scholarly journals Nala's Magical Mitsiaq by J. Noah

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
School Library ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The People ◽  
Legal Term ◽  
The University

Noah, Jennifer. Nala's Magical Mitsiaq.  Iqualuit, NV:  Inhabit Media, 2013. Print.Adoption of children is common among Inuit families and "custom adoption" is a legal term for this age-old tradition which was a part of Inuit survival.  Jennifer Noah wrote this children's book so that she could read a story to which her daughter could relate.The mitsiaq is the umbilical cord.  In Nala's story, her adoptive mother dreams of Nala before she is born and dreams of "a magical mitsiaq connecting [their] hearts".  In the rest of the story, Nala's mother explains how one of her daughters grew in her belly, while the other grew in her heart and both are equally loved. The text is above the reading level of the age 5 to 8 target audience, but there is an assumption that an adult will be reading with the child.  Inuktitut words are used often in the text and appear in the glossary at the back of the book. This book presents adoption as a positive, loving traditional practice.  For a non-Inuit child trying to understand adoption, this book shows adoption as a normal part of community and family life, at least in Inuit culture.In the back of the book there are six quotations from Inuit women who have experienced custom adoption.  Some have adopted, some were adopted and some have siblings who were adopted in or adopted out.  All of their stories speak of the adoption process as an act of love both by the birth parents and the adoptive parents.The illustrations by Toronto artist, Qin Leng are comic-book like, with all objects and features outlined in black and filled with colour.  The illustrations are bright and attractive.  The people in the book appear more Asian than they do Inuit, but because of the informality of the drawings, this does not detract from the story.             This is another excellent book from Inhabit Media and should be included in public and elementary school library collectionsHighly 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 Kiviuq and the Bee Woman by N. McDermott

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Older Children ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Human Skulls ◽  
The University ◽  
Library Collections

McDermott, Noel.  Kiviuq and the Bee Woman. Iqauit, NU, Inhabit Media, 2019. When we last heard of Kiviuq, he had just survived a harrowing encounter with scary monster mermaids or tuutalik (Deakin Review by Kirk MacLeod). In Kiviuq and the Bee Woman, the grandfather who narrated Kiviuq and the Mermaid continues the bedtime story to his grandchildren. Kiviuq begins paddling home, but comes upon a tent where an old woman invites him to rest and dry his clothing. She turns out to be a giant Bee Woman who wants to cut up Kiviuq and put him in her cooking pot. For a bedtime story, both the text and the illustrations are quite scary. Illustrator Toma Feizo Gas lets us see into the dark, dramatic and frightening world of the Bee Woman, who is a determined killer. “She shouted, ‘I am Iguttarjuaq, the Bee Woman, and I am going to kill you with my ulu’.”  The accompanying image shows a woman with pointy teeth and insect mouth pincers, who is shaking a sharp ulu (knife) at Kiviuq. As is the case with many of Inhabit Media’s publications, the reading level is higher than one would expect to find in a picture book. For younger children, this book will need some adult intervention. In addition to the scary content, human skulls talk, the woman eats her own eyelids and “Kiviuq, realized the woman was boiling human meat.” Some of the language is difficult. For example, Kiviuq “fainted” of fright, but “feinted” to get away. McDermott also intersperses many Inuktitut words, which will slow down younger readers. These are defined at the end of the book. Overall, this excellent product from Inhabit Media should be included in public library collections and school library collections, but should probably be placed in collections designed for older children.  Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: 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 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.  

scholarly journals Akilak’s Adventure by D. Kigjugalik Webster

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Extended Family ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Upper Elementary ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

Kigjugalik Webster, Deborah.  Akilak’s Adventure.  Inhabit Media, 2016.This is a first children’s book from Deborah Kigjugalik Webster, who grew up in Baker Lake, Nunavut.  It is a story of a little Inuit girl navigating the tundra by herself to reach her uncle’s camp.  As the child walks, she is joined by a caribou, who mysteriously knows her grandmother’s saying, “Your destination did not run away, you will reach it soon.”  The conversation between the two is about people changing into animals, but Akilak in the end decides to remain a person.   The story is deceptively simple.  On the surface, children will understand it as a little girl’s adventure.  However, it encompasses several important aspects of Inuit culture:  the relationship between grandparent and child, the importance of extended family support, the prominence of animals and the stories of people taking the shape of animals, the distance of travel across the tundra and the related concept of taulittuq or the sense of moving but not getting closer to your destination.Charlene Chua’s artwork is charming. Each two pages are an image with text overprinted on one page, often shaped to fit around parts of the image.  The images are simple and cartoon-like, but good representations of the tundra and its creatures.  While this is mainly a picture book with an intended audience of children ages 5 to 7, the reading level is upper elementary, so younger children will definitely need an adult to read it to them.Akilak’s Adventure would be an excellent addition to 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. 

The Legend of Lightning and Thunder P. I. Rumbolt

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Comic Book ◽  
High Quality ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Full Page ◽  
The People ◽  
Inuit People ◽  
Baker Lake ◽  
The University

Rumbolt, Paula Ikuutaq. The Legend of Lightning and Thunder. Iqualuit, NV:  Inhabit Media, 2013. Print.There are many Inuit stories that tell of the origins of things.  There are also many stories about orphans.  This book is a simple retelling of a legend that involves both and carries a gentle lesson.  It concludes that the presence of thunder and lightning in our world is the result of people neglecting and not caring for orphan children.  Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt is an Inuit writer from Baker Lake, Nunavut.  She learned traditional Inuit stories and beliefs from her grandmother. The story is from “a time before stealing existed.  No one knew what it was, as it had never happened to anyone.”  When the orphan children are turned away from the camp, they must steal food to stay alive, which makes them permanent outcasts.  They steal caribou meat, a small caribou skin and a flint.  They discover that the skin will make noise and the flint will make sparks and have fun playing with them.  They soon realize, though, that they will be hunted by the people in the camp so they hide in the sky, where you can hear them today, playing with the skin and the flint, making thunder and lightning.    While the text is fairly easy to read, the presence of more difficult words such as “exhilarating” indicates that it is really intended to be shared by an adult and child.While the story is simple, it is brought to life by Jo Rioux’s artwork. For each pair of pages, one is a full page comic-book style image showing Inuit people in village settings and doing traditional activities.  The facing page has a smaller image, with text usually printed over a light coloured sky.  The images are in a palette of soft browns and oranges, which shade to reds, particularly where magical things are being depicted. Young children will enjoy this book, as will anyone who appreciates Inuit legends.  This volume extends  Inhabit Media's track record of consistently high quality publications and authentic voices and sources.  Highly recommended for elementary 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 News, Awards and Annoucements

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Pearce
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Summer Reading ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Arts Festival ◽  
The University ◽  
Full Swing

Summer Reading ListsWith summer in full swing, there are a number of summer reading lists available to help find great books for your kids. The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) list includes a great number of titles arranged by topic matter, reading level and age level. The CCBC has also recently launched of a new online edition of Best Books for Kids & Teens, an online version of the CCBC’s semi-annual selection guide to the best Canadian books for children and young adults. Other reading lists worth noting include the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) list for 2016, Bookology Magazine’s Quirky Book Lists and via the CBC 15 Pride reads for youth and 15 Canadian Indigenous Reads. Best wishes for a great summer of reading!Remembering Larry LoyieIt is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of Cree author Larry Loyie on April 18th, 2016. Loyie was born in Slave Lake Alberta and wrote a number of young adult and children’s books. Goodbye Buffallo Bay and As Long as the Rivers Flow told of his own experiences in a residential school when he was young. In The Moon Speaks Cree: A Winter Adventure a young boy learns about Cree culture and his award-winning Gathering Tree confronted issues of HIV with a younger audience. These books, along with many other works for adult audiences, will serve as a legacy to what was a powerful voice in first nations and Canadian children’s literature. Larry passed away at home in Edmonton.   Festivals and EventsMost book festivals across Canada have already passed for the summer but if you are looking towards the fall you can look into the Taleblazers Literary Arts Festival for Children put on by the Young Alberta Book Society from October 3-November 4, 2016.I am pleased to be writing my first News, Awards and Announcements for the Deakin Review. I have served as a reviewer and editor in past years and I look forward to sharing news on children’s and young adult literature in Canada and beyond. I am always looking for suggestions, so if you have news you would like me to include in future issues please send me an email at [email protected] wishes for a great summer of reading!HanneHanne Pearce has worked at the University of Alberta Libraries since 2004. Aside from being an avid reader, she has continuing interests in writing, photography, graphic design and knitting.

scholarly journals Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by J. Kensky & P. Downes

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Borle
Keyword(s):  
Picture Book ◽  
School Library ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
Boston Marathon ◽  
Library Collections

Kensky, Jessica and Patrick Downes.  Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship. Illustrated by Scott Magoon. Candlewick Press, 2018  There are not many children’s books published about amputation, so a new book is always welcome. Jessica Kensky became a double leg amputee as a result of injuries sustained during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Rather than writing a children’s book about amputation, she has written an autobiographical work in the form of a picture book. As a result, this is a strange mix of fiction, where readers hear the service dog’s thoughts, and strict adherence to autobiographical detail that is unnecessary in a picture book. For example, Jessica is depicted as a teenager, closer to the real age of the author, rather than as a young child, to whom young readers could more easily relate. Jessica goes through two amputations in the course of the story, reflecting the experience of the author, but this process is unusual for amputees and unnecessarily complicates the story for early readers. The text is also at a reading level that is higher than one would expect in a picture book, so younger children will need an adult to read the book with them. However, while it has flaws, the book is a comforting and positive story that will give child amputees hope as they see Jessica learn to be active again on her prosthetic legs. Scott Magoon’s simple and realistic illustrations will help children enjoy the dog, Rescue, and his role in Jessica’s healing process. Magoon does a good job depicting the dog in many states:  readiness, happiness, resting, helping, playing and swimming.   This book should be included in public and school library collections. It should also be included in hospital library collections, particularly those where children receive amputation care, such as pediatric cancer clinics and prosthetic clinics. It would be of interest to both children undergoing amputations and their families.  Recommended:  3 out of 4 stars Reviewer:  Sean Borle  Sean Borle is a University of Alberta undergraduate student who is an advocate for child health and safety.

Kaugjagjuk by M. Lewis

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Reading Level ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Human Form ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Children's Book ◽  
High School Reading ◽  
Inuit People ◽  
The University

Lewis, Marion. Kaugjagjuk. Iqaluit: Inhabit Media, 2011. Print. Kaugjagjuk is a re-telling of a traditional story about an orphan who is ill-treated by a village and then grows up to save them.  Variants of this story are told across the Arctic and are found in other cultures. In western cultures, this is the story that underpins the adage, “be kind to your office boy, he may come back as your supervisor”.   Often in other Arctic versions the story ends with the grown-up boy taking revenge for his mistreatment, however Iqualuit-born Marion Lewis specifically chose a version that is “a brave story - an inspirational story”. The lesson that Lewis wants us to learn from the story is that “even the smallest and most downtrodden of us – may overcome neglect and great difficulties”. Illustrator Kim Smith has done an excellent job of capturing the moon-lit scenes of the Arctic winter nights.  However, her renditions of Inuit people make them look Asian.  The faces are very angular and the eyes have a pronounced upward slant.  Everyone in the book looks a little scary, even Kaugjagjuk’s benevolent and loving father.  Everyone else, including most images of the growing Kaugjagjuk look like “evil bad guys” from manga.  This is perhaps not surprising, given that this is Smith’s first children’s book and that she usually illustrates comics. Apart from the orphan-who-survives theme which occurs in many different Inuit stories, this story also contains the legend of Taqqiq or “the Man in the Moon”, whose job it is to “watch over all who sleep” and to “reflect light onto all deeds and to record both the good and bad deeds of all those who sleep under the moon’s gaze”. Taqqiq takes human form and trains the young Kaugjagjuk as he becomes a man.  While this is undoubtedly a traditional story, the associated commentary about how “the moon does not emit its own light” is probably a modern knowledge addition to the traditional knowledge of the legend. While presented as an illustrated children’s book, the text is at an upper senior high school reading level.  The story is intended to be shared by an adult with children, mirroring the way that it would have been told to a child by an elder. This is a good first work that not only entertains, but also preserves the legend. Highly recommended for public and school libraries. 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 Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood by T. L. Kyi

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
School Library ◽  
Comic Book ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Violent Injury ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
True Story ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Food And Drink

Kyi, Tanya L. Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood. Illus. Steve Rolston. Toronto: Annick Press, 2012. Print. Seeing Red is an informative, humourous, gory, and decidedly irreverent treatment of a subject close to all of our hearts. Canadian author Tanya Lloyd Kyi is best known for the 50 Questions series for young readers, featuring topics as diverse as fire, poison and underwear. The very clever illustrations, by award-winning comic and graphic novel artist Steve Rolston, are presented in shades of black, grey, and (naturally) blood red. The main narrative provides a fascinating overview of the red stuff, human and otherwise, and the central role it has played in history, culture, and science. Alongside the text in each chapter, the reader is treated to a comic book featuring (in a nod to Bram Stoker) a boy named Harker who keeps a notebook of his blood-filled adventures as he finds himself at the centre of the topic under discussion. And throughout, the author provides a wealth of related trivia and factoids using insets on subtle background graphics of red blood cells and band aids. Individual chapters focus on ritual and religion, coming of age, food and drink, family ties and genetics, medicine and forensics, and the human fascination with violence. And while not following a strict chronology, the author clearly demonstrates how human understanding of this vital fluid has developed throughout history. The chapter Rites of Passage should be of particular interest to pre-teens, with its graphic descriptions of how various cultures have developed painful and bloody initiation rituals to mark a boy’s transition to adulthood, and of the wide range of celebrations and taboos surrounding a girl’s first menstrual period. The ever-popular vampire is featured no more prominently than any other topic in the text, with only a couple of sections in the chapter Sips and Suppers that discusses the utility of blood in all manner of drinking and dining. But the introduction of a cute young female vampire to Harker’s story midway through the book will no doubt appease any disappointed Twilight fans. Pop culture references abound, and the author’s black humour skewers major religions and historical figures alike. A discussion of hemophilia features an illustration of Queen Victoria handing a jumbo pack of bandages to her daughter with the words “Don’t forget your dowry dear.” There’s no lack of gory detail in this book, from Aztec priests ripping beating hearts from the chests of their captives, to classifications of blood spatter velocities and how they correspond to different levels of violent injury. This book would be a great addition to any public or school library. Each chapter ends with a few questions from Harker’s notebook that may provide some interesting starting points for classroom discussion: “Is it okay to sacrifice animals for religious reasons? How is that different than killing for meat, or hunting for sport?” The reader is provided with a list of titles for further reading, and a selected bibliography. And with its fairly in-depth indexing, Seeing Red provides a handy reference to a lot of bloody information. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Elizabeth WallaceElizabeth Wallace is the Collections Manager in the Science and Technology Library of the University of Alberta.  She holds an undergraduate degree in Geography and Environmental Studies, and an MLIS, both from McGill University.  She has been a Science and Engineering librarian for her entire professional career, working in both public and academic libraries in the U.S. and Canada.

scholarly journals Online programs in school library education: Preparing librarians to support twenty-first century learners

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianne Oberg
Keyword(s):  
School Library ◽  
The United States ◽  
First Century ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Online Distance Education ◽  
Library Education ◽  
Online Distance ◽  
The University

The online distance education program, Teacher-Librarianship by Distance Learning (TL-DL), was developed and implemented at the University of Alberta, Canada beginning in the late 1990s. In this paper, TL-DL is used as an example to explore: how an online program was established and maintained and how the challenges facing the program have been and are being addressed. TL-DL‟s approach to preparing school librarians to support student access to new and emerging technologies was compared and found to be similar to the approaches used in two other types of programs identified through recent research conducted in the United States and Australia. Emerging from the research are questions about the need for shifts in curriculum content and pedagogy to engage digital age learners.

At the Heart of It: Dene dzó t’áré by R. Taniton & M. Willett

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Book Series ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Bear Lake ◽  
The People ◽  
The University

Taniton, Raymond and Mindy Willett.  At the Heart of It: Dene dzó t’áré.  Markham, On:  Fifth   House, 2011.  Print. Indigenous author Raymond Taniton is a member of The Sahtugot’ine, or the “people of Great Bear Lake”.  In At the Heart of It, Taniton invites readers into his world.  We meet his family, see the Sahtu Region where he lives, meet the elders in the community, learn how to make a traditional hand drum, learn some games and read some of the stories.  The stories are particularly important. This book is the most recent in Fifth House’s “The Land is Our Story Book” series, all co-authored by writer Mindy Willett. Taniton concludes this volume by saying, “The land is our storybook. It is our school, our library, our church. It is where we learn our stories and where we discover who we are as true Dene people. The land is at the heart of it all”.  And in this book Taniton and Willett do succeed in helping us to understand “the land”. This is a picture book, an educational book and a celebration of what it means to be Satugot’ine. Tessa Macintosh’s photographs are used throughout. The top of each page has a border image of the beaded toes of twenty-one moccasins. Often a large image will form the background of a page with text and other images superimposed.  For example, for the story “The Lake is the Boss”, the background is an image which looks out through the mouth of a cave.  The story is about a giant wolf that lived in the cave. The text, along with smaller images of the island that the wolf became when he turned to stone, is superimposed on the cave photograph.  The images and text, taken together, form many lessons for young people.  The stories provide metaphorical and philosophical lessons, but the book also provides practical lessons, such as the illustrated steps to making a drum.  As a whole, the book celebrates Raymond Taniton’s family, the Sahtugot’ine people and their way of life.   Highly recommended for elementary school and public libraries. 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.

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