Inuit

Read about an ogress of the Arctic!

Based on an Inuit traditional story, this book tells the tale of a brave and quick-thinking orphan and his encounter with a strange Arctic ogress.

Educator Information 
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic.  It is a Level 8-11 book in the series. 

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System.  This book's F&P Level is N.

Curriculum Connections: Language and literacy; Diversity; Indigenous perspectives; Heritage.

Recommended for ages 5-7.

Additional Information 
36 pages | 8.00" x 8.00"

On a cloudless summer night, a fox falls to earth and comes across a family of humans. As the seasons change and they move their camp, she follows them, growing ever more intrigued by human ways—and especially by the oldest son, Irniq. 

When Irniq grows older and sets out hunting on his own, he is surprised to enter his tent one day and find the lamp lit, the tea made… and a strange woman who says she is his wife. Tired of being alone, Irniq welcomes the woman. But soon he grows curious and cannot stop himself from asking too many questions. Where did the fox pelt hanging in their tent come from? And why did the fox that had been following him suddenly disappear? 

Based on award-winning musician Beatrice Deer’s powerful song “Fox,” this graphic novel reinterprets a traditional Inuit story for a new generation.

Educator Information
Recommended Ages: 7-9.
Format: Graphic Novel

This book is available in French: La Femme-renard 

Additional Information
30 pages | 9.00" x 7.50"

When Phyllis Webstad (nee Jack) turned six, she went to the residential school for the first time. On her first day at school, she wore a shiny orange shirt that her Granny had bought for her, but when she got to the school, it was taken away from her and never returned. This is the true story of Phyllis and her orange shirt. It is also the story of Orange Shirt Day (an important day of remembrance for First Nations and non First Nations Canadians).

Reviews
"The book includes a brief history of the Secwepemc people, St. Joseph’s Residential School, and a glossary and conversation starters. A must for elementary school teachers. " - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 

Educator Information
Recommended for grades 2 to 5. 

This resource is also available in French: The Orange Shirt Story (French) / L'histoire Du Chandail Orange

Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for grades 1-5 in the areas of English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Career Education.

Additional Information
8.5" x 11" | 44 pages

Ukpik loves living in her camp in the North with her family and she especially loves thinking up names for her brand new puppy. When a captain from the south arrives to trade with Ukpik's father, she's excited to learn how to use forks, knives, and spoons.

At first, Ukpik enjoys teaching the other children how to use these new tools. But soon, she starts to wonder if they'll need to use the new tools all the time, and if that means that everything in camp will change.

After a conversation with her grandmother, Ukpik realizes that even though she will learn many new things, her love for her family and camp will never change - and it even inspires her to find a name for her puppy!

Educator Information
Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2019-2020 resource list as being useful for grades K-3 in these subject areas: English Language Arts and Social Studies.

This book is available in French: Una Huna?: Qu'est-ce-que c'est ? 

Additional Information
36 pages | 8.00" x 9.00"

When Elisapee’s father brings home a baby seagull, Elisapee falls in love with the bird right away. She feeds and cares for her new friend, named Nau, and even helps Nau learn how to fly! Nau grows, and grows, and grows some more, until she’s big enough to fly all over town and play with the other seagulls. Soon, it seems like Nau is ready to leave home for good, and Elisapee has to learn how to say goodbye. Based on the author’s childhood experience, this charming story about learning to care for animals will delight young readers.

Reviews
"Stories like Elisapee and Her Baby Seagull, which feature Inuit characters and communities in contemporary settings, allow young Inuit readers to see their own peers and neighborhoods represented in children’s books. They also allow young Canadians from other provinces to experience a vibrant part of our country that they might otherwise never be introduced to." - The Book Wars

Additional Information
40 pages | 8.75" x 8.75"

Talittuq is excited to start his first day of grade two. He is looking forward to the new school year, but as he meets his friends again for the first time after summer vacation, he notices that a lot of his friends’ families are very different from his own. Some have one mom and one dad, and some have only a mom. Some kids live with their grandparents. Some live with two dads or two moms. As Talittuq hears about all the fun his friends have had with their families, he learns that families come in many different shapes and sizes, and what holds them all together is love!

Educator Information
Ages 5-7.

Additional Information
28 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

Nivi has always known that her names were special, but she does not know where they came from. So, one sunny afternoon, Nivi decides to ask her mom how she got her names. The stories of the people Nivi is named after lead her to an understanding of traditional Inuit naming practices and knowledge of what those practices mean to Inuit.

How Nivi Got Her Names is an easy-to-understand introduction to traditional Inuit naming, with a story that touches on Inuit custom adoption.

Review
"Charlene Chua's gentle illustrations help to unify the concepts in the story quite clearly. The reader is able to grasp the concepts of Nivi's ancestry by viewing the photographs in the story of loving, smiling and welcoming namesakes of both Nova Scotian and Inuit relatives. I particularly like the illustrations that depict Nivi's namesakes surrounding her in circles of love and family. The messages of love, respect and identity are important ones and ultimately make How Nivi Got Her Names relatable to all children. It can be read as both a story and an information book, and it could be used effectively in classrooms to teach concepts of heritage, community, history and family." — CM Magazine

Additional Information
36 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

Discusses the history, language and cultural practices of the Inuit, both in the past and in current times.

Educator & Series Information
This book is part of the Indigenous Communities in Canada series.

Additional Information
24 Pages

Discover a world of creepy-crawly insects!

Meet the tiny creatures in the air, water, and soil all around you!

The North is full of little creatures that skitter, swim, and fly. This nature book introduces children to insects, spiders, and other Arctic bugs, what they are, their body parts, their habits, and their habitats.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. Insects of the Arctic: What Is an Insect is a Level 8-11 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. Insects of the Arctic: What Is an Insect F&P Level is K.

Recommended for ages 5-7.

Additional Information
32 pages | 7.00" x 9.00"

Jon loves his life in the North. But when he feels a pain that won’t go away, he must go to a children’s hospital in the south to find out what is wrong. A doctor there tells Jon he has cancer and will have to stay at the hospital for a while.

Suddenly Jon’s life is upside down! But with a handful of tricks from the doctors and nurses, and new friends, Jon discovers ways to cope with some of the tricky parts of having cancer.

Accompanied by a resource guide for parents and caregivers, including hospital and support information, Jon’s Tricky Journey opens a conversation between Inuit children facing a cancer diagnosis and their families to help make a difficult and confusing time more manageable.

Educator Information
Ages 5-7.

Bilingual: Inuktitut and English.

Additional Information
70 pages | 8.50" x 8.50"

The northern lights shine, women gather to eat raw caribou meat and everyone could be family in this ode to small-town life in Nunavut, written in English and Inuktitut.

Sisters Angnakuluk Friesen and Ippiksaut Friesen collaborate on this story about what it’s like to grow up in an Inuit community in Nunavut. Every line about the hometown in this book will have readers thinking about what makes their own hometowns unique. With strong social studies curriculum connections, Kisimi Taimaippaktut Angirrarijarani / ᑭᓯᒥ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑉᐸᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᕆᔭᕋᓂ / Only in My Hometown introduces young readers to life in the Canadian North, as well as the Inuit language and culture.

Angnakuluk’s simple text, translated into Inuktitut and written out in syllabics and transliterated roman characters, is complemented by Ippiksaut’s warm paintings of their shared hometown.

Educator Information
Recommended Ages: 3-7.

Recommended for Grades K-2.

Curriculum Connections: Health & Daily Living, Language Arts, Social Studies.

Additional Information
24 pages | 11.00" x 8.25"

Learn some of the ways people in the North use the outdoors for travel, gathering food, and having fun!

This non-fiction book uses a friendly child narrator to introduce readers to some of the traditional skills used by people living in the Arctic, such as dogsledding, igloo building, and ice fishing. With impressive photographs and descriptive text, this is an excellent support material for a classroom unit on Aboriginal peoples.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. Land Skills is a Level 9 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. Land Skills' F&P Level is L.

Recommended for ages 5-7.

Additional Information
20 pages | 6.00" x 9.00"

Discover the amazing story of how an ordinary girl became the mother of sea mammals.

This book shares the traditional Inuit myth of Nuliajuk, the legendary mother of sea mammals. The story of Nuliajuk teaches children even today how important it is to respect nature.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. Nuliajuk is a Level 12 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. Nuliajuk's F&P Level is M.

Recommended for ages 6-8.

Additional Information
28 pages | 9.00" x 9.00"

Based on a story from Nâlungiaq, as recorded by Knud Rasmussen.

How has life in Nunavut changed since 100 years ago? How is it the same? See the changing face of Nunavut from about a hundred years ago to today.

This non-fiction book teaches children about how places change over time. Archival and modern photographs of different places in the territory support the text.

Educator Information
This book is part of the Nunavummi Reading Series, a Nunavut-developed series that supports literacy learning while teaching readers about the people, traditions, and environment of the Canadian Arctic. Nunavut Then and Now is a Level 12 book in the series.

Nunavummi Reading Series books have also been officially levelled using the Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient™ Levelling System. Nunavut Then and Now's F&P Level is Q.

Recommended for ages 6-8.

Additional Information
24 pages | 7.00" x 9.00"

Putuguq and Kublu are a sister and brother who cannot get along. They love to pull pranks and one-up each other every chance they get! When one of Putuguq's pranks does not go as planned, the feuding siblings find themselves on the land with their grandfather, learning a bit about Inuit history, between throwing snowballs, that is.

Reviews
“An emotionally and spiritually warming visit to the Arctic.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Endnotes about inuksuit and the vanished Tuniit/Dorset people round out an entertaining story of sibling one-upmanship.” — Publisher’s Weekly

“. . . [A] fun romp across the tundra that will spark discussions about the Arctic, the Inuit and getting along with your siblings.” — CanLit for Little Canadians

Educator Information
This book is part of the Putuguq & Kublu series.

Recommended ages 5+

Additional Information
40 pages | 6.00" x 8.00" | Fully illustrated graphic novel