It’s Time for Berries!

ᓄᑲᕇᒃ ᐅᐱᕐᖔᓕᒫᖅ ᐊᐅᔭᓕᒫᕐᓗ ᐅᑕᖅᑭᓯᒪᔫᒃ ᓂᖏᐅᕐᒥᓂᒃ
ᓄᓂᕙᒋᐊᖃᑎᖃᕈᒪᓪᓗᑎᒃ. ᐃᖃᓪᓕᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ, ᐊᒻᒨᒪᔾᔨᐊᖅᑐᑎᒃ, ᐊᐅᔭᐅᓪᓗ ᐃᓱᐊ ᑎᑭᑕᐃᓐᓇᕐᒪᑦ ᓄᓂᕙᕝᕕᒃᓴᕈᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᖅ!

ᓂᖏᐅᖅ ᓂᕕᐊᖅᓯᐊᓪᓗ ᓄᓂᕙᒋᐊᖅᑐᑦ, ᓯᓚᓗᒻᒥ ᓯᕿᓐᓂᖅᑐᒥ—ᓂᖏᐅᖓ ᓄᖅᑲᖅᑎᑕᒃᓴᐅᖖᒋᓚᖅ! ᓯᓚᓗᑦᑕᕋᓗᐊᖅᐸᑦ ᐅᑭᐊᒃᓵᒃᑯᓪᓗ ᖃᓐᓂᑦᑕᕋᓗᐊᖅᐸᑦ ᓂᕕᐊᖅᓯᐊᒃ ᓂᖏᐅᖓᓗ ᓄᓂᕙᒃᐳᑦ ᐸᐅᕐᖓᓂᒃ ᒪᒪᖅᑐᐊᓗᖕᓂᒃ ᖃᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᑕᑕᓚᐅᖖᒋᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐱᔭᕆᐊᑐᓚᐅᕋᓗᐊᖅᑎᓪᓗᒍ ᓂᖏᐅᖓ ᒪᒪᖅᑐᓕᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᐊᓘᖕᒪᑦ
ᓄᓂᕚᕕᓂᖏᓐᓂᑦ. ᖁᕕᐊᓲᑎᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑐᖃᕐᓂᒃ ᓄᓂᕙᖕᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑑᑉ ᐸᐅᕐᖓᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓂᒡᓗ ᓄᓇᒦᖖᒑᖅᑐᓂᒃ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᑦᑎᐊᕚᓗᒃ ᑲᔪᖏᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᕐᓂᕐᒥᒡᓗ ᐊᓃᕐᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᓈᒻᒪᓪᓗᐊᑦᑎᐊᖅᐳᖅ ᐃᕐᖑᑕᕆᔭᓄᑦ ᐊᓈᓇᑦᓯᐊᒃᑯᖏᓐᓄᓪᓗ. ᓂᐅᕕᐊᖑᑦᑎᐊᖅᐸᒃᑐᒥᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑏᖕᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᕕᓂᕐᓄᑦ ᑎᑎᕋᖅᑕᐅᓂᑯ ᐆᒥᖓ ᓯᓂᒋᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᑦ.

Two sisters have waited all spring and summer to pick berries with their ningiuq, their grandmother. They’ve gone fishing, dug for clams, and by the time late summer arrives, it’s finally time for berries!

Ninguiq and the girls head out to pick berries, rain or shine—nothing will stop Ningiuq! Through driving rain and early autumn snow the girls and Ningiuq pick as many sweet berries as their buckets can hold. The hard work is all worth it to enjoy the delicious treats Ninguiq creates with her berries.

Written by Ceporah Mearns and Jeremy Debicki | Illustrated by Tindur Peturs

Hardcover (English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-465-3 | $18.95 | 9″ x 9″ | 28 Pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 3-5 | F&P Level L |

Paperback (Inuktitut) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-490-5 | $14.95 | 9″ x 9″ | 28 Pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 3-5 | F&P Level L |

EPUB (English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-509-4 | $9.99 | 28 Pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 3-5 | F&P Level L |

Audiobook (English/Inuktitut) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-504-9 | $6.99 | Ages 3-5 | F&P Level L |

Praise

“It’s Time for Berries! will be enjoyed as a pleasant family story by young readers, and it could be used as an adjunct to a discussion of traditional life in Canada’s North in a primary classroom.”—CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“Through lively text peppered with Inuktitut words, and vivid illustrations of the smiling trio, readers are transported to the Arctic and Ningiuq’s welcoming home. It’s Time for Berries! is a sweet story about the hard work—and the tasty rewards—of living off the land.”—Hakai Magazine

Awards

Best Books for Kids and Teens — Canadian Children’s Book Centre, 2023

Winner — Bookstagang Best of 2023, Picture Book Awards