Over in the Arctic

Studying Antarctica was refreshingly easy because there are very few people.  It was fun to not have to talk about indigenous people done wrong or worry that I am misrepresenting cultures or people.  I'm glad I enjoyed it, because that was my only shot at that particular pleasure.  (I am exposing my privilege here.  Sorry about that.)  The Arctic is fun to explore because there are so many people, with such fascinating and long-standing traditions.  When we set out to study Antarctica, I didn't know that penguins = Antarctica, polar bears = Arctic, so I accidentally ordered all the books to do an Arctic study too.  I hadn't planned on launching it so close to Antarctica, but after we finished Brazil, we launched our Arctic study.

Books we loved:

• Building an Igloo by Ulli Steltzer.  This book is not glamorous.  The pictures are black and white and of adults.  The opening page of text looks dauntingly long.  My first grader quailed when we cracked the cover, but the text is short on each of the following pages, and the pictures are fascinating once you get over expecting them to be flashy.  Steltzer tells the story of an Inuit man who is going hunting with his son, just as he once went hunting with his father.  The daunting opening page gives some interesting information on when and how people lived in igloos, and offers the important information that all Inuit today live in houses, but that Tookillkee (our hunter) likes to build one when he goes out looking for musk ox.  The author and photographer is of German descent.  This is from her Wikipedia page."In the late 1960s, her work evolved to reflect the social issues of the time. She photographed black people under segregation, standing out from the other documentary photographers with her focus on the people, rather than their environment. She later wrote that "[she] was chilled by the discrimination [she] saw practised against black Americans... Since then [she] devoted a good part of [her] life to documenting the lives and works of men and women of different minorities, both here and abroad." Steltzer moved to Vancouver in 1972 and started photographing local indigenous people and their artwork. She is quoted saying that she stopped inside a store selling native goods, asked who had created a hand-woven basket and was appalled when the owner couldn't tell her. She credits this experience with her desire to create a book about indigenous artists at work. She used an unobtrusive hand-held Rollei camera to seek out "British Columbia's native artists in their own places, met them informally and recorded their rediscovery of their old skills"."  I like everything about that.
• Kumak's Fish by Michael Bania.  This was another much loved option, based on a true story.  The kids were all mesmerized by the mystery of what would come out of the ice.  Was it a good day for fish?  (Spoiler: it was.)  Definitely recommended, but if you have a sensitive kid, maybe skip the true life story on the last page.  The author lived in the Arctic for twenty years and now lives in Alaska, but I don't believe she is of indigenous heritage.
• Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara Joosse.  This is possibly my favorite book to read aloud.  It's sweet, it's very funny, it's great to share with the kids, it's realistic about love and limits (I would still love you, but I would be frightened!).  I really, really love it.  I do not believe the author is of indigenous heritage.
• The Polar Bear Son by Lydia Dabcovich.  This is a gorgeous book.  The story is sweet but also sad, and led to some excellent discussions about kindness and cruelty, community dynamics, responsibilities for the elderly, etc.  I definitely recommend it.  The author is from Bulgaria.
• Over in the Arctic Where the Cold Winds Blow by Marianne Berkes.  These books are some of our very very favorites.  The rhymes are adorable, the text is interesting and informative, the tune is catchy (and it still sounds good if you don't sing it), the illustrations have lots of texture, and there are hidden Arctic animals on each page that you can go back later and discover.  Definitely recommend this one - even the 10yo liked it.  The author does not seem to be of indigenous heritage.
• Snow Bear by Jean Craighead George.  We love this beautifully illustrated book.  It's the story of a child named Bessie, a polar bear cub named Snow Bear, a watchful older brother called Vincent, and a careful polar bear mama called Nanuk.  It's very sweet and would be wonderful paired with Blueberries for Sal, as it is basically the same story.  We really love George, and have yet to read anything she's written that we haven't absolutely loved.  I do not believe she is of indigenous heritage.
• The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett.  This is such a great book.  The illustrations are fascinating, and it is fun to explore the retelling of Goldilocks.  Goldi gets away but does face some consequences in this version, which is nice to see.  It would be fun to read with Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson for the justice portion.  Jan Brett has another version of the Goldilocks story too, but I find it a bit less satisfying than this version.  I don't think Brett is of indigenous descent.
• When I was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Pokiak-Fenton.  This is the younger kid version of Fatty Legs, written by the same author and telling much of the same story.  It's gripping and sad and absolutely worth reading, but use caution with sensitive readers, as the nuns are very unkind - and actually abusive - to little Margaret.  Margaret is from the Inuvialuit people.

Extensions for older kids:

• Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O'Dell.  Does Scott O'Dell write any bad books?  This was exciting and interesting.  It follows Bright Dawn, an Inuit girl, who takes her father's place in the Iditarod.  This was my 4th grader's favorite of the unit.  I don't think the author is of indigenous descent.
• Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Podiak-Fenton.  This is a heartbreaking and beautiful story of a little girl's desire to learn to read English and her experiences at a residential school with a nun who is cruel to her.  She triumphs in the end.  I absolutely recommend it.

This was just a quick dip into the Arctic for comparison purposes, so we didn't do the full list of extensions.  We will come back and do more of a thorough Inuit study, and that will let us delve into tea, bread, cookie, sandwich, fruits and veggies, tv shows, songs, constellations, etc.  For a Minecraft extension, building an igloo is a natural option.