I Am Loved

Pakak is in a new foster home, with new people, new food, and new smells. Feeling alone and uncertain, Pakak finds comfort in a secret shared with him by his anaanattiaq, his grandmother, and in the knowledge that he is loved no matter how far away his family may be.

Written as a gift for Inuit children in care by foster parents Kevin and Mary Qamaniq-Mason, this book is lovingly imbued with cultural familiarities that will resonate with children who, like Pakak, are navigating the unknown.

Kevin Kaukuarjuk Qamaniq-Mason grew up in Iglulik and spent his teenage years in Iqaluit. His mother, Asita Uvinik Qamaniq, is from Iglurjuat, and his father, Marcel Mason, was from New Brunswick. Kevin now lives in Ottawa with his wife, their two kids, and their big dog, Inukpasugjuk, who loves pulling the family on a sled.

Mary Qamaniq-Mason lives in Ottawa and holds a PhD in Education with a special interest in wellbeing and connection. She and her husband, Kevin, have a son and a daughter by custom adoption and are foster parents to more.

Hwei Lim draws comics (the Boris & Lalage series; Spera: Volume 1; and Mirror, with Emma Rios) and illustrates books (The Spirit of the Sea, Animals Illustrated: Narwhal, and Dragonhearted). Hwei lives in Malaysia.