Building an Igloo (Meadow Mouse Paperback)

A father and son demonstrate each step in building an igloo, including making a chimney and adding a window

Gr. 4^-6, younger for reading aloud. Originally published in Canada, this book has simple power and great child appeal. An honest essay introduces the Inuit culture and their tradition of making homes out of snow. On the following pages are black-and-white photos of startling composition and quality that picture Tookillkee Kiguktak and his son Jopee demonstrating the building of an igloo. With a carpenter saw to cut snow into large bricks and a long knife for cutting and shaping, Tookillkee carefully builds the structure up and around himself, locking himself in. He then cuts a door, adds a chimney (so the roof won't melt), and cuts a window: "He has chosen a piece of ice from the ocean for a windowpane. It gives much light to the inside, a strange blue-green light like that surrounding a swimmer under water." Finally, he builds a porch. Each step in the process is accompanied by a photo, and it is tremendously interesting to see the builders smooth and shape the growing structure. The book ends with a picture of the finished igloo and a shot from the inside looking out at the frozen landscape. The photos and text work together beautifully to capture the essence of the story: the father and son are at peace with their environment, have come to know its beauty, and will pass on their knowledge from one generation of Inuit to the next. Kathy Broderick