The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese: And Other Tales Of The Far North

The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese: And Other Tales Of The Far North

Product Description Based on decades of research and extended collaboration with Inuit storytellers, award-winning author Howard Normans masterful retellings of ten Inuit tales invite readers on a unique story--journey from Siberia and Alaska to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Dramatic illustrations inspired by stonecut art of the Inuit people capture the beauty and mystery of these stories as they carry us--sometimes laughing, sometimes crying--from village to village over taiga, tundra, snow plains, and the iceberg-filled sea. From School Library Journal Grade 4-10?An enchanting collection that transports readers through varied Arctic landscapes. The magical and humorous tales also provide a wellspring of information about Inuit culture. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews This collection is not only the handsomest gathering of Inuit folktales ever, but one that will bring readers as close to a living oral tradition as printed material can. After working with folklorists and Inuit storytellers, Norman recasts ten stories from every corner of this widespread culture. While versions of several stories appeared in his Northern Tales (1990), they will be new to young readers. Most have a humorous cast: A shaman enrages a rude visitor with a succession of hilarious, earthy insults; stubborn Uteritsoq ignores good advice and has his stomach guts stolen by a moon spirit; when the Ark becomes locked in Hudson Bay ice, a crabby Noah refuses to have anything to do with the local villagers, and so is forced to eat many of his animals--plus a woolly mammoth that comes on board. Between each tales two or three magical, formal, full-page paintings, the Dillons recapitulate events in a small black-and-white running frieze, composed of human and animal figures done in a style evocative of Inuit art. A pleasure to see, to hold, and to read--this is elegant bookmaking matched to entertaining, perceptive storytelling. Story notes appended. (Folklore. 9+) -- Copyright 1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Review From these pages emanate wisdom and compassion in great measure. -- Smithsonian, November 1997 The tales are taken from original tellings by native (Inuit) speakers.... Young heroes feature prominently here, and delightfully naughty moments occur. Coupled with the spectacular illustrations--narrative scratchboard friezes in the style of stone-cut art and full-color paintings ... The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese makes excellent bedtime reading. -- The New York Times Book Review, Natalie Kusz From the Publisher In 1997 The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, and a Notable Book for Children by Smithsonian magazine. About the Author HOWARD NORMAN is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and a winner of the LannanAward for fiction.His novels The Northern Lights and The Bird Artist were both nominated for National Book Awards.He is also author of the novels The Museum Guard, The Haunting of L, What Is Left the Daughter, Next Life Might Be Kinder, and My Darling Detective. He divides his time between East Calais, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. LEOand DIANE DILLON together illustrated more than twenty-five acclaimed and award-winning books for children, including the Caldecott Medal winner Why Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples Ears by Verna Aardema, a retelling of the opera Aida by Leontyne Price,and their own Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose.