Building an Igloo

Grade 3-6?A curious book with interesting black-and-white photographs, but little explanation of igloo construction, appearing here 14 years after its publication in Canada. The text states, regarding choice 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." The black-and-white photos lose that and the sense of "whiteness" that makes Arctic regions so vivid. Bonnie Shemie's Houses of Snow, Skin and Bones (Tundra, 1989) does a much more thorough job of describing the construction of and living in snow houses, but has fewer illustrations. Charlotte and David Yue's The Igloo (Houghton, 1988) is more in-depth for a slightly older audience. All three titles emphasize that most Inuit no longer live in igloos but use the structure only while hunting or for winter survival. Building an Igloo could be used in concert with the other two but, alone, it is a vague nonfiction picture book that could best be used in collections focusing on the Arctic region.?Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AK
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Armed with a camera and a keen eye, Steltzer went hunting in the Northern Arctic and captured on film a father-and-son team engaged in the ancient and fascinating Inuit art of igloo building. Each turn of the page reveals another step in the process, from pacing off a circle to the secret of the sturdy design (the blocks of snow are placed in an ascending spiral) as well as the finishing touches-such amenities as a window made of ocean ice and a "porch" for storage space. The crisp lines of snow and shadow are enhanced rather than diminished by Steltzer's medium (black-and-white photography); linked with the lean but informative prose, the end result is dramatic in its simplicity. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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