The Man of the Moon

Based primarily on explorer and anthropologist Knud Rasmussen’s transcriptions of oral tales, the stories in this anthology of old Greenlandic myths and legends have been passed down through generations. This collection features stories about children and young people—stories that were told in the depths of winter, that the youngest listeners would one day tell to their own children.

Talking animals, flying shamans, orphans so poor they have to walk barefoot through the snow, and men so strong they can carry a whale all on their own: you’ll meet all of them and more in this collection.

Written by Gunvor Bjerre | Illustrated by Miki Jacobsen

Hardcover (English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-295-6 | $29.95 | 9.6″ x 6.7″ | 202 pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | General |

EPUB (English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-386-1 | $13.99 | 202 pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | General |

Praise

“A compendium of Greenland’s Inuit culture places readers in a realm of icy waters and shape-shifting animals.”—Wall Street Journal

“Hunting, killing, and skinning animals is a prominent feature (with moments such as harp seals having their heads smashed together), but the brutality is balanced by humor (if earthy; lots of pee and poo) and compelling action…Copious watercolor illustrations by Greenlandic artist Jacobsen are often comical, always loose and lively, in warm blues and browns, with a full-page illustration for each story and occasional small, labeled pictures of animals and objects.”—The Horn Book Magazine

“The Man of the Moon delighted our reviewers with its mix of darkness and humor, necessary surely for the cultures that have thrived in such inhospitable landscapes. The watercolor illustrations with a color palette to match the icy blues, grays, and browns of Greenland drew us further into the world of the stories.”—American Folklore Society

Awards

Aesop Accolade — American Folklore Society, 2022