THE INUIT: People of the Arctic

A well-written book in the Native American series, covering the Inuit of northern and western Alaska and the northern coast of Canada, and providing a colorful and educational sketch of their habitat and lifestyle. Fleischner (The Apaches, 1994, not reviewed) quickly recaps the 5,000-year history of the Inuit, then describes in detail the traditional housing, clothing, hunts, rituals, feasts, and so on; readers need not be researching or have any prior interest in the subject to be drawn into the book, which is filled with full-color and black-and-white photographs. The only flaw--no map--becomes more significant as the author steadily emphasizes the European exploration of the Canadian shore. A charming fable follows the main text.