PETER PITSEOLAK'S ESCAPE FROM DEATH

by Peter Pitseolak ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1978

This short tale of danger and deliverance was translated for Dorothy Eber from the Eskimo syllabics of Peter Pitseolak, whose extensive record of old times on Baffin Island was published, also with Eber's editing, in People of Our Side. ""This is a true story I'm telling and drawing,"" he begins here, and readers will never doubt it as he goes on, without a trace of artful drama, to tell how he and his son went walrus hunting in their outboard ""canoe,"" how their motor failed and a strong wind, then drifting ice, swept them away from land (""I was always a driving man, one who gave orders, but I knew now I was no stronger than anyone else""), how he dreamed, their second night on the ice, of a bird carrying them to safety, and how, just as he'd expected since the dream, a path later opened in the ice and the wind helped them paddle back to land. (""There is nothing in the world that is not good. I understood this then."") Pitseolak's conclusion when his family rejoices in the lost pair's return is that ""We have a helper we cannot see."" With 20 full-page illustrations in pencil, ink, and felt pen, this offers a genuine glimpse of Eskimo life and thought, and a face-to-face encounter with a man worth meeting.

Pub Date: April 28, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1978

Categories: CHILDREN'S