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The land, hunting, hunger, magic and extreme weather are themes that resonate for Inuit who live in the Far North. These stories, drawn from the lives of four Inuit artists, offer young readers a glimpse into this rich, remote culture, past and present. Accompanying each story are illustrations by Jirina Marton, who has spent time in the Arctic and whose deep appreciation for its subtle beauty shines through her art. In addition to the stories, there is a feature spread on each artist with a photograph, a brief biography and a reproduction of one of the artist's works.
About this Author
Raquel Rivera has a degree in fine arts and has worked as a copywriter, freelance writer and illustrator, photographer's assistant, and a teacher of English and life drawing. Visit her author website at www.raquelriverawashere.com for news, reviews and video readings. Raquel lives in Montreal with her family.
Jirina Marton has exhibited her paintings throughout Europe, Canada and Japan. She has illustrated many children's books, including Little Book of Northern Tales: The Bear Says North by Bob Barton, Arctic Adventures: Tales from the Lives of Inuit Artists by Raquel Rivera, Marja's Skis by Jean E. Pendziwol, which was a Governor General's Literary Award finalist for illustration, and Bella's Tree by Janet Russell, which won the 2009 Governor General's Literary Award for illustration. Jirina lives in North York, Ontario.
Reviews
...[this] book has a lot to offer.
Beautiful illustrations...show the individual people and creatures in the Arctic landscape close up, sometimes with an edge of magical realism.
Rivera's unpretentious storytelling is perfectly suited to these tales, which resonate with mythic force...evidence that an alien way of life can be powerfully transmuted and shared.
This book beautifully balances stories that document a vanishing way of life, aboriginal art, and information about the Arctic. Children will thoroughly enjoy the stories, and teachers will relish this contribution to the all-too-scarce resources for the curriculum about Canada's North. It is a little gem.
This book, a must for bookstores, rates as a sophisticated and innovative introduction to Inuit art and culture and is one of the best Canadian children's non-fiction titles to emerge so far in 2007.
Through the simple and effective technique of narrating dramatic episodes in the lives of four Inuit artists...Rivera gives us a taste of a vanished way of life, a sense of the unimaginable hardships that shaped these artists' characters, and a glimpse of their work that grew so organically from their experiences on the land...Marton's artistry makes the reader experience the uncertainty and thrill of visual discovery.
...a clever way to introduce art to young readers and works seamlessly to offer up both a compelling story and the beauty of a lesser-known art.
...a delightful book and the illustrations bring the story beautifully to life. It is well worth adding to any collection...
...a great story-time read...four stars.
...a wealth of information on Inuit culture, both past and present...
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