Arctic Son - Softcover

Kindergarten-Grade 3. In story format, George chronicles the birth and early years of her grandson Luke, who lives with his parents in Barrow, Alaska. Luke is befriended by an Inupiat man, Aalak, who gives the child his "Eskimo" name, Kupaaq, in memory of his dead father. The text explains that "in the Arctic, where Kupaaq was born, things are very different," e.g., between May and August, the sun never sets while from November to January, it never rises. The story skips from the boy's naming as an infant to when he is three and observes the Northern Lights with Aalak, and then to age five when the polar bears come into town, and, finally, at age six, a trip to a traditional whaling camp. Minor's illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. The ivory mask carving on every other page connects the story with Inupiat culture. The text and illustrations create impressions of the seasons of the Arctic as seen through the eyes of a Caucasian child, one who has been deeply influenced by firsthand involvement with the rich Native culture. The full-page artwork beautifully captures the local wildlife and terrain; it is deftly executed predominately in shades of white and icy blue. In comparison, Virginia Kroll's The Seasons and Someone (Harcourt, 1994) describes the Arctic seasons through an Eskimo girl's perspective. While George's writing is a bit choppy and there is no pronunciation guide for the Inupiat words. A warm, positive story of life in the Far North.?Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.