The Walrus Who Escaped by R. & S. Qitsualik-Tinsley

Abstract

Qitsualik-Tinsley, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley. The Walrus Who Escaped. Illus. Anthony Brennan. Iqualuit, NU: Inhabit Media Inc., 2014. Print.In this book, Rachael and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley retell another of the many Inuit legends that explain why things are the way they are. According to this story, walruses used to have spiral tusks. Raven, who is always a bit of a trouble maker and looking for a free meal, imprisons the walrus in ice because she wants his clams. Imprisoning the walrus doesn’t get the raven any clams, but when the walrus gets free, the force straightens his tusks.The most interesting theme in this story is that of the “Strength in the Land”, which the authors explain variously as something that would be ill-described as “magic” and could be thought of as a “special kind of dream”. Even in today’s Inuit culture, land strength is an important concept that is implied in many works, but is rarely directly addressed. Qitsualik-Tinsleys deserve kudos for attempting to capture it in a children’s book.The text is overprinted on Anthony Brennan’s cartoon-like images which show the animals demonstrating human emotions such as contentment, frustration, anger and fear. The colours are generally bright, with the light blues of the sea and the ice predominating. Highly recommended for public libraries, elementary education libraries and libraries that collect Canadian Indigenous Children’s works.Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4Reviewer: Sandy CampbellSandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.