scholarly journals Those That Cause Fear by N. Christopher

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Field Guide ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Full Page ◽  
Extensive Collection ◽  
The University

Christopher, Neil. Those That Cause Fear.  Inhabit Media, 2016.Neil Christopher, who has spent 16 years working to preserve Inuit traditional tales in the Eastern Arctic has, with the work of illustrator Germaine Arnaktauyok, created a field guide to scary creatures of the Arctic.  The book shows 20 creatures of whom we should be afraid.  Each creature is shown in a full page image created by Arnaktauyok, while the facing page presents Christopher’s description.  At the end of the book there is a pronunciation guide for the creatures’ names.  Arnaktauyok’s prints are simple designs in shades of browns and greens.  The images capture the essence of the stories.  For example, the image of the sleeping giant (p. 22) shows how a sleeping giant could be mistaken for a hill. The text is conversational, often addressing the reader as “you."  Many of the descriptions open with a question to engage the reader or ask the reader to imagine something.  “Have you ever imagined seeing a giant?  Do you think you would be scared?”  Often the stories contain bits of the traditional knowledge that allowed the Inuit to survive over the millennia.  For example, the Kajjait, we are told are the hungry spirits of animals that have been killed and the meat “not used properly” or “allowed to spoil."  The spirits look like gaunt wolves.  They roam the tundra, eating anything they can find, but in spite of that are constantly starving.  The lesson that hunters must use the animals that they kill is clear.While the book is aimed at an upper elementary audience, the content will be valuable to anyone who wants to know about these scary creatures.Inhabit Media has produced a number of books dedicated to individual scary creatures, such as the Qallupilluk and the Amautalik, but this is the first extensive collection.  Highly recommended for school and public libraries.Highly recommended:  4 stars out of 4 Reviewer:  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 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 Cloudwalker by R.H. Vickers and R. Budd

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
School Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Great Rivers ◽  
The University ◽  
Traditional Stories

Vickers, Roy Henry and Robert Budd.  Cloudwalker.  Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2014. Print.This is a stunning new book from painter, print maker, carver, author and member of the Orders of Canada and British Columbia, Roy Henry Vickers.  It contains 18 new prints from this innovative Indigenous artist, which accompany the retelling of a traditional story.  The story explains the origin of the three great rivers: The Nass, The Stikine and the Skeena (or Ksien, which means "juice from the clouds”).  It is the story of a young man who is carried up to the clouds by swans and wanders around on the clouds.  He carries a box of water, which spills when he falls.  The spills form the lakes and rivers on the land.  While the text tells the story, it also incorporates cultural knowledge including the cycle of the salmon and the importance of marmot hides as symbols of wealth.  The text is simple and readable at the upper elementary level. While the story is important, it is the sophisticated artwork that makes this book stand out.  Vickers has used flat designs, incorporating the familiar formlines and ovoids found in traditional North coastal Indigenous art.  Ovoids are the rounded shapes used to portray joints  and sometimes eyes.   Some of the paintings show the familiar red and black figures on simple backgrounds of strong colours.  However  other figures are printed in shiny overlay most visible as you move the book to catch the light, creating hidden treasures for children to find.  For example the image on page 28 shows a figure by the river;  shiny streaks cross the page to represent rain and shiny fish are printed on the surface of the river. This book, which reminds us that picture books and traditional stories are not just for children, would be an excellent addition to public and school libraries everywhere, as well as to collections that specialize in Canadian Indigenous traditional stories. Highly recommended:  4 stars out of 4 Reviewer:  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 Aluniq: and her friend, Buster by A. Pingo

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Medical Treatment ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The University ◽  
To Receive

Pingo, Anna.  Aluniq:  and her friend, Buster. Illus. Karleen Green. Inuvilauit Settlement Region, 2016.This is a simple story about separation of loved ones, a common, but none-the-less painful necessity in many remote communities. Aluniq is a little girl who lives with her Norwegian grandparents at the Qunngilaat Reindeer Station in Canada’s Northwest Territories. Aluniq has a pet reindeer calf named Buster. She has lived with her grandparents from birth because her mother has been away for years for tuberculosis treatment. Now that her mother is well and back in Tuktuuyaqtuuq, Aluniq must go to live with her parents, hundreds of kilometers away from the Station. But “Aluniq [is] frightened as she [doesn’t] know who these people [are].” Her grandparents are very sad to be separated from her and she is sad to be separated from them and from Buster. Although Aluniq does not recognize it at the time, this is also a story of reunion and of putting things right. Her parents are happy to have her return. This simple, but realistic story highlights the fact that many families in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and other remote parts of Canada have been disrupted when people have had to leave home to receive medical treatment. It is clearly written and readable at an upper elementary level. Karleen Green’s drawings are rustic and unsophisticated, but are delightfully representative of the Inuit world and accessible to children. Available in English, as well as all three Inuvialuktun dialects, these books are appropriate for elementary school and public libraries and any collection of Canadian children’s literature.Highly recommended: 4 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 The Dreaded Ogress of the Tundra by N. Christopher

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Cautionary Tales ◽  
The University

Christopher, Neil.  The Dreaded Ogress of the Tundra.  Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media, 2015. PrintAmautaliit are giant ogresses who eat small children.  They roam the Arctic tundra looking for unsupervised children such as orphans or those who have wandered away from camp.  They sneak up on the children, capture and carry them away in their disgusting baskets containing rotting seaweed and giant bugs.  These stories have two themes.  First, they are cautionary tales designed to keep children from wandering away from camps and villages. Second, they usually show the children using their ingenuity or ancient magic to escape the not-too-smart amautaliit.This is an updated and revised version of Christopher’s 2009 volume, Stories of the Amautalik, which contains versions of the two stories presented in this work.  However, this edition of the book is more like a junior handbook to amautaliit (plural of amautalik). While this book has many illustrations which are appropriately dark, scary and creepy, there is much more text than one usually finds in an Inhabit Media book.  At least half of the pages are full text and like Stories of the Amautalik, the reading level is high for young children. The book includes a seven-page introduction to amautaliit, which describes who these creatures are, their clothing, their baskets, their caves and how they hunt small children.  At the end of the book there is an “Other Ogres and Ogresses” section, which gives single page, illustrated descriptions of similar creatures, including a giant spider that assumes a human-like form. Even though this is a revision of an earlier work that many libraries will have, the expanded content would make it a useful addition to libraries with children’s collections, and particularly to academic libraries that collect works on Arctic myths and legends.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 Tuniit: Mysterious Folk of the Arctic by R. & S. Qitsualik-Tinsley

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Coming Out ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Good Book ◽  
Scientific Fact ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Physical Features ◽  
The University

Qitsualik-Tinsley, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.  Tuniit:  Mysterious Folk of the Arctic.  Iqaluit, NU:  Inhabit Media, 2014. Print.The Tuniit, also known as the Dorset culture of the Eastern Arctic, were replaced by the Inuit.  All that is left of them are stories and a few artefacts.  Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley have done an admirable job of telling the story of the Tuniit, mixing traditional lore and scientific fact to create a well-rounded picture of these enigmatic people.  The authors’ relaxed and immediate style is refreshing.  In spite of the complexity and uncertainty surrounding the Tuniit, their presentation of the information is simple and age-appropriate for the intended upper elementary audience.  For example, they tell the reader that one “story even goes so far as to claim that their hunting tools were too big for them, dragging on the ground as they walked!” The authors introduce facts from recent scientific studies with equal simplicity and directness, “…the Tuniit, too, had once been part of a migration coming out of Alaska….In other words, Inuit and Tuniit were distant cousins.”While there is a lot of text and a lot of detail, there are images on almost every page. Sean Bigham’s artwork is excellent.  Whether a scary green-skinned qallupiluq or the shaman in the light of the fire, Bigham is able to capture an appropriate mood and sense.  He’s done a good job of depicting the Tuniit, incorporating physical features that are known only from legend.Over all this is a good book that fills a gap in Canadian childrens’ literature.  Highly recommended for public and 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 The Shadows that Rush Past by R. A. Qitsualik

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Upper Elementary ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Aboriginal Rights ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Snow Bunting ◽  
The Right ◽  
The University ◽  
Realistic Images

Qitsualik, Rachael A.  The Shadows that Rush Past.  Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media, Inc., 2011.  Print. Rachael Qitsualik is an Inuit who was “born into the traditional 1950’s culture of iglu-building and dog-sledding”.  She is now a renowned re-teller of Inuit folktales, as well as a translator, writer, scholar and aboriginal rights activist.  This book, which contains four tales of scary creatures, shows Quitsualik demonstrating her mastery of story telling.  In her introduction, she tells us that the stories “[defy] death and decay, they are songs of immortality.”  Her stories are full of wisdom.  For example in Nanurluk, she tells us “that even the oddest personality quirk can turn out to be a gift in the right situation”. All the stories come from a time when there were many strange creatures in the Arctic world:  half-human, half-animal monsters who ate people, animals that spoke to humans and giant insects that could strip a body to a skeleton in a matter of hours.  It was the time when the world was forming.  “These were the days, you see, when human beings recognized the Land as one might a dear relative; and the Land, in turn, recognized humankind.” In each of the stories, Qitsualik engages the reader through vivid detail.  For example in Nanurluk, the hunter, Nakasungnak rushes headlong into the mouth of the giant maurading polar bear.  “Nakasungnak fell forward, into the bear’s throat.  It was probably a good thing, since the bear’s response to having a person in its mouth was to snap its jaws closed, and if Nakasungnak’s legs had still been dangling outside the mouth when that had happened, well, a pair of boots might have fallen to the beach, feet still in them.” (26) Qitsualik also engages readers by speaking directly to them.  In Amautalik”, she says, “I warned you that I would tell you what was under her parka.  Wriggling among the flaking folds of her skin were lice. The size of puppies.” The stories are illustrated with 19 full page illustrations by Emily Fiegenschuh and Larry MacDougall.  Fiegenschuh has used full-colour illustrations to create realistic images of the mythical world.  The cover illustration of the amautalik, with her one blue eye and one brown eye, being driven mad by the snow bunting is Fiegenschuh’s work.  MacDougall illustrated two stories with bi-colour drawings, sepia tones for the creatures and humans and blue for the ice and snow.  Though quite different styles, both illustrators help to evoke the fear and wonder that the stories are meant to convey.  This is an excellent selection for upper elementary readers. 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 Wild Eggs: a tale of Arctic Egg Collecting by S. Napayok – Short

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Inuit People ◽  
The University

Napayok – Short, Suzie.  Wild Eggs:  A Tale of Arctic Egg Collecting. Illus. Jonathan Wright. Iqaluit:  Inhabit Media, Inc., 2015.  Print.Wild duck eggs are a traditional food for Inuit people.  This book is about a little girl, Akuluk, from Yellowknife who visits her grandparent in Nunavut and goes with them to gather duck eggs.  This is a modern story that is told factually.  Akuluk arrives in an aircraft, is picked up in a taxi van and her grandfather uses an all-terrain vehicle to go out onto the land.  It is also a story that teaches traditional ways.  Inuit words, such as munniit (eggs) and palaugaaq (bannock) are explained and appear in a pronunciation guide at the end of the book.  The traditional ways, such as never taking nests that have more than four eggs in them, are explained as Akuluk’s grandfather teaches her.The text is overprinted on Jonathan Wright’s artwork.  Parts of his pictures are quite clear and detailed, while others are suggestive and indistinct. This style works particularly well for the “almost invisible” caribou, “his brown and white fur match[ing] the rocks around him”.Wild Eggs is a clearly-written work that incorporates Inuit traditional knowledge with ease.  The book is also available in Inuktitut and is recommended for school and public libraries and particularly for libraries that collect polar children’s literatureHighly 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 Niqinniliurningmik by B. Memogana

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
English Translation ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Preparation Process ◽  
Cultural Resource ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Dried Fish ◽  
The University

Memogana, B., translator.  Niqinniliurningmik. Inuivialuit Cultural Resource Centre, 2016. This small book, with its simple drawings and text accomplishes three things.  It helps preserve and encourage use of the Inuvialuktun language and dialects.  It situates learning materials in the day-to-day life of the children using the materials, and it preserves and passes on traditional knowledge to younger generations. Kangiryuarmiutun is one of three Inuvialuktun dialects. This volume, in Kangiryuarmiutun with English translation at the end, describes and shows the process of making dried fish.  The target audience for this book is young children. The text is brief and in large print, but you really do not need the text to understand the content. Roberta Memogana’s simple pencil crayon figures stand against stark white backgrounds, each page showing a step in the fish preparation process:  catching, cleaning, salting, drying, smoking and eating. The figure is a woman in a parka, often kneeling, using an ulu, or “woman’s knife”, to prepare the fish.   This book should be included in school and public libraries where Inuvialuktun is spoken as well as in collections that specialize in polar children’s literature.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 Tales from the Tundra: A Collection of Inuit Stories by I. Kaslik

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Publishing House ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Publishing Company ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Traditional Technique ◽  
Internal Dialogue ◽  
The University

Kaslik, Ibi. Tales from the Tundra: A Collection of Inuit Stories. Illus. Anthony Brennan. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media, 2010. Print. Inhabit Media is an Inuit-owned, independent publishing company that “aims to promote and preserve the stories, knowledge, and talent of northern Canada.”  This collection of five traditional Inuit stories from different regions in Nunavut is one of their most recent offerings.  Three of the stories tell of how specific animals came into being.  One tells how the raven and loon came to look the way they do and the fifth, The Owl and the Siksik, is a typical story of outwitting the enemy. Anthony Brennan’s illustrations have a two-dimensional fantasy quality to them that is more reminiscent of cartoons or Japanese anime than of traditional Inuit art.  Many of the creatures are outlined in black and then filled with solid colour.  While the backgrounds are usually ice-blue, and there are pastel colours in the images, many of the main parts of the drawings are black, giving the book an overall ominous look. While these stories are described in the forward as “contemporary retellings”, Kaslik’s voice is similar to that of an elder telling stories and her style is traditional.  The language is simple and direct, occasionally incorporating Inuit words.  Animals are anthropomorphized.  They do the same sorts of things that humans do and have human emotions and foibles.  For example, in “The Raven and The Loon”, the two birds sew clothes for each other.   When Raven thinks that Loon is sewing too slowly, she reacts impatiently: “Please, sew faster!” impatient Raven pleaded.” Kaslik also uses internal dialogue, another traditional technique, to allow the reader to listen to the characters reasoning out their actions. For example, “Siksiks often go in and out of their dens,” thought the owl, believing himself to be very clever.  “Today I will find a siksik den and wait there until I see one.” There are few children’s books of Inuit mythology available, and fewer that have the authenticity of being published by an Inuit publishing house.  Overall, this volume is a small, but welcome addition to the field, through which many children will be able to learn about the mythology of the Inuit.  For public and school libraries everywhere. 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. 

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