by Jose Angutinngurniq ; illustrated by Eva Widermann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2013
Though more violent than much picture-book fare, this streamlined story effectively conveys the way in which the Inuit...
An authentic tale from Nunavut, the Canadian Arctic territory.
Inuit elder Angutinngurniq shares his grandfather’s story of the nanurluk, a giant mythological polar bear. According to the introduction, giants once roamed the Arctic and grappled with these bears. When those extraordinary beings disappeared, the nanurluit (plural for nanurluk) remained. This tale of a resourceful, unnamed hunter is told plainly and directly. Using his wits to make the bear’s aglu (breathing hole in the ice) smaller, the hunter accomplishes his plan to lure the bear from the sea. The realistic paintings contrast the blue-and-white landscapes and the dark blue underwater scenes with the warm tones of the traditionally dressed Inuit man and his wife. When the hunter stabs the bear as the animal struggles to break out of its breathing hole, red explodes across the ice and the page, creating a strong image of bloody struggle. The hunter knows he cannot kill the beast outright, but he fools the beast into walking in a weakened condition, leading to its death and much meat. The publisher, an Inuit-owned independent from Nunavut, makes it their mission to preserve and promote the traditional lore of northern Canada.
Though more violent than much picture-book fare, this streamlined story effectively conveys the way in which the Inuit people historically understood their environment and acts as a valuable window into the culture . (Picture book/folktale. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-92709-503-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
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by Amanda Noll ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2019
Frightful and delightful: a comforting (to some, anyway) reminder that no one sleeps alone.
In a tardy prequel to I Need My Monster (2009), candidates for that coveted spot under the bed audition.
As the distressingly unflappable young narrator looks on, one monster after another gives it a go—but even with three mouths, the best roar Genghis can manage is a puny “blurp!”, silly shadow puppets by shaggy Morgan elicit only a sneeze, and red Abigail’s attempt to startle by hiding in the fridge merely leaves her shivering and pathetic. Fortunately, there’s Gabe, who knows just how to turn big and hairy while lurking outside the bathroom and whose red-eyed stare and gross drooling sends the lad scrambling into bed to save his toes. “Kid, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” the toothy terror growls. Right he is, the lad concludes, snuggling down beneath the covers: “His snorts and ooze were perfect.” As usual, the white-presenting child’s big, bright, smiling face and the assortment of bumbling monsters rendered in oversaturated hues keep any actual scariness at tentacle’s length. Moreover, Monster, Inc. fans will delight in McWilliam’s painstaking details of fang, claw, hair, and scales.
Frightful and delightful: a comforting (to some, anyway) reminder that no one sleeps alone. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-947277-09-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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by Amanda Noll & Shari Dash Greenspan ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam
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by Amanda Noll ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2016
What could be more soporific at bedtime than hairy, green-haired slime ogres with nightlight-orange eyes? (Picture book. 5-8)
Another round of under-the-bed–boojum auditions from the creators of I Need My Monster (2009).
Outraged that his personal bed monster, Gabe, has decamped to attend to his wakeful little sister, a lad marches across the hall to remonstrate. Given three chances to conjure up a suitable new monster for hyperactive Emma, three drippy, wormy, tentacled horrors are summoned in turn. Unfortunately, Emma turns out to be delighted rather than properly terrified, and none will do. Will the boy be forced to go monsterless? Drawn with big, shiny eyes and oversized heads, the two light-skinned sibs glow with energy—but the garishly hued monsters in McWilliam’s toy-strewn bedroom scenes are show stealers, whether exuding pools of pink slime or rearing up in glowering, warty menace in vain efforts to get Emma into bed. At last, in a satisfying if not particularly logical twist, it turns out that Gabe himself has a little sister, Stella, whose threatened attack on the giggling Emma’s toes results in a quick bonding and, a page turn later, snoozing children on both sides of the hall.
What could be more soporific at bedtime than hairy, green-haired slime ogres with nightlight-orange eyes? (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-936261-37-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Amanda Noll & Shari Dash Greenspan ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam
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