you are Pamela Rex, a Tyrannosaurus rex starting school with a room full of delicious human classmates, things get messy, particularly when you have to spit them out. Ryan Higgins taps the absurd in both his images and text to keep children laughing. Penelope still wants to eat the children, even though her father “packed her a lunch of three hundred tuna sandwiches." There is also an image of Penelope trying to “make friends at recess,” but she is standing at the bottom of the playground slide with her mouth open. Penelope does eventually learn a small lesson in empathy when Walter, the class goldfish, bites her.  Higgins draws Penelope as a stuffed toy Tyrannosaurus rex, perhaps to prevent children from being frightened. The children are represented by the usual politically correct collection of stereotypes, often identified by clothing. There is one Jewish (yarmulke), one Muslim (hijab), two black (tight curly hair), one Indigenous (braids), one Japanese (the only child with a shirt and tie), and several generic “brown” children.  All of the children have dark hair. Blue-eyed blonds are conspicuous by their absence.  In addition to being a fun book, this volume allows every child to claim the moral high ground. Every child can say, “I wouldn’t ever do that!”, because all children know that “we don’t eat our classmates.” While this is a book about being different, clashes of values, and learning to get along, it is mainly a book that will amuse children. Recommended for elementary school and public libraries. Recommended:  3 out of 4 stars Reviewer:  Sandy Campbell  Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.          

scholarly journals Sweetest Kulu by C. Kalluk

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Character Trait ◽  
Read Aloud ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Arctic Hare ◽  
The University

Kalluk, Celina.  Sweetest Kulu. Illus. Alexandria Neonakis.  Iqaluit, NU:  Inhabit Media Inc., 2014.  Print.“Kulu” is an Inuktitut term of endearment for babies and small children.  In this work, traditional throat singer and author, Celina Kalluk, shows all of the gifts that nature brings to a newborn baby.  The images show the baby cradled and adored by many creatures.  Each creature brings a character trait as a gift for the baby.  “Caribou chose patience for you, cutest Kulu.  He gave you the ability to look to the stars, so that you will always know where you are and may gently lead the way”.  With each gift, Kalluk uses a different adjective to describe the baby – happy Kulu, admired Kulu, beloved Kulu. Illustrator, Alexandria Neonakis has created an image for each animal in rich and deep colours.  The images spread over two facing pages with text over-printed. Each image is gentle and tender.  The baby is shown nestled between the front hooves of a musk-ox, curled up against a polar bear or snuggled up in the paws of an Arctic hare.  The baby is reflected in the water when the Arctic char brings a gift of tenderness.This book is a beautiful representation of a mother’s love for her baby reflected in the traditional Inuit connection to the land and nature.  It is a calming and peaceful book, which will become a bedtime read-aloud favourite. Highly recommended for elementary school libraries, public libraries and babies’ rooms everywhere.Highly Recommended:   4 stars out of 4Reviewer:  Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines.  Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.

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