Donald Uluadluak

A young Inuit boy, playing by the shore with his friends one day, spots a mysterious sea woman in this autobiographical picture-book from Donald Uluadluak. Rushing back to their families' camp to share this wonder, the boys forget all about what they saw. Then a year later they recall, and the boy learns from his grandmother that he has seen an arnajuinnaq, one of the sea people who can sometimes be found in the arctic ocean...

This second picture-book from Inuit elder and teacher Donald Uluadluak - the first was Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story - is apparently based upon an actual incident from his childhood, and is set in Nunavut in 1940. The story structure is quite simple: there is no incident needing resolution, no adventure needing a conclusion, and therefore little narrative tension. That said, it does introduce a fascinating category of mythological creature - the arnajuinnaq - with which many readers will be unfamiliar. The artwork by Mike Motz, who is credited on the title page, although his name doesn't appear on the cover, is colorful, but a little flat in style. My favorite picture was the one of the arnajuinnaq, which appears on the front cover. All in all, The People of the Sea isn't a particular favorite, when it comes to the books I have read from Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publisher from Nunavut, but it still has some appeal. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories featuring Inuit cultural themes, or set in the arctic.… (plus d'informations)