The Walrus and the Caribou

Publisher's Description (Inhabit Books): When the earth was new, words had the power to breathe life into the world. But when creating animals from breath, sometimes one does not get everything right on the first try! Based on a traditional Inuit story passed forward orally for generations in the South Baffin region of Nunavut, this book shares with young readers the origin of the caribou and the walrus—and tells of how very different these animals looked when they were first conceived.

Author Biography (Strong Nations): Maika Harper is an Inuit Canadian actress and model born and raised in the Arctic. She briefly studied classical theatre in the BFA program at the University of Windsor before starring in APTN's hit dramatic comedy Mohawk Girls as Anna. She has also made appearances in Kim’s Convenience as Michaela, and most recently on Burden of Truth as Doreen. Her theatrical debut was as an alternate in Treasure Island at the 2017 Stratford Festival and her film debut will be in The Education of Fredrick Fritzell which will be released later in 2019. In her spare time, she advocates for mental health awareness and mentors youth in Canada with Youth Fusion.

Marcus Cutler is a both a children's illustrator and an occasional climber of rocks. He lives in Windsor, Ontario with his wife and two daughters.

Resource type: Picturebook

Age recommendation: Grades K-3

Keywords: Animals, stories, storytelling, words, caribou, walrus, Inuit, South Baffin, Nunavut, oral storytelling, Indigenous traditions, generations

Year of publication: 2019

Publisher information: Inhabit Books