Ningeokuluk Teevee,
Alego
Groundwood Books/ House of Anansi Press, 2009

Rating: E*

A picture book about an indigenous community that captures a perfect day spent on the land, as a grandmother and her granddaughter, go clam digging during low tide. This dual language text is written in Inuktituk with an English translation, and captures the natural surroundings of a day at the beach as young Alego’s search for clams in the tide pools, a process which also introduces her to the natural marine life of her community. As grandmother digs for clams, granddaughter Alego’s search uncovers many of the sea creatures from their natural surrounding. Ningeokukuluk Teevee’s pencil drawings capture this perfect day, which ends in a family meal of clams that is "Mamaqtuq" meaning "delicious".

Based on her own experiences of growing up in Kinngait, Nunuvut, this beautiful book shares a glossary of Inuktituk words with pictures identifying the marine creatures found on the beach such as clams, sculpins, starfish, creepy crawly things and a snail. A perfect day on the beach is a common experience for many children, and a common theme in children’s books, but written from the perspective of a native community in the far north will likely be a new one. Complementary in both forms of language, and accompanied by exquisite drawings, this book introduces the Canadian north and Inuit culture through a reading experience that will bridge to more conversation and understanding of places and cultures that seem very far away, but may share common experiences likened to many of the children in our classrooms.

Thematic Links: Grandparents and Grandchildren; Northern Canada; Marine Life

Anne Burke
Vol. 15, number 3
February 2010

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.