Pivik Learns from Takannaaluk

by Paninnguaq Lind Jensen, Hannah Barrett (Illustrator)

In this story from West Greenland, one young girl tries to teach her mischievous little sister a lesson by telling her the Inuit traditional story of Takannaaluk.

Pivik is the laziest little sister! She is always complaining about helping Anaana and stealing the best food for herself. Fed up, her big sister, Ukaleq, seizes the chance to teach Pivik a lesson. Ukaleq tells Pivik the story of how Takannaaluk became the Mother of Sea Mammals. Ukaleq warns Pivik not to anger Takannaaluk by being greedy, or their community will starve. Pivik is so scared she can’t sleep! Will Ukaleq’s lesson finally teach Pivik to put others before herself?

Genres: Picture Books

44 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly moralistic, this is still gripping enough to deserve four stars, when other books with such a heavy-handed lesson might earn less. A selfish girl regrets the lack of help she gives around the house and the amount of food she hogs for herself when told a classic legend of her peoples. It’s certainly done interestingly enough to make sure this has the potential to break away from just the West Greenland communities where the tale is set and from those territories on Canada facing that region the publishers principally serve.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.