The Little Folk

ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖅ ᐅᓇ, ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑕᐅᓕᖅᑭᒃᑐᖅ ᑰᒑᕐᔪᖕᒥᐅᑕᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓐᓇᕐᒧᑦ ᓖᕕ ᐃᓗᐃᑦᑐᕐᒧᑦ, ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᓯᖃᖅᑐᖅ ᐃᓄᖕᒥᒃ ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᒥᒃ ᑎᒍᐊᖅᑕᐅᔪᕕᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐃᓄᒐᕈᓪᓕᖕᓄᑦ—ᑲᒪᓇᖅᑑᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥᐅᑕᑦ ᐃᓄᒐᕈᓪᓖᑦ. ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᑉ ᑎᒍᐊᖅᑎᖏᒃ ᐊᖑᓇᓱᒋᐊᕈᓐᓇᖅᓯᑎᑦᑎᑕᑕᐃᓐᓇᖅᐳᒃ, ᑐᔾᔭᐃᓕᖅᑐᓂᓗ ᐊᕕᖖᒐᐅᑉ ᑐᒥᑯᓗᖏᓐᓂᒃ. ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐃᓄᕋᓛᑯᓗᐃᑦ ᐱᔪᓐᓇᕐᓂᕐᔪᐊᖏᓐᓄᑦ, ᓄᑲᑉᐱᐊᖅ ᐊᖑᓂᒃᑐᕕᓂᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᕆᐊᓕᒃ ᐱᖅᑲᐅᔭᖓᑕ ᐊᓯᐊᓂᒃ. . .

ᑲᒪᓇᖅᑐᒥᒃ ᑕᑯᑎᑦᑎᒋᐊᖖᒐᕈᑕᐅᕗᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᖅᑐᐊᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᒪᒃᑯᒃᑐᓄᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᖅᑎᓄᑦ.

This traditional story, retold by Kugaaruk Elder Levi Illuitok, tells the tale of an Inuk boy who is adopted by little folk—a magical race of small Arctic people called inugarulliit. The boy’s adopted parents finally allow him to go hunting, and he tracks and catches a lemming. But with the help of the little folk’s extraordinary abilities, the boy may have caught more than he thought. . . .

This is a magical introduction to a traditional Inuit story for young readers.

Written by Levi Illuitok | Illustrated by Steve James

Hardcover (English) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-468-4 | $18.95 | 9″ x 8″ | 28 Pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 6-8 | F&P Level L |

Paperback (Inuktitut) | ISBN: 978-1-77227-493-6 | $14.95 | 9″ x 8″ | 28 Pages | Full-colour illustrations throughout | Ages 6-8 | F&P Level L |

Praise:

“…there is distance and substance in the pictures; through careful shading, instead of looking weightless, the parkas look thick and heavy, mountains rear convincingly far away, and a mitten resting on the ground is shaped just so, so that we can tell the wearer is leaning their weight on that hand. The shadows on snow, with a few stalks of plants poking out, have that exact blue of shadows cast by an afternoon sun in winter. The people in the story are all dressed in a similar manner and have few distinguishing features, yet their simplified expressions and movements are lively, and they do not feel interchangeable…”—CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Awards

Spring Selection — 49th Shelf Kids, 2023