The Muskox and the Caribou

Written by Nadia Mike

Illustrated by Tamara Campeau

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-163-8

36 pp.

Ages 5-7

February 2018

While The Muskox and the Caribou is obviously a story rooted in the Arctic where both species co-exist, children everywhere will appreciate the story of Baby Muskox and Baby Caribou and Mother Caribou who loved them both.

The story begins with the birth of Baby Caribou who is born to a loving Mother Caribou and learns to walk and gallop with the herd. One day, Mother Caribou spots Baby Muskox wandering helplessly alone and lost and leads him along with her own offspring back to the herd. Baby Muskox knows he is different. He has long and dark shaggy hair and his legs are short and stocky, very different from the caribou. Sadly, Baby Caribou and his friends don't seem to like Baby Muskox very much and tease him about his differences.  It is only with Mother Caribou that Baby Muskox feels love and comfort.

From The Muskox and the Caribou by Nadia Mike, illus. by Tamara Campeau

Months pass and the young animals grow. Even when the young are prodded by Mother Caribou to go out and explore independently, Baby Muskox returns to the safety and love of his adopted mother. Finally, when fully grown, Mother Caribou takes Baby Muskox on a long walk to see animals such as himself. For the first time, the muskox understands why he never fit in and, though he is sad to learn he isn't a caribou at all, he is excited to get to know others who are just like him.

But most of all, he was grateful for Mother Caribou because she had always shown him love. (pg. 26)

From The Muskox and the Caribou by Nadia Mike, illus. by Tamara Campeau

All children will feel different from others at one point or another.  It may be the way they look or what they can do or can't do or the way they feel.  Some may not feel like they belong in the family to which they were born or with whom they live.  But if The Muskox and the Caribou teaches anything it is that love can make things tolerable and allow growth. Baby Muskox may never have realized he was a muskox but he knew he wasn't like the caribou and that caused him much sadness. Only Mother Caribou made things right. Unfortunately Baby Caribou who'd always known that he belonged could have been a better sibling to Baby Muskox but he did not see the impact of his actions on the young muskox.

Nadia Mike's humble story of a baby muskox taken in by a mother caribou and loved and sheltered along with her own young provides may teachable moments about love and differences and empathy.  Children who live in the Arctic will more likely recognize the two animals and how different they are, but all children will accept that the muskox and the caribou could be any individuals who are different and can still coexist. With love, all is possible.

Northern Quebec illustrator Tamara Campeau provides a natural landscape for The Muskox and the Caribou, emphasizing the rugged terrain and tundra vegetation as the backdrop for the story.  While the animals as babies are softened and simplified, they are true and realistic, and Tamara Campeau makes The Muskox and the Caribou as much a teaching book about the Arctic as she does enhancing Nadia Mike's story with art.

Though all children will delight in a story about baby animals, The Muskox and the Caribou should be read to send a message that we all belong somewhere and, until that somewhere is found, love can help brook time and place.

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.