Alego - Groundwood Books by Ningiukulu Teevee Hardcover

About the Book

It's almost time for supper, and Alego goes with her grandmother to the shore to collect clams. Along the way, the girl discovers tide pools brimming with life -- a bright orange starfish, a creepy crawly "ugjurnaq, " sea snails, and a sculpin. A rising star of the famed Cape Breton Inuit art scene, author and illustrator Ningeokuluk Teevee draws on her own childhood experiences in the Arctic for this enchanting introduction to the life of an Inuit girl and her world. Printed in both Inuktitut and English, the book includes an illustrated glossary of the sea creatures in the story as well as a map of Baffin Island.

Book Synopsis

An enchanting and utterly authentic introduction to the life of an Inuit child and her world.

Written and illustrated by Ningiukulu Teevee, one of the most interesting young artists in Cape Dorset, home to the great tradition of Inuit art, this is a beautifully simple story, written in Inuktitut and English, about a young Inuit girl who goes to the shore with her grandmother to collect clams for supper. Along the way she discovers tide pools brimming with life - a bright orange starfish, a creepy-crawly thing with many legs called an ugjunnaq, a hornshaped sea snail and a sculpin. This is an enchanting and utterly authentic introduction to the life of an Inuit child and her world.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

Review Quotes

"...[The] English translation [of the Inuktitut] is sprinkled with musical words from the original...a harmonious universally recognizable shared time between a child and her affectionate grandparents." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Complementary in both forms of language, and accompanied by exquisite drawings, this book introduces the Canadian north and Inuit culture through a reading experience that will bridge to more conversation and understanding of places and cultures that seem far away." -- Anne Burke, Resource Links

"Graphite and color pencil illustrations lend an innocence and simplicity to this unique tale." -- School Library Journal

"The drawings by the author are delightfully expressive..." -- Marlene Atleo, Multicultural Review