Arctic Stories

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak (auth)
Vladyana Langer Krykorka (ill)
Annick Press 1998
Ages 4-7 40 pages
softcover ISBN 10: 1550374524
ISBN 13: 9781550374520
hardcover ISBN 10: 1550374532
ISBN 13: 9781550374537


In Arctic Stories, Michael Kusugak recounts three stories, from his own childhood, through the eyes of Agatha, a young Inuit girl.

The first, Agatha and the Ugly Black Thing, was inspired by an event that happened in Kusugak’s community in 1958. It was then that a large helium filled airship, called a ZPG-2, carrying a scientific expedition, passed over the settlement near Repulse Bay. The people were terrified of the black aircraft that looked like a bomb. They began to run, panicked. Kusugak uses this event as the driving force in a story that describes, in brilliant detail, the awakening of the Arctic, in spring, substituting a little girl, for himself. This sleepy little girl, Agatha grows tired of running and becomes angry. She shouts at the ugly black thing which goes away. She is a hero, but being a typical child, she is too sleepy to walk back, and is carried home, sleeping. Agatha and the Ugly Black Thing is concluded with my favourite of Vladyana Langer Krykorka’s illustrations- Agatha nestled in her father’s arms, sucking her thumb.

The second story, Agatha and the Most Amazing Bird, sprang out of another childhood memory of Kusugak’s. When he was a young boy, his grandmother befriended a raven by feeding it. As a result, the bird felt an attachment to her. Again, it is Agatha, not Kusugak, who moves this story. Anyone interested in birds will revel in this tale. Kusugak gives an amazing amount of detail, following not only the physical changes undergone by the raven throughout the seasons, but also the amazing spectar of the many migratory birds, as well. I found it hard to read because my daughter, Koogiook (Swan) could not stop asking questions. I love a story that ignites wonder and curiosity.

The final story, Agatha goes to School, is based on a less happy time in Kusugak’s life. Agatha is taken by plane, along with two of her friends (who were named for two of Kusugak’s real life classmates) to the residential school at Churchill. The realities of residential school are touched on in a very delicate manner that make it easy for young children to understand that it was not always a kind and loving place, without giving them nightmares or scaring them from going to school. In this tale, Agatha decides that she would rather ski than skate, having had little success on the ice, even though her friends would rather skate. It turns out lucky that she has chosen to bring skis when Father Fafard (a well liked priest) falls through the ice of the RCMP Lake. The skis are resourcefully used to rescue the drowning priest. A plethora of images from Kusugak’s childhood, are present in this story- from the nuns that sang like angels (but were definitely not angels) to the RCMP members hacking ice from the lake for their own use, and the talented skills of Father Fafard on a pair of skates. This is a relevant story for your children (if you are Canadian) as they are likely to be exposed to the concept of residential school, over the next few years. With the recent (and very long overdue) apology by Stephen Harper to the students of the residential schools, and a truth a reconciliation committee slated, the media will be ripe with discussions of the subject. This truly is an important read for anyone, regardless of heritage. It may be a part of our cultural and historical experiences as Canadians, but speaks to the experiences of humanity as a whole. If you are a teacher, this is a great story to use in your classroom, as no doubt the social sciences curriculum will be expanded, considerably, to include more education about residential schools.

This set of stories is a wonderful resource for any parent or teacher interested in the Arctic, the Inuit, or even just another way of life. Arctic Stories constructs a (vanishing) world that is filled with fears of technology, wonder at the abundance of Mother Nature’s fauna, and heartache at the hands of those who would consider themselves more civilized. You cannot help but come away from reading Arctic Stories, with a sense that you have been given a very special peek into another human’s collection of experiences. We can be grateful, once again, to Kusugak for pulling back the curtains and turning on the light.

Hide and Sneak

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak (auth)
Vladyana Krykorka (ill)
Annick Press 1992
Ages: 4-7 32 pages
softcover ISBN 10: 1550372289
ISBN 13: 9781550372281
hardcover ISBN 10: 1550372297
ISBN 13: 9781550372298

Hide and Sneak paints a serene portrait of an Arctic summer, while exploring Inuit folklore. Young Allashua wanders off, one day, while playing hide and sneak. She explores poonds, chases butterflies and even meets the fabled Ijiraq. It is said that when this bashful creature hides a child, they can never be found. Allashua is clever, though and tricks the Ijiraq into leading her back. However, the Ijiraq vanishes on Allashua, before she has made it safely home. It is then that Allashua sees a distant Inukusugaq (Inukshuk). She follows this, until she sees her family's camp. Her family are relieved to have their daughter return. It is then that Allashua's father explains that the Inukusugak is to help people find their way home.

Michael Kusugak lays out such a vivid picture, through Allashua's eyes, that one feels like they are exploring the Arctic in summer, themself. This book would make an excellent suplement for any class studying a unit about the Arctic. My own children (2 1/2 and 4 3/4) were engrossed in the amazing detail and charmed by the Ijiraq. Many parents may be turned off by the word length of Kusgak's books, but my finding is that his mastery with words keeps my little inspirations captivated.

Vladyana Krykorka, has illustrate this book beautifully, infusing Allashua's face with touching expressions, and brining to life the various creatures of Kusugak's tale.

With the Inukusugak everywhere, escpecially in light of the Vancouver Olympics, this is a wonderful way to learn more about it, while enjoying a vivid and imaginative read.

Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak: Storyteller, Man's Man, Children's Author

It was late April, 1948, and the temperature was between -25C and -30C when Kusugak and his wife, Kukik, travelled by dog sled to Qatiktalik (Cape Fullerton), NWT (now Nunavut). It was there in a small sod hut, on a beach along the west coast of Hudson Bay, that Kukik bore a baby boy. Shortly after giving birth, the family continued on to Repulse Bay, which is located in the Arctic Circle. Times were hard. At one point, Kukik’s milk even dried up because Kusugak had not had a successful hunt in a long time. The baby cried, until a friend shared his stores with the family and Kukik’s milk returned.

Sound like a synopsis for a Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak book? Well, it isn’t. What it is is a recount of his beginnings in the world.

Michael Kusugak spent his first twelve years in Repulse Bay, a community that was home to a Hudson’s Bay Company fur-trading post (where people could trade pelts for supplies like bullets and flour), and that only ran the flag up the pole when an airplane was coming. The people of the community spent their winters in igloos and their summers in tents.

One day, when Michael was seven, an airplane came that would alter his life. The plane would carry off Michael, and the children of Repulse Bay, taking them from their nomadic life of hunting and fishing, to attend residential school. Michael attended school in Chesterfield Inlet, Rankin Inlet, Yellowknife, Churchill and Saskatoon, before becoming one of the first Inuit from the Eastern Arctic to graduate school.

Michael did not take to school, in the beginning. He spoke no English and claims to have cried the entire first year. After his first summer vacation, the resourceful child hid in the hills, until he saw the plane leave- successfully skipping school for an entire year.

Michael did prove to be a good student, though. He showed an ability to command the written word, early on. However, with home calling his heart, he dropped out after his first year of university and returned to Repulse Bay.

But fate had not forgotten Michael. It visited him in the form of Robert Munsch, who stayed with Michael, while touring the North. Michael took the famous author hunting and fishing and entertained him with the stories he had been told by elders, when he was a boy. Robert Munsch asked Michael to write some of these down and send them to him in Guelph.

The rest, as they say, was history. After several drafts, Annick Press finally agreed to publish A Promise is a Promise. It is then that Michael met another important person, Vladyana Krykorka, who would illustrate his many books.

Several books followed A Promise is a Promise (for a list see below), as well as plays. He even received the Ruth Schwartz Award in 1994, for his book Northern Lights.

Michael’s skills as a storyteller are legendary. He blends his ability to tell tales with such traditional Inuit methods for story telling as using string and bones as props for illustration. As the father of four sons and the eldest child of twelve, himself, he no doubt, had a great deal of practice entertaining, long before he found fame.

Michael is in high demand to speak at schools, libraries, museums, and conferences such as the Northern Hearts Festival and the Allainait Festival in Igaluit(where he will be on the 24th of this month, telling stories and teaching string game workshops). His latest book is Igvillu: The Littlest Sled Dog , published by Orca Book Publishers.

For more booking information, or more information on this amazing author, visit his website at http://michaelkusugak.com/ .



*A Promise is a Promise (co-authored w/ Robert Munsch) (Annick Press, 1989)
*Baseball Bats For Christmas (Annick Press, 1990)
*Hide and Sneak (Annick Press, 1992)
*My Arctic 1, 2, 3 (Annick Press, 1996)
*Arctic Stories (Annick Press, 1999)
*The Curse of the Shaman, A Marble Island Story (Harper- Trophy, 2006)
* Igvillu: The Littlest Sled Dog (Orca Book Publishers)

The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality :Breaking Ground

The Little Black Book For Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality
Auth: St. Stephen's Community House
Annick Press 2006
176 pp
Ages: 14+
ISBN: 13: 978-1-55037-954-9
1-55037-954-2


Here is the book of the century, for teen girls. Wow! Why is it that no one thought of this before? The Little Black Book For Girls, has been surrounded by controversy, but having read it, more than once, I eagerly give it my stamp of approval. I will not get into the fore mentioned controversy, because I would end up on a soapbox, and that would eat up valuable space- space I could better use telling you about this wonderful book.

This is a book written by youth for youth. That is the first extraordinary thing about this book. Let’s be honest. Who ever wanted to hear a sex lecture from a parent or teacher? No teen girl ever said, “I am not sure if my period is normal. Maybe I’ll go ask Mr. Smith, my chemistry teacher.” When I was a teen (yes, I know that was a long time ago) we got the goods from each other. The language of The Little Black Book For Girls, will have any teen girl, automatically hooked. Some of it may be a little colourful for the right wing parent, but the colloquialism of it all really does help propel the information.

So what’s inside?

There are sections on relationships, periods, sex, birth control, pregnancy/ miscarriage, abortion, STIs (they were known as STDs in my day), AIDS, and sexual assault. These sections are supported by a glossary, and list of resources, as well as unbelievably revealing poems, artwork and personal accounts. While The Little Black Book For Girls, is written by a collection of girls from the St. Stephen’s Community House drug-free youth arcade, in Toronto, all of the information has been guided by medical professionals.

There are plenty of easy to understand diagrams and tables throughout this book. My favourites are the checklists that help teen girls decide such things as, if they are in a healthy relationship or not, alternatives to intercourse, a list of ways to insist on condom use, and what constitutes sexual assault.

The Little Black Book For Girls is also full of interviews with the experts. The questions are asked by the teen girls, themselves, so you can bet that they are the questions that teens want to ask, and not just the answers we want to give them.

Are there elements that would offend some parents? Definitely. For example, the issues of homosexuality and premarital sex are explored. I can only say that no particular lifestyle is supported by this book, however, a great deal of information and resources are, which will help your teen to make the proper lifestyle choices. Think your child will never need information on those types of topics? I went to a high school that had about 500 students. Three of my friends came out of the closet following graduation, we had one girl who walked the stage at commencement just months from being a mother, herself, and many of my friends had stories of sexual harassment and assault.

But, off the soap box. I don’t just recommend this book for teen girls (though they’ll eat it up- my niece read the entire thing in one day), I recommend it for their mothers and fathers, too, and let’s add educators while we’re at it. I really thought I knew the whole of the birds and the bees, but those girls at the St. Stephen’s drug-free arcade sure know their stuff. Ever hear of a Lea’s Shield? Me neither. How about Trichomoniasis? It is an STI that you really can get from a toilet seat. It is important for adult role models to know these things if they are to help their children make choices. I believe that parents will also find the tables useful. Stumped on finding away to communicate what a healthy relationship is, to your teen. Just memorize the chart. It has everything you need. Single dads, this is your saviour. Rather than struggle over awkward topics that you never wanted to know about in the first place, buy your girl a copy of the book, but please, read it yourself before you give it to her, because she is bound to still have a few questions.

I could really go on forever about the wonders of this book. When my own girls are of age, you can bet there will be a copy waiting for them. It would make a great “welcome to womanhood” gift. The girls who wrote this book are pretty smart cookies, and that is just what I intend to raise. Annick Press has broken new ground, once again. I can’t help but wonder if Elizabeth has a well read copy of this book tucked in her paper bag.

• New York Library's Book for the Teen Age
• "Our Choice" List, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• ALA 2008 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

Also, watch for The Little Black Book for Guys: Guys Talk About Sex, due to be published by Annick Press in September of 2008

Innuit Thought of It: Diamonds from the Tundra/ Stranger than Fiction

Alootook Ipellie (with David Macdonald)
Annick Press
Ages: 9-11 32pp
Softcover ISBN 10: 1554510872
ISBN 13: 9781554510870
Hardcover ISBN 10: 1554510880
ISBN 13: 9781554510887

If you are looking to become acquainted with the Inuit culture, this book is the place to start. I can’t get enough of this amazing celebration of innovation and resourcefulness. Alootook Ipellie has done a wonderful job of unveiling the mystery of the Inuit culture, by relating it to the everyday. Parkas, kayaks, sleeping bags, lamps ... I could go on and on, but you’ll get a better idea by reading the book. However, I will say that you will be intrigued by raincoats made from whale intestines, bird skin parkas, and sealskin food storage bags. I have read a few books on the subject (I am not only a former cold weather wilderness survival instructor, but also the mother of three children of Inuvialuit heritage), and, in my opinion, this is the best books, for youth, I have come across regarding both Inuit heritage and primitive survival techniques.

The Inuit Thought of It has a remarkable flow, not found in many works of non-fiction. The layout is about as reader friendly as it gets (thanks to Sheryl Shapiro), and the amazing photographs will keep you turning the pages. An airborne snowboarder and a kayaker negotiating white water mingle with black and white photos of Inuit hunters, athletes, and craftsmen- giving the book both an historical and a contemporary feel.

If you would like to debunk the myth of the “Eskimo” and educate your children about a hardy and ingenious culture, find yourself a copy of The Inuit Thought of It. They will come away with a decent grasp of the history of the Inuit peoples, their shelter, food, clothing, recreational activities, and medicine, as well as their modern ways of living. This book is not only a young anthropologist’s or survivalist’s dream, but also a good entertaining (and if you don’t know what makes me excited, by now) educational read.

It was an extreme pleasure to share this book with my mother-in-law, as it led to a dialogue about her own life in the arctic. The three little inspirations love to hear their grandmother’s tales of her days as a nomad, and thoroughly enjoyed sharing Ipellie’s book with her. I am extremely glad that Alootook Ipellie thought of it!

If you’re a crafter (I am crazy about crafts), here is a great craft I learned while teaching wilderness survival. Take a piece of cardboard and cut it out into the shape of a masquerade mask (framing the eyes). Cut two horizontal slits over each eye hole. They do not need to be very wide. Punch holes on both sides and tie a piece of string or ribbon to the ends, for straps. Decorate with paint, glitter glue, or whatever your imagination can conjure up. Viola! You have a pair of Inuit snow goggles. Take the kids outside on a sunny day and let them test how great they really work.

• "The Year's Best" List, Resources Links


• Children's Non-Fiction Top 10 List, Ontario Library Association


• 2008/ 2009 Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award finalist

A Crash of Rhinos, A Party of Jays: Stranger than Fiction

Diane Swanson (auth)
Mariko Ando Spencer (ill)
Annick Press 2006
Ages: 5-7 24pp
Softcover ISBN 10: 1554510473
ISBN 13: 9781554510474
Hardcover ISBN 10: 1554510481
ISBN 13: 9781554510481


Diane Swanson has written quite a little treat, here. Whether you are looking to satisfy a junior erudite, or simply entertain your child with a book that is not only educational and clever, but also fun, you will score with A Crash of Rhinos a Party of Jays. Swanson takes a fun look at “The Wacky Ways We Name Animals Groups”. I particularly like the gang of elk. For those unfamiliar with these animals, let me assure you they are not beyond knocking over some fences to rob a herd of horses (horses do hear extremely well) of their hay. There is also a tower of giraffes, a leap of leopards and a raft of ducks, to name a few. A zoology student could use this book as a study guide, yet it is short enough to read to your preschoolers.You will find yourself chuckling through this quick little read, and are sure to enjoy the quirky illustrations of Mariko Ando Spencer.

• "Our Choice" List, Canadian Children's Book Centre

My Arctic 1,2,3 : Diamonds from the Tundra

Michael Araarluk Kusugak (auth)
Vladyana Langer Krykorka (ill)
Annick Press April 2007
Ages: 4-7 pp24
Softcover ISBN 10: 1550375040
ISBN 13: 9781550375046
Hardcover ISBN 10: 1550375059
ISBN 13: 9781550375053

"My Arctic 1, 2, 3," is an educational book, on many different levels. Your children will have fun learning the joy of counting, while exploring not only a unique northern eco-system and culture, but also how closely they are intertwined. Children can count their way through 1 to 10, 20, 100, and the seemingly intangible 100, 000, 000. On this numerical journey, Kusugak examines the intimate relationship between predator and prey. One lone polar bear hunts 2 ringed seals. Twenty wolves catch the scent of 100 caribou. A group of people gather the millions of berries that have ripened, while a lone polar bear decides the berry gatherers would not make a very good meal.

I love that this book is not simply a "1, 2, 3". It is a fluid story- one that folds human beings into its framework with the same vein of vulnerability that runs through the siksiks and arctic char. Not to sound like a Disney movie, but Kusugak is able to demonstrate the "circle of life" with a cohesive simplicity that will not be lost on your little ones.

My family particularly enjoyed the appendix, entitled "The Arctic World of Michael Kusugak and His Family". We have found the anecdotes to be not only entertaining, but invaluable, as they have helped to facilitate a dialogue between the three little inspirations and their Inuvialuit grandmother. This book is a favourite for them to read with her.

I cannot sign off without mentioning the illustrator, Vladyana Langer Krykorka. I never grow tired of her beautiful paintings, especially when they are of the North. She has infused what is usually considered a monotone landscape with vibrant blues, wispy whites, luscious greens, and fiery auburns. She has been able to draw out the natural colours of the North with amazing perception, and render it on the page with her strong artistic skill. I cannot say enough about my family's love for the books she has illustrated.

Even if your little ones have already learned to count, they will enjoy this wonderful peek into the Inuit culture, and learn from the beauty expressed in its pages.

• Parent Council's Outstanding from a Learning Perspective Honor
  


• Ruth Schwartz Award Finalist
  


• Chickadee Choice
  

Super Crocs and Monster Wings: Stranger than Fiction

Claire Eamer
Annick Press Feb 2008
Ages 9-11 96pp.
Paperback ISBN 10: 1-55451-129-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-55451-129-7
Hardcover ISBN 10: 1-55451-130-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-55451-130-3

Beavers as big as bears, crocs as enormous as city buses, dragonflies the size of a hawks, massive ground sloths large enough to nibble on tree tops, animated bulky tanks-like creatures hunkering about, and rabbit-sized North American camels? A strange sci-fi world? No ... try, prehistoric Earth. Eamer has given life to all of these strange beings, while recounting millions of years of our little blue planet's history. "Super Crocs and Monster Wings" is definitely stranger than fiction.


This look into the prehistoric world is an appetizing trail mix. Eamer's book contains plenty of wholesome science, mixed in a medley of tasty tidbits, chewy facts, and delicious photos and illustrations. The evolutionary journeys, of six animals, are examined in a fast paced manner that is sure to engross any reader. Eamer begins by introducing each of the animals with a fictitious (but highly plausible) scenario that brings the long extinct being to life. The layout of this book is ingenious. Eamer has included such a vast amount of detail; it would seemingly boggle the mind. Not so in "Super Crocs and Monster Wings". Fun facts, sections devoted to such topics as, "How to Become a Fossil", captivating photographs and amazing artists' renderings, as well as an appealing contemporary design, are more than stimulating enough to prevent cerebral fatigue. If your child is not hyped for science, this is one will turn them around. If you have a budding young palaeontologist or geologist on your hands, they won't be able to put it down.


I can only hope that Eamer finds a calling as a textbook author before the three inspirations hit high school. If they had given us books like this to read in science class, I likely would have paid attention, rather than doodling and penning poetry. I really enjoyed "Super Crocs and Monster Wings", and found it informative. I love killing two birds with one stone, and being entertained, while learning is about as good as it gets. I recommend this book to parents everywhere. Your kids will think you are not only smart, but maybe even just a tad cool, when you dazzle them by explaining what large corkscrew formations have to do with giant beavers, or how sloths may have once sailed the seas, afloat on vegetal mats. As my children are very small, it was not an ideal bedtime story , for them. However, we have had a wonderful time browsing the pictures, while I showed off my new found knowledge of the prehistoric world. Don't be turned off by the suggested age range. Older teens will love this one. And for anyone who has struggled to find a good read for a boy, if the title doesn't make it obvious, this book will be a heaven-send. Boredom and dullness, like all the species to have inhabited the Earth, are 99% extinct.

The Paper Bag Princess: Happily Ever After?

Robert Munsch (auth)
Michael Martchenko (ill)
Annick Press Feb 1992
Ages: 4-7 32pp
ISBN 0920236162

This Robert Munsch tale is the greatest fairytale ever written. Finally, after hundreds of years of perfect princesses, with perfect hair, waiting for spirit creatures and princes to come to their rescue (heaven forbid a damsel save herself), happily ever after doesn't mean hanging off the arm of a prince, anymore.

When a dragon smashes Elizabeth's castle, burns her clothes, and carries off Prince Ronald, does Elizabeth wait around for her fairy godmother to wave a magic wand and doll her up? No. Ever resourceful, Elizabeth dons the latest in recyclable fashion (a dirty old paper bag), and takes matters into her own hands. After tracking down the dragon, she bunks convention by outsmarting the beast, rather than winding up his helpless captive. A princess with brains! If Elizabeth had been locked in the tower, rest assured, she would have braided her own hair into a rope and climbed her way to freedom, long before any knight in shining armour could appear. She'd be living in a nice little flat in a trendy part of the city, writing a self help book for other damsels in distress, all before her would-be rescuer could even get his horse out of the stable. And does Elizabeth apologize for her appearance when, instead of thanking her, Prince Ronald complains that she does not look like a real princess? I am certain that, put in the same situation, Cinderella would have. But, our heroin, Elizabeth, takes a giant leap for tiny tot feminists everywhere by telling Ronald that he might look like a real prince, but he is nothing more than a "bum". She takes a pass on the nuptuals. Happily Ever After? For Elizabeth, you bet. She's at the top of her game - she's CEO of the noblemen, running the kingdom by herself, and making a fortune with her recycling business.

It is easy to underestimate the importance of a children's story. However, "The Paper Bag Princess" has been invaluable to more than one generation. Here is a story where the girl saves the day. She does it with brains and not brawn. And when the prince that she was supposed to marry turns out to be a sub-standard ego-maniac, bum she carries on without a single tear. If all fairytales were this clever, a billion dollar wedding industry might be in trouble, along with the expensive business of divorce. Munsch shows children that they do not need to follow what is expected of them, if it is at the cost of their self-esteem. This story has given society a new template for female behaviour - one that encourages a get-up-and-do-it-yourself, take no guff kind of attitude. (I actually recommend this book to my grown-up single girlfriends when they are going through a break-up).

Oh, and most importantly, "The Paper Bag Princess" is absolutely hilarious and incredibly entertaining. In my house, the actual book wore out before my children's requests to read it, and well before my patience to oblige. That makes it a definite Mommy C and the three little inspirations' favourite. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favour and get it. If you haven't read it since you were a kid, visit it again ...share it with your children, or a friend's child. If your household knows it well, take a minute to appreciate the implications of this classic.

• Read America Classic
• NEA's Cat-a-List for Reading
• Greatest Canadian Books of the Century List, Vancouver Public Library
• 100 Best Books List, Toronto Public Library