Whale Snow [Hardcover]

Debby Dahl Edwardson (Author), Annie Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2003 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Amiqquq is excited when his family catches a bowhead whale. As his family prepares to celebrate the traditional Inupiaq whaling feast, Amiqqaq learns about the spirit-of-the-whale.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Filled with joy, this tale about a loving family and a caring community is something all youngsters can understand. Amiqqaq is home with his grandmother when fat flakes begin to fall. She refers to the precipitation as "whale snow," which occurs when a whale has given itself to the people of their Alaskan village. Soon Amiqqaq's father comes in to announce the kill, and then takes the boy to see the great beast. Before long, Amiqqaq begins to understand the true spirit of the whale, as members of his community come together to celebrate and prepare its different parts for use. The author has included notes about the I¤upiat culture, a list of words in I¤upiaq, and a link to a Web site where readers can access the story written in that language. Although infused with the colors of winter, the illustrations create a sense of peace and warmth. Patterson's characters acknowledge the strengths of modern culture without giving up traditional ways: Amiqqaq's father rides a skidoo, but also wears the traditional parka, and villagers dress in various combinations of jeans, parkas, and warm boots. An intriguing glimpse into another culture.
Susan Marie Pitard, formerly at Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Amiqqaq is watching his aaka (grandmother) make Eskimo doughnuts when his father comes and whisks him away on his snowmobile to see the whale that "has given itself to the People." The community gathers joyfully, first on the ice around the whale and later in Amiqqaq's house, where his mother and grandmother boil a whale feast for the whole village. Watercolors in cool, dusky hues predominate in the appealing illustrations. The satisfying story underscores cultural differences by portraying Amiqqaq's growing awareness of the spiritual connection between the whale and his people. In an appended note, Edwardson discusses the partnership between the bowhead whale and the Inupiat of Alaska. Teachers looking for picture books on Arctic people will find this a good read-aloud choice for preschool and primary-grade classes. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570913935
• ISBN-13: 978-1570913938
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 11.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,103,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live far far away in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost community on the North American Continent--the top of the world, actually.

I've lived here pretty much all of my adult life and this place and its people, the Inupiaq Eskimos of Alaska, have shaped who I am as a writer. Most of the stories I write are set within this cultural context. It is not the culture I was not born into but it is the one I belong to, the one that has become home to me as a human being and as an artist.

Visit my website at www.debbydahledwardson.com and my blog: http://wordsfromthetop.blogspot.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Village Voices From Alaska, September 30, 2003

By 

Arctic Voice Earl (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whale Snow (Hardcover)

There have been many books, including children's books,written about Arctic Alaska and the Inupiat who have lived there for thousands of years, and thrived in the harsh environment. But most of the authors have been outsiders.
Now here is a children's book about subsistence whaling written by residents of a primarily Inupiat Eskimo community in Arctic Alaska. It features a young boy Amiqqaq who learns about the "fat snow" or "whale snow" which comes in spring when a whale has given itself to the people, to help nourish and sustain them. He also learns about whaling and the spirit of the whale.

The book is well written by Debby Dahl Edwardson,and beautifully and sensitively illustrated by Annie Patterson. Reflecting the title of "Whale Snow," Patterson has managed to include big fat snow flakes in every illustration, even those showing the interior of a house.
Both Edwardson and Patterson live in Barrow, Alaska, the farthest north community in the United States. And this local perspective helps develop the story and illustrations to a very high level.
It is a great book to read to your children some chilly evening. In addition to the story, Edwardson has included background on subsistence whaling and a list of "Words to Know" in the Inupiaq language. So readers young and old can be informed at the same time they are fascinated with the story and art work.
Enjoy the book!
Earl

1.0 out of 5 stars Skidoo riding Modern people kill Whale, January 23, 2012

By 

LaughingFoxSong "LaughingFoxSong" (SoCal Beach) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whale Snow (Hardcover)

My 6 year old son was horrified that these modern skidoo driving people had killed a whale. I think it was right when the boy was placed upon the dead whale and everyone cheered that I couldn't excuse this book any longer as okay because it was someone's "culture". Just because something is culture does not make it right to continue. Whales are endangered as a species. Oh, and they contain mercury too. A lot of it. They are killing themselves by eating it.

I explained that long ago those people had to kill whales for survival and it became a part of their culture to the point that they have special license to do it still. We will never read this book again, and I will not be donating it to any charity either. This book is awful.

Did I mention that they drove skidoos and placed a boy on a Dead Whale And Cheered? They eat the whale in the book, too. All large apex predators in the ocean contain high levels of mercury - dolphins and whales especially. Do some research. Don't buy this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, October 10, 2011

By 

asanay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whale Snow (Paperback)

Wonderful story written by an amazing woman who has lived in Barrow, AK for over 30 years. Poetic and culturally accurate, awesome book for people to read and learn Inupiaq words, and to learn about the Inupiaq culture through a story for children.