The Gift Of The Inuksuk (Tales of the World)
Kindergarten-Grade 3–In his introductory notes, Ulmer explains thatThe Gift of the Inuksukis not an Inuit legend, but rather an original pourquoi story. However, his language is as spare and straightforward as in many folktales, and he imparts information about the traditional lives of the Inuit. Inuksuit–sculptures of piled stones in the shape of large human figures–dot the landscape of the far north. Ulmer imagines a young girl who makes the first of these figures and uses them to guide her father and brother home from a caribou hunt. This simple story appeals because of the familial warmth it conveys as much as for the explanation of the origins of Inuksuit. Rose effectively uses blues, purples, and browns in her oil paintings to conjure up the cold and barren landscape and warmer tones for the expressive faces of the people. A pleasant look at an unusual subject.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.