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.

The Blind Boy and the Loon

by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril

Illustrated by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril and Daniel Gies

Inhabit Media

978-1-927095-57-7

48 pp.

Ages 6-10

2014

Alethea Arnaquq-Baril makes it clear from her preface that the story of The Blind Boy and the Loon, first developed into her film Lumaajuuq (National Film Board of Canada, 2010), is both just a small part of an epic story told by her Inuit elders and simply her version, with its mistakes and omissions, "which our elders would never have committed." (pg. 3) Honouring their telling of the story, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril has compressed it into just a few minutes of film and a mere 48 pages of impressive text and illustration to tell a story of cruelty and revenge and the origin of the narwhal.

Living with his sister and mother in the far north, a blind boy endures his mother's resentment and cruelty. With the return of spring, he gets his sister to lead him to the lake to visit with the loon, a creature with formidable eyesight.  In addition to learning that his mother was responsible for causing his blindness, the boy regains his eyesight after repeated divings into the lake on the loon's back. Fully-sighted again, the boy resumes whale-hunting and uses an outing to exact revenge on his mother, whose plunge into the water turns her into the narwhal, her braids twisted into its characteristic tusk.

The dark tale within The Blind Boy and the Loon is nurtured by the highly-stylized elements of the illustrations, from the simple lines of the boy in his parka, to the hills and waters of the harsh landscape. Using shades and tones of greys, dark teal and taupe,  The Blind Boy and the Loon is rich with uncompromising elements of unkindness, deep waters, and expansive tundra, all essential in supporting the story within.  While Alethea Arnaquq-Baril may undervalue the content or interpretation of her telling of this origin tale, The Blind Boy and the Loon is an accomplished and breath-taking rendition.

If you want to see the animation of the stunning beauty that is The Blind Boy and the Loon, sneak a look at the original short film Lumaajuuq (National Film Board of Canada, 2010) upon which the picture book is based.  You will not be disappointed, but rather stunned by the starkness of its richness.