Author Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley presents four stories taken from traditional Inuit lore in this picture-book collection, each featuring a monstrous adversary of some kind. In Amautalik, a terrible child-kidnapping ogress is defeated by the angakkuq (shaman) grandmother of her latest victim. In Akhla, the great hero Umaun, also known as Kiviuq, defeats a terrible bear-like creature, and then defeats the creature's wife, when she pursues him. In Nanurluk, a foolhardy hunter named Nakasungnak succeeds in slaying one of the far-north's giant bears - many times the size of a polar bear, the Nanurluit could be the size of a hill - only to be slain by gigantic meat-eating bugs. Finally, in Mahaha, a newly-wed woman is murdered by an evil, giggling creature that tickles people to death, and her bereaved husband must set out to avenge her loss.

Originally published in 2011, and then reprinted this past year (2018), The Shadows that Rush Past: A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales more than lives up to its sub-title, pairing a selection of truly terrifying tales with deliciously creepy artwork. Inuit lore seems replete with scary stories, perhaps reflecting the harshness of the natural environment of the far north, and this title adds to the body of lore available to English speakers. The second story here, Akhla, has also been told, in slightly different form, in Qaunaq Mikkigak's The Legend of the Fog, which was also published by Inhabit Media. I was interested to learn that the folk-hero Kiviuq, whose adventures I have read in such titles as Kiviuq and the Mermaids, is also known as Umaun. This is a collection that I would recommend, both to young folklore lovers, and to young readers who enjoy scary stories in general. ( )