Arctic Hunter - Softcover

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823411249 ISBN 13: 9780823411245

Publisher: Holiday House, 1994

Synopsis

A ten-year-old Eskimo (Inupiat) boy who lives far north of the Arctic Circle describes his family's annual spring trip to their camp, where they hunt and fish for food to supplement their diet for the rest of the year and enjoy old traditions.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

In an informative, thorough presentation, Migdale's photographs present varied and realistic glimpses of the ancient yet changing life of Alaska's Inupiat people. While contemporary critics may balk at the apparent sexism (women, it seems, don't hunt or navigate), there is nevertheless solidity in this strongly family-centered society in which each member has a task. In an unaffected text--befitting the authentic-sounding voice of 10-year-old narrator, Reggie--readers are taken through the diverse events surrounding a spring seal hunt. Telling details abound: in a photo of the family shopping expedition, kids can note many familiar grocery items. The seal hunt itself is handled very plainly, as Reggie comes of age upon killing his first seal. (Though some will object to a photo of the proud hunter standing before a freshly killed seal, an author's note explains that seals are protected by legislation and that hunting is done as a means of sustenance and not for commercial gain.) As with their previous works ( Pueblo Storyteller ; Totem Pole ), these collaborators offer in an accessible text and lucid photographs an arresting portrait of another culture--a culture that presents obvious differences from that known by most American kids, but many reassuring similarities as well. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-6-- Another high-quality book from this author/photographer team that gives students insight into the lives of young Native Americans. Reggie, an Inupiat Eskimo from Kotzebue, Alaska, tells about his lifestyle as he and his family live off the land. Through stunning full-color photographs and a clear first-person text, a whole picture of the culture through a child's eyes emerges. The glossary of Inupiaq terms and the explanations in the text are most helpful. Some readers may be put off by the photographs of seal killing and butchering; however, this is not wanton slaughtering of animals but survival hunting in which no part of the animal is wasted. The chapter on ``Changing Ways'' helps readers to understand the difficulty Reggie, his family, and others like them are having in holding on to traditional values while accepting some technology and modernization. Russell Kendall's Eskimo Boy (Scholatic, 1992) gives a photographic look at a seven-year-old Inupiat from Shismaref, Alaska for younger readers and makes a good companion to the more in-depth Arctic Hunter , which deserves a place on both school and public library shelves as a fine description of a way of life despite incredible pressures. --Mollie Bynum, Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0823411249
• ISBN 13: 9780823411245
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 30