The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese: And Other Tales of the Far North [Hardcover]

Howard Norman (Author), Leo & Diane Dillon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Based on decades of research and extended collaboration with Inuit storytellers, award-winning author Howard Norman’s masterful retellings of ten Inuit tales invite readers on a unique story--journey from Siberia and Alaska to the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Dramatic illustrations inspired by stonecut art of the Inuit people capture the beauty and mystery of these stories as they carry us--sometimes laughing, sometimes crying--from village to village over taiga, tundra, snow plains, and the iceberg-filled sea.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-10?An enchanting collection that transports readers through varied Arctic landscapes. The magical and humorous tales also provide a wellspring of information about Inuit culture.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

This collection is not only the handsomest gathering of Inuit folktales ever, but one that will bring readers as close to a living oral tradition as printed material can. After working with folklorists and Inuit storytellers, Norman recasts ten stories from every corner of this widespread culture. While versions of several stories appeared in his Northern Tales (1990), they will be new to young readers. Most have a humorous cast: A shaman enrages a rude visitor with a succession of hilarious, earthy insults; stubborn Uteritsoq ignores good advice and has his ``stomach guts'' stolen by a moon spirit; when the Ark becomes locked in Hudson Bay ice, a crabby Noah refuses to have anything to do with the local villagers, and so is forced to eat many of his animals--plus a woolly mammoth that comes on board. Between each tale's two or three magical, formal, full-page paintings, the Dillons recapitulate events in a small black-and-white running frieze, composed of human and animal figures done in a style evocative of Inuit art. A pleasure to see, to hold, and to read--this is elegant bookmaking matched to entertaining, perceptive storytelling. Story notes appended. (Folklore. 9+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 164 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152309799
• ISBN-13: 978-0152309794
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > United States
  • #40 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Polar Regions

More About the Author

HOWARD NORMAN is a three-time winner of National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and a winner of the Lannan Award for fiction. His 1987 novel, The Northern Lights, was nominated for a National Book Award, as was his 1994 novel The Bird Artist. He is also author of the novels The Museum Guard, The Haunting of L, and Devotion. His books have been translated into twelve languages. Norman teaches in the MFA program at the University of Maryland. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Vermont with his wife and daughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brains and Beauty, April 11, 1998

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[e-mail] (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese: And Other Tales of the Far North (Hardcover)

Aside from the wonderfully told stories, this book is an exceptional example of bookmaking, from the white on white end pages to the frieze-like illustrations by the Dillons that tell the story along the top of the page. A great choice for a gift book.