From Publishers Weekly
In her first book for children, Dupre briefly describes her husband's 3,200-mile expedition around Earth's largest island by kayak, skis and dogsled. She makes the daunting Arctic journey comprehensible for young readers with engaging linoleum block prints that chronicle his trek and by zeroing in on his moving encounter with a raven. Primitivist images with thick black outlines recall the art of the Inuit people that her husband, Lonnie, so admires ("I have watched them make beautiful, warm fur clothing by hand and build perfectly fitted kayaks using only their arms and legs for measuring tools"). Spot illustrations depict indigenous wildlife, such as the narwhal, musk oxen and Arctic tern, while sidebars explain the history of the culture and the land (e.g., "The Inuit have lived throughout the Arctic regions for more than 3,000 years"). At the center of the volume is the tale of Lonnie's exchange with a raven, a legendary bird in those parts, whose foot was entangled and who allows the man close enough to free it; in the process, the bird gives him renewed resolve: "Every day I would look for ravens and remember the one who taught me that strength and spirit is in the land, in the sea, and in all living things." A fitting ode to a rough land and a resilient people. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-Dupre tells the story of her husband's kayaking trip around Greenland with a friend and his rescue of a raven whose foot had become entangled in musk ox fur-or was it a raven's rescue of Kelly's husband who had become disheartened by his arduous journey? The author illustrates the book with attractive, often humorous, somewhat primitive linoleum-block prints. These prints are the strongest component of the book and certainly are the aspect most likely to draw children's attention. Many of the pages have sidebars giving information about Greenland's wildlife or history. Unfortunately, this is one of those titles that doesn't tell enough about the place to be used for a school assignment and doesn't have a strong enough plot to give it wide appeal as a picture book. For youngsters with a strong interest in arctic regions or a special affinity for ravens, it might prove a treasure. For the rest of us, it is an additional rather than an essential purchase.
Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
