Animals Illustrated: Wolverine: Guest review

Occasionally I invite young readers to share a review of a Canadian book they've read and enjoyed. Here I'm pleased to share a review of Animals Illustrated: Wolverine by Grade 3 student Hudson G.

Written by Allen Niptanatiak
Illustrated by Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-298-7

28 pp.

Ages 6-8

September  2021 

When I picked out this book, I didn’t know much about wolverines, but I was a little scared of them.  I was hoping to learn more about them so I wouldn’t be scared at all.  This book had good information about wolverines on each page.  The number of words was just the right amount for young readers.  The "Table of Contents" has a good amount of topics covered including: diet, survival adaptations, babies, and tough animals.  The overall information in the book was really good to help the reader understand about wolverines.  These animals are really important to Indigenous people and there is a section on traditional uses.  This section is a great idea to explain to children all of the uses for their fur.  For example, their fur makes parka trim and mittens.  The "Fun Facts" section was also good, but I would have liked more than just three main facts.  Instead of sentences, dot jots would be better to fit in more fun facts on the double-page spread.

This book is illustrated by Patricia Ann Lewis MacDougall and I really like the drawings and how realistic they are.  I felt like it was real life and I was right there with the wolverine.  The muted colours she used seem to represent the wildlife in the Arctic and helps the reader feel the location better.  The art also has labels on the pictures to help the reader understand the text better.  A combination of the information I learned and the beautiful illustrations have helped me to feel better about wolverines and they are no longer scary to me.

~Review by student Hudson G., Gr. 3

 

From Animals Illustrated: Wolverine by Allen Niptanatiak, illus. by Patricia Ann Lewis-MacDougall

• • • • • • •

Inhabit Media's popular Animals Illustrated series currently comprises of nine titles.

Narwhal (2016)

Polar Bear (2016)

Muskox (2016)

Walrus (2017)

Bowhead Whale (2018)

Arctic Wolf (2018)

Caribou (2019)

Wolverine (2021)

Ringed Seal (2021)

Animals Illustrated

Walrus
Written by Herve Paniaq
Illustrated by Ben Shannon
Inhabit Media
978-1-77227-142-3
24 pp.
Ages 5-8
June 2017

Muskox

Written by Allen Niptanatiak

Illustrated by Kagan McLeod

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-122-5

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

December 2016

Narwhal

Written by Solomon Awa

Illustrated by Hwei Lim

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-080-8

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

September 2016

Polar Bear

Written by William Flaherty

Illustrated by Danny Christopher

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-079-2

24 pp.

Ages 5-8

September 2016

Last year, Nunavut publisher Inhabit Media created a new non-fiction series about arctic animals.  The books of this series, currently a total of four, generally follow a similar format, with chapters on range, skeleton, diet, and babies included in all, but also with possible chapters on predators, defense, traditional uses and fun facts.  Similar in organization but unique in delivery, the books inform, engage and illustrate the nature of these magnificent animals.

Walrus, the most recent volume, was written by elder Herve Paniaq who goes beyond the typical information texts about animals that describe the morphology of the creatures with some life cycle and behaviour.  Readers will also learn about the nature of the walruses' tusks, as anchor, ice pick and defense against their only natural predators, polar bears and orcas, and the function of the walruses’ whiskers and flippers. But it’s the uncommon info, like which bulls can be a threat to boats and how walrus meat is prepared by the Inuit, that makes Herve Paniaq’s Walrus distinct.  Moreover, Ben Shannon’s illustrations bring an elegance to the walrus that might not always be evident.  The cover alone is luxuriant in its depictions of walruses, with one walrus seeming to look out directly at the reader.

The earlier books in the series are all written and illustrated by different authors and artists.  The first book Polar Bear, written by William Flaherty with art by Danny Christopher, includes discussion about the polar bear as hunter and swimmer and its role in Inuit mythology.  Narwhal, written by Solomon Awa and illustrated by Hwei Lim, was also released last June, and includes comment about the narwhal’s deep diving and behaviour beneath the ice, as well as about its impressive tooth, often referred to as a tusk, that can grow up to almost 3 metres in length.  Inuit hunter and trapper Allen Niptanatiak’s volume on Muskox, illustrated by Toronto artist Kagan McLeod, includes extensive information about the muskoxen's strategies for defense and for withstanding the cold.  As in Walrus, the traditional uses of this arctic animal by the Inuit are discussed, providing a community connection that teachers will appreciate.

Animals Illustrated is a significant series for young animal lovers who are interested in reading for themselves about the animals of the Arctic, exotic for many, but without the onerous texts of animal encyclopedias that tell too little about too much.  Walrus, Muskox, Narwhal and Polar Bear strike the right balance of information and graphics, including only relevant and revealing science, intriguing our youngest readers to pursue further information about each as they choose.