Discusses what it is like to live in the Arctic, and describes the Inuit and their history and culture.
Americas
Materials from the Americas
How Summer Came To Canada
When the giant Winter came down from the North to live in eastern Canada the land became frozen and white. Glooskap, mythical lord and creator of the Micmac Indians, saves his people from endless cold when he brings a beautiful Queen to his country. Her name is Summer and she persuades Winter to relax his icy grip every Spring while she awakens the land from its deep sleep and bestows life on everything that grows.
Tiktala
When the spirit guide changes her into a seal, Tiktala learns the ways of seals and how harmful humans can be.
Children of the Yukon
Brilliant, colorful paintings depict children of the Yukon at work and play: snaring rabbits, feeding ravens, racing on snowshoes and hunting moose, panning for gold in famous Bonanza Creek, and exploring the ruins of Dawson City.
Children Of The Midnight Sun
For Native children, growing up in Alaska today means dwelling in a place where traditional practices sometimes mix oddly with modern conveniences. “Children of the Midnight Sun” explores the lives of eight Alaskan Native children, each representing a unique and ancient culture. This extraordinary book also looks at the critical role elders play in teaching the young Native traditions. 40 color photos.
Shinchi’s Canoe
Forced to use only people’s English names and not speak to his siblings at school, Shin-chi holds fast to the canoe given to him by his father, hopeful that things will then improve for his family and the tribe he loves.
The Inuksuk Book
An introduction to the many forms of the inuksuk structure The image of a traditional Inuit stone structure, or inuksuk, silouetted against an arctic sky, has become a familiar symbol. Yet, for many, their purpose remains a mystery. In a stunning new book, artist and children’s author Mary Wallace, in consultation with Inuit elders and other noted experts, gives a fascinating introduction in words, pictures, and paintings to the many forms of the inuksuk structure and its unique place in Inuit life and culture.
The Igloo (Sandpiper Books)
Detailed pencil drawings depict the building of an igloo, as well as the summer homes, forms of transport, and ways of life of the Eskimos. “A tidy source of reference information, curriculum support, and just plain compelling reading”.–School Library Journal.
Baseball Bats For Christmas
Never having seen trees, the children in Repulse Bay decide that the funny things sent them one year must actually be baseball bats. An autobiographical tale from Michael Kusugak’s childhood tells a story of life in the arctic, and easily different cultures can interpret things differently.
A Coyote Solstice Tale
Wily trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a little solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the friends through the snowy woods to the mall — a place they had never seen before. The trickster goes crazy with glee as he shops with abandon, only to discover that filling a shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods — somewhat subdued — though nothing can keep Coyote down for long. Thomas King is known for his fiction featuring Canada’s Native people, while Gary Clement’s artwork has appeared in several popular children’s books. “A Coyote Solstice Tale” blends King’s brilliant deadpan humor and Clement’s evocative watercolors in this witty critique of consumerism and consumption aimed at all ages.