A Walk on the Tundra

by Rebecca Hainnu, Anna Ziegler, Qin Leng (Illustrator)

During the short Arctic summers, the tundra, covered most of the year under snow and ice, becomes filled with colourful flowers, mosses, shrubs, and lichens. These hardy little plants transform the northern landscape, as they take advantage of the warmer weather and long hours of sunlight. Caribou, lemmings, snow buntings, and many other wildlife species depend on tundra plants for food and nutrition, but they are not the only ones...

A Walk on the Tundra follows Inuujaq, a little girl who travels with her grandmother onto the tundra. There, Inuujaq learns that these tough little plants are much more important to Inuit than she originally believed.

In addition to an informative storyline that teaches the importance of Arctic plants, this book includes a field guide with photographs and scientific information about a wide array of plants found throughout the Arctic.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous, Childrens, Canada, Fiction, Nature

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2011

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young Inuit girl accompanies her grandmother on a walk on the springtime northern Canadian tundra, the grandmother teaching and the granddaughter listening and learning about tundra plants, and their many uses. And really A Walk on the Tundra is therefore and really more educational than an actual story with conflicts and subsequent resolutions, but it nevertheless is a sweet and enlightening excursion onto the tundra and its many, often unconsidered botanical treasures (and the relationship between Innujaq and her Anaanatsiaq, her grandmother, Silaaq, is not only tender, one can see how during the course of the walk, as she learns about the arctic flowers and plants her grandmother is gathering, Innujaq becomes increasingly aware and appreciative of not only the natural beauty and bounty of the springtime tundra, but her grandmother's knowledge and gathering skills). Quin Leng's accompanying illustrations are bright, expressive and sweet, and although almost a little too cute and cartoony for my personal tastes, they do work very well with Anna Ziegler's and Rebecca Hanna's presented and featured narrative, both complementing and at times even expanding it.

There are two glossaries at the back of A Walk on the Tundra, one of the arctic plants featured, showing both information and a colour photograph of each of the plants described in the narrative, the other being a glossary of the Inuit words used, with a pronunciation guide and English meanings, counterparts. While these glossaries are both appreciated and in my opinion very necessary, especially the Inuit words should have ALSO been explained with footnotes within the text proper, within the story itself (I kept having to flip to the back of the book, which I found a bit distracting, and could well imagine this as being rather majorly potentially frustrating if one were actually reading A Walk on the Tundra aloud to a child or a group of children). Still, and in all ways, A Walk on the Tundra is highly recommended, and would, in my opinion, be the perfect teaching tool in a kindergarten, preschool, grade one or grade two classroom (and perfect for a unit on First Nations, the Canadian Arctic, basic Northern Hemisphere botany, even traditional family structures).

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Walk On the Tundra (another book in my quest to read as much Inhabit Media content as possible) tells the story of a young girl going out for a walk on the tundra with her grandmother. The book provides factual information about tundra plant life, a touching image of a grandmother / granddaughter relationship, a touching representation of how we connect with our homeland, and a message against littering. The illustrations are absolutely adorable, and the story itself is genuinely more than I would have hoped for.

Definitely recommended for all ages.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for more advanced readers. The story is a warm tale about a child learning of tundra plants from her grandmother. A helpful glossary of the Inuktitut words used is in the back, as well as further information on the plants named.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about going back to your roots. Also, a wonderful way to learn about plant life on the tundra!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story starts with a bored young girl laments that she is not able to stay up as late as her friends during the long Arctic nights, meaning that she wakes up much earlier and has no one to play with. When her grandmother leaves her home on an outing, young Inuujaq hopes she is heading to the store and will buy some food to share, but her grandmother invites her on quite a different outing, one to find edible plants.

At first Inuujaq is reluctant but feels she must listen to her grandmother, but as they travel and she learns about different plants, as well as her family's history she is grateful for the experience. It ends with her wanting to learn more, take a more active role in making food with her family, and take better care of the land.

This book also features back matter that should not be missed. A plant glossary gives more detail on several of the plants that Inuujaq would have learned about and there is also a glossary and pronunciation guide for Inuktitut words. This would pair nicely with Nicola Campbell's A Day with Yayah, which has a lot of details on plants used by Indigenous peoples in the area that I live in, the Nicola Valley.

[FM Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one that, though long, engaged my 3.5 year old a lot more than I expected. A word to the wise, there are a lot of plant names in here that are said in the characters' native language, so if you're reading aloud, make sure to familiarize yourself with the pronunciation before you dive in. A nice book showing an #Ownvoices story of indigenous family in a northern community, and the transfer of knowledge from an elder in an informal and engaging way. A good reminder that kids' curiosity can be engaged so well for learning when they are having a sensory experience and out with someone they care for, rather than just learning abstractly in school. A bit long for my kid's current attention span, but something I'll try again when she's a bit older, and then maybe we can take a similar walk and look for plants where we live.

Also the author is a Canadian school principal! <3

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Inuit storybook filled with traditional ecological knowledge on plant medicines. The book is also filled with Inuktitut language all the while being gorgeously illustrated. I’ve said this before. The Inuit have done a fantastic job of preserving and teaching their stories, culture, and language through children’s literature. There are numerous books by highly talented Inuit writers and artists that children of all cultures can enjoy.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the illustrations but I am a bit worried about how my grandkids will relate to it.
There is not really a story, more a slice of life, although I loved the orange pop can subplot!
The story is a bit much for a picture book. The interest level is higher than the format. I think I'll have to condense some text.
I do like having a book for them with Inuit characters, particularly a Grandma!

[Brandon Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre - Science/Fiction/Adventure
This is a beautiful story of a young girl exploring the Artic Tundra and learning about its important plants and assets.
(s)
Ages 3-7

[Claire]

Such a sweet story. I will be using this one in our arctic museum program!!!!

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent children's nonfiction story about edible tundra wildflowers! Extra info about each of the flowers in thr back. Good journey for the granddaughter connecting to the land and culture.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this title. A young girl and her grandmother go for a walk on the tundra. The pictures are bold and the story familiar. Inhabit Media keeps turning out beautiful books that never disappoint.