Nadia SammurtokRezensionen

Can you guess what Anaana's Amautik is? That might be a good way to introduce this book. The story becomes a series of clues to figure it out. 3-5 year olds could enjoy this. Beautifully illustrated.

#OwnVoices (Inuit); glossary and pronunciation guide (anaana, amautik, iglu)

A cuddly-cozy soft story of a child being held close to its mother in her parka pouch, and how it feels. Each double-page spread features a full-bleed illustration with three short sentences.

See also: You're Snug With Me by Chitra Sounder and Poonam Mistry

Although warned by their parents never to play out in the open where predators might surprise them, two rabbit sisters become so involved in their games that they forget to be careful. When a giant owl seizes them, the sisters struggle to be free, eventually getting loose and fleeing from their enemy. The owl's greed, in refusing to choose just one of them as a target, because he wants to eat both, works in the rabbits' favor, and they are eventually able to destroy the owl, by pushing a boulder onto him...

The Owl and the Two Rabbits is the second picture-book retelling of a traditional Inuit folktale that I have read from Inuit author Nadia Sammurtok, following upon The Caterpillar Woman. I found the story engaging, and the accompanying artwork from illustrator Marcus Cutler colorful and cute. Generally speaking, I tend to enjoy everything put out by the publisher of this book, the Inuit-owned, Nunavut-based Inhabit Media, and The Owl and the Two Rabbits was no different. I hope they continue to produce beautiful books with an Inuit cultural theme for many years to come! Recommended to all young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for children's books with an Inuit cultural background.

This picture book is based upon an Inuit legend of the Tuniq people. They were giant with exceptional strength. The story is about Tuniq who is teased and not believed that he is strong. While proving his strength, he is finally accepted and believed. The illustrations in this story are wonderful and are able to tell the story as well as the text. This is a great addition to a multi-cultural library, especially one that contains fables, legends and folktales from around the world. Discussions about what the message is in this book will bring out many ideas of acceptance, judging others etc. A winner. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Siuluk: The Last Tuniq is a story based on Inuit folklore regarding a race of giants called Tuniit or Tuniq. Siuluk is teased by his fellows because of his size, and strength. They call him the last Tuniq, the last of the giants. There are some, though, who do not believe he is as strong, even though he can carry seals and walrus over his shoulder with ease! Siuluk, tired of being harassed, issues a challenge to match his strength. Needless to say, average people can't…

I read this with my cubs, and we all enjoyed it. The artwork is absolutely lovely, and I appreciate that it is based on Inuit lore. It's a fairly simple story with deep meaning- acceptance. Siuluk had to fight for his acceptance. He was a huge man, and clearly strong, yet he was pestered into proving it. We shouldn't need to justify ourselves for other people's opinions. This is also a story about patience. Rather than getting angry, and lashing out, Siuluk calmly set up his challenge. Highly recommended as part of any young reader's library.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Myrick Marketing & Media for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A kind and beautiful young maiden is tricked into switching parkas with a stranger in this traditional Inuit tale, finding herself transformed into an ugly caterpillar woman when she dons the other woman's garment. Withdrawing to live by herself on the tundra because she fears her appearance might frighten her family, Piujuq ("beautiful") eventually encounters three hunters on a quest to find wives. One of them, the kind-hearted Amaruq ("wolf"), asks her to become his wife, and the two eventually fall in love. Although an older man, Amaruq is a good provider, and when Piujuq expresses a desire to dance again, as she did before her transformation, he sets out to make a drum for her, finding a magical drum beater in the process that makes him young and strong again, and reverses the enchantment on his wife.

Published by Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned press based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, The Caterpillar Woman is an immensely engaging tale, one that folk and fairy-tale lovers will take to heart. Like many of the more well-known classics - Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. - the heroine here is rewarded for her innocence and kindness, finding a happy ending through her own virtue. The illustrations, done by Australian artist Carolyn Gan, capture the beauty of Piujuq and Amaruq's far-northern home, as well as the creepier aspects of Piujuq's transformation. There was one scene where I felt that the artwork didn't match the written description - shouldn't Piujuq have green bristly hair? - but other than that, I thought that the illustrations here were well-matched to the story. I'm very happy to have discovered Inhabit Media, as I am always looking for smaller publishers with quality output, and also value books about Native/First Nations people created by native people themselves (Nadia Sammurtok is Inuit). Recommended to anyone looking for traditional Inuit stories specifically, or for entertaining folktales in general.