Uumajut: Learn About Arctic Wildlife! Simon Awa, Anna Ziegler & Stephanie McDonald. Illustrated by Romi Caron. Iqaluit, Nunavut: Inhabit Media (Distributed by Fitzhenry & Whiteside), 2010. 30 pp., pbk., $14.95. ISBN 978-1-926569-08-6. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8. Review by Philip Bravo. **** /4

excerpt:

Lemmings are the smallest mammals in the High Arctic. They are chubby, but can squeeze through very small openings. There are two types – one type turns white in the winter and the other stays dark brown all year round. In the summer, lemmings dig tunnels into moss and tundra, to prepare for winter. They make warms nests with grasses, feathers, and muskox wool they find on the ground. Through the winter, they stay warm by huddling together in their nests. However, lemmings are also known to fight with each other. They will bite, punch and squeal at their opponents. Lemming skins can be used as bandages to heal cuts and more serious wounds.

A nonfiction picture book in English and Inuktitut about Arctic wildlife written by a Nunavummiut or resident of Nunavut is a rarity, and so it is a pleasure to be able to review Uumajut: Learn About Arctic Wildlife!. Following a brief introduction, the book is divided into two chapters entitled "Animals of the Tundra" and the "Animals of the Sea and Ice." The book includes a lovely illustration of each animal in its habitat which also showcases the beauty of the Arctic. While I suspect that wildlife savvy children will be familiar with a few of the animals, such as the Lemming, the Arctic Fox, the Wolverine, lesser known animals, such as the Barren-ground Caribou, the Peary Caribou, Amphipods and Arctic Char, will be less familiar to many readers. Children will also appreciate learning about the ways the Inuit use the animals, though sensitive children may wince at the more "interesting" applications of animal skins and parts to meet human needs. Uumajut: Learn About Arctic Wildlife! is a beautifully illustrated, informative and accessible addition to Inhabit Media's growing collection of books about the Arctic and its culture written and drawn by Inuit. A useful addition to school and public libraries.

Highly Recommended.

Philip Bravo is a librarian at the Winnipeg Public Library in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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