NANOOK & PRYCE

Appropriating a sturdy ice floe for fishing, igloo roommates Nanook and Pryce, their faithful dog, Yukon, and three put-upon worms set about catching their daily fare. To a consistently upbeat rhyming text the two survive everything from sharks and commercial fishing boats to frigid temperatures and pelicans. “Breakfast break / Puffins pass / Giant wake / Bye-bye, bass.” Phrases rarely need more than three words and are accompanied by Day’s watercolors, which reveal frequent surprises (keep your eyes on the worms). The deadpan Nanook and Pryce, faces almost completely buried in their parka hoods and unmoving (or merely clueless) in the face of multiple foes and dangers, are ideal foils for the lively dog and riotous backgrounds. Perhaps it’s not a go-to source for anyone hoping for an accurate portrayal of the Native cultures of the North, as these heroes bear far more similarities to cartoons than actual people, but for readers who disregard that detail, it’s an amusing collaboration. (Picture book. 4-8)