Pistes d'exploration

Talk about why the little girl in the story did not want to go for a walk with her grandmother. What made her change her mind?

Make a list of things that Inuujaq discovers when she goes walking with her grandmother.

Using the Plant Glossary at the back, design a poster of the plants in the book, outlining what they are used for.

Make a visual dictionary of some of the Inuktitut words and phrases from the back of the book.

List the plants that the grandmother shows Inuujaq. How is each plant special? What can each one be used for?

Choose a plant from the story and label its parts. What does a plant need to thrive?

What was the relationship between Inuujaq and Grandmother Silaaq? Describe someone who is important to you and explain why. Include a photo of the person.

Create a poster to explain and illustrate the vocabulary word tundra.

Discuss why Inuujaq picks up the pop can that she had thrown earlier. What lesson did Inuujaq learn? What can you do to take better care of the environment?

Caribou Song

Mots-clés

Picture book , Arctic , bilingual text , grandmothers , intergenerational relationships , Inuit , learning new skills , perspectives , plants , tundra

Commentaire descriptif

Inuujaq is a bored little girl who would rather play outside with her friends than go for a boring walk with her grandmother, Silaaq. But when she agrees to accompany her “through the same old hills” Inuujaq discovers all the riches that the mosses, flowers and shrubs of the tundra have to offer her people. Bright, soft-edged illustrations in a combination of natural and colourful hues capture the simple contours of the Arctic landscape in summertime and provide readers with visual support for the dense but informative text. The narrative comes full circle with a simple ecological lesson as Inuujaq returns from the walk only to find the shiny pop can she carelessly threw into the ditch before leaving: “That doesn't belong in the grasses,” she thinks. This book is about going back to our roots. It includes a plant glossary with pictures and additional scientific facts, and a second glossary of the Inuktitut words and phrases (with their pronunciation) integrated into the text.