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 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 Elisapee and her Baby Seagull by N. Mike

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Natural World ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Mickey Mouse ◽  
Life Lessons ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
The University

Mike, Nancy.  Elisapee and her Baby Seagull.  Inhabit Media, 2017.In this picture book, Nancy Mike tells the story of an Inuit girl who raises a seagull from a chick to adulthood and finally returns it to the wild. Through caring for Nau, the seagull, Elisapee learns “how to care, how to feed an animal and how to have patience.” Finally she learns to let go as the grown-up Nau joins the other seagulls. Mike’s text is simple and age appropriate for the intended lower elementary audience.Charlene Chua’s pictures fill most of the book with colour. The text is overprinted on the backgrounds. Her artwork is cartoonish. The characters have oversized eyes and tiny noses, reminiscent of Mickey Mouse or some manga characters. However, her images do capture the natural world of the Arctic environment. Chua has included some fun visual jokes, such as a large gull trying to fit into a small box and a krill jumping from a boy’s hand when he’s trying to feed the gull.This book gently introduces some life lessons in an Inuit context. Highly recommended for public libraries and school libraries and for libraries that collect Inuit 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 You Just Can’t Help It by J. Szpirglas

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Personal Space ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
Open Mouth ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The World ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The University

Szpirglas, Jeff.  You Just Can’t Help It:  Your Guide to the Wild and Wacky World of Human Behavior, Toronto:  Owlkids Books, 2010.  Print. The publisher describes this brightly coloured and heavily-illustrated book as “The Naked Ape meets MAD Magazine”.  It is a fun and irreverent look at what makes people behave the way they do.  The four chapters cover senses, emotions, communication and interactions with other people and the world around us. The presentation of the material is excellent for the upper elementary (ages 9-12) audience.  Throughout there are different fonts, shapes, styles, colours and media.  One page contains many elements including sidebars, boxes, cartoons, drawings, photographs. On each page there is something fun.  For example on page 19, which covers the subject of kissing, facts about kissing are listed as “The Good”, “The Gross” and “The Unusual”.  There is also a photograph of a cat with oversized red whiskers drawn in.  The most amusing, though, is the composite picture of a robin with worms in its beak, looking like it is about to drop them into the open mouth of a human baby. The text includes many subjects that will interest pre-teens such as hand-gestures, personal space, slang, lying and fear. The language is age appropriate and there are occasional activities for readers to try. Szpirglas uses attention-grabbing headings to present facts.  For example, “Stinky Snarl” introduces a paragraph on facial responses to bad smells.  An experiment on reflex and emotional tears is titled “a real tearjerker”. This book is a nice blend of fun, fact and learning.  Highly recommended for school 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 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 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 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 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 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 The People of the Sea by D. Uluadluak

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
Elementary Children ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The People ◽  
The University

Uluadluak, Donald.  The People of the Sea, illustrated by Mike Motz, Inhabit Media, 2017The People of the Sea is a recollection by the late Inuit elder, Donald Uluadluak, of seeing an arnajuinnaq or a sea person, while he and his friends played on the beach near Arviat. The story is a simple retelling of the adventure which highlights the presence of sea-people in Inuit culture.  Unlike the vicious mermaids or tuutaliit of books such as Kiviuq and the Mermaids, who have frightening appearances and want to destroy kayaks and kill hunters, the sea-people in this story seem benign and simply curious. Mike Motz has drawn them as almost-expressionless creatures who look like fair-skinned women with long dark hair and facial tattoos – just as Uluadluak describes them. The two-page images are multi-coloured and do a good job of reflecting the sea and tundra environments. Text is overprinted on the images. The text is simple and comprehensible to the intended audience of 5 to 7 year-olds, but is above their reading level, so an adult would need to read this book aloud. The People of the Sea would also be appropriate for upper elementary children who are interested in traditional myths and legends.  Highly recommended for 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.  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document