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The Shadows that Rush Past: A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales
The Shadows That Rush Past introduces young readers to some of the creepiest, scariest stories from Inuit mythology. These tales, told by critically acclaimed writer Rachel Qitsualik, bring to life four creatures from Inuit mythology: the amautalik, akhla, nanurluk, and mahaha. These tales are filled with child-stealing ogresses; half-man, half–grizzly bear monsters; ice-covered polar bears 10 times the size of normal bears; and a smiling creature that surprises unsuspecting campers and tickles them to death.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley
24 books24 followersOf Inuit-Cree ancestry, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born in a tent on northernmost Baffin Island. She learned Inuit survival lore from her father, surviving residential school and attending university. In 2012, she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for numerous cultural writings.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 5, 2021
This collection of darker Inuit tales is scary but not in the way that many people would consider scary. The stories center more around monster, but personally I find the though of giant lice and mosquitoes absolute terrifying.
The tales are told in a way that captures traditional tale telling format, including the ending Pijariiqpunga. The style is such that one can easily feel as if Qitsualik is present and telling the story.
The illustrations are not done in the style of Inuit art, which is not surprising considering the artists are not Inuit. However, the illustrations are lovely, though strangely at times reminded me of the Gnome children’s book.
There are four tales presented including “Mahaha” which is about a demon who tickles people to death. The tales include asides about how some of the main characters react.
A nice and lovely collection.
The tales are told in a way that captures traditional tale telling format, including the ending Pijariiqpunga. The style is such that one can easily feel as if Qitsualik is present and telling the story.
The illustrations are not done in the style of Inuit art, which is not surprising considering the artists are not Inuit. However, the illustrations are lovely, though strangely at times reminded me of the Gnome children’s book.
There are four tales presented including “Mahaha” which is about a demon who tickles people to death. The tales include asides about how some of the main characters react.
A nice and lovely collection.
July 18, 2019
Author Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley presents four stories taken from traditional Inuit lore in this picture-book collection, each featuring a monstrous adversary of some kind. In Amautalik, a terrible child-kidnapping ogress is defeated by the angakkuq (shaman) grandmother of her latest victim. In Akhla, the great hero Umaun, also known as Kiviuq, defeats a terrible bear-like creature, and then defeats the creature's wife, when she pursues him. In Nanurluk, a foolhardy hunter named Nakasungnak succeeds in slaying one of the far-north's giant bears - many times the size of a polar bear, the Nanurluit could be the size of a hill - only to be slain by gigantic meat-eating bugs. Finally, in Mahaha, a newly-wed woman is murdered by an evil, giggling creature that tickles people to death, and her bereaved husband must set out to avenge her loss.
Originally published in 2011, and then reprinted this past year (2018), The Shadows that Rush Past: A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales more than lives up to its sub-title, pairing a selection of truly terrifying tales with deliciously creepy artwork. Inuit lore seems replete with scary stories, perhaps reflecting the harshness of the natural environment of the far north, and this title adds to the body of lore available to English speakers. The second story here, Akhla, has also been told, in slightly different form, in Qaunaq Mikkigak's The Legend of the Fog , which was also published by Inhabit Media. I was interested to learn that the folk-hero Kiviuq, whose adventures I have read in such titles as Kiviuq and the Mermaids , is also known as Umaun. This is a collection that I would recommend, both to young folklore lovers, and to young readers who enjoy scary stories in general.
Originally published in 2011, and then reprinted this past year (2018), The Shadows that Rush Past: A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales more than lives up to its sub-title, pairing a selection of truly terrifying tales with deliciously creepy artwork. Inuit lore seems replete with scary stories, perhaps reflecting the harshness of the natural environment of the far north, and this title adds to the body of lore available to English speakers. The second story here, Akhla, has also been told, in slightly different form, in Qaunaq Mikkigak's The Legend of the Fog , which was also published by Inhabit Media. I was interested to learn that the folk-hero Kiviuq, whose adventures I have read in such titles as Kiviuq and the Mermaids , is also known as Umaun. This is a collection that I would recommend, both to young folklore lovers, and to young readers who enjoy scary stories in general.
October 2, 2017
Great collection of scary Inuit folktales, suitable for older kids, but definitely too scary for little ones! Wonderful illustrations, and evocative retellings of stories which are not well-known among American audiences. As scary as they are, they are nowhere near as gruesome as many Inuit tales, making these about as family-friendly as tales from the Arctic get.
January 15, 2013
This book was really good. The stories were very interesting and a little scary. My favourite story was about the Amautalik. The pictures were scary,creepy,and and a little gory. But this book was still great.
January 24, 2013
I liked this book because the storys wher vary interesting to read.My favorite story was the tickle monster because it was kind of funny how the tickle monster tickles you to death.It would not be fun to encounter the tickle monster thought.I really like the detail in the pictures.
April 16, 2018
The Shadows That Rush Past is an incredibly well done collection of Inuit traditional stories, specifically scary stories. I read The Legend of The Fog yesterday, and that story is featured here, with some slight variations, but otherwise the stories were all new to me. They were all creepy and exciting, with magnificent storytelling and beautiful (albeit frightening) illustrations. The conversational tone made the whole thing feel very natural, although sometimes hindered its own story (by removing some of the anticipation).
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for traditional Inuit stories or a good picture book. Probably not for small children (keep it 8+) unless they're into scary stuff (I know I would have loved it when I was small).
I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for traditional Inuit stories or a good picture book. Probably not for small children (keep it 8+) unless they're into scary stuff (I know I would have loved it when I was small).
June 17, 2019
This collection of four "frightening" tales attributed to the Inuit culture includes a story each about the amautalik, akhla, Nanurluk, and Mahaha.
These stories are not so much "frightening" as "horror/monster stories". The amautalik is a monster who kidnaps young children. The akhla monster is a cross between a human and a bear. Nanurluk is a giant polar bear. The mahaha viciously tickles its victims to death. Each reads as if it is being told as a story. Illustrations by Emily Fiegenschuh ad Larry MacDougall are appropriately dark, muddy and gory-looking. Unfortunately, no documentation for sources is given in the book.
This might be best read on a dark and stormy night...
Additional purchase for grades 3-8.
These stories are not so much "frightening" as "horror/monster stories". The amautalik is a monster who kidnaps young children. The akhla monster is a cross between a human and a bear. Nanurluk is a giant polar bear. The mahaha viciously tickles its victims to death. Each reads as if it is being told as a story. Illustrations by Emily Fiegenschuh ad Larry MacDougall are appropriately dark, muddy and gory-looking. Unfortunately, no documentation for sources is given in the book.
This might be best read on a dark and stormy night...
Additional purchase for grades 3-8.
August 23, 2019
NOOOOPPPPPPEEE. This freaked me the freak out. The illustrations are terrifying. Thank you, Inuit culture, for introducing me to the Mahaha, WHICH WILL TICKLE YOU TO DEATH. NOOOOOOO.
Yeah, not for the sensitive. But if your kiddo is looking for scary stories and is tired of ones that they've heard a million times, an attack polar bear could do the trick. It is well-written and exposes kids to a mythology they may be unfamiliar with. But it scared me. :)
Yeah, not for the sensitive. But if your kiddo is looking for scary stories and is tired of ones that they've heard a million times, an attack polar bear could do the trick. It is well-written and exposes kids to a mythology they may be unfamiliar with. But it scared me. :)
August 3, 2017
I suppose these are targeting kids and a YA audience but they're great for this adult. The art's great and the stories - often twists on Inuit tales I've heard before are excellent. Loved this and it's small enough to make a great gift for a kid.
April 1, 2019
The stories and illustrations in this book were fairly enjoyable and it gets bonus points for authenticity. I really like that it is a native storyteller sharing these tales as she thinks they should be told. And the content feels interestingly different; I've seen many books that will have a subtitle like "a Chinese Cinderella story", but the story will be so similar to the familiar western version that I am left wondering if the story really is that similar, or if the author deliberately modified it to be more familiar, or even just invented it by apply cultural trappings to a familiar tale. But the stories in this collection have the sorts of patterns and cadences of folktales, but have a distinct style that makes it obvious they come from a different tradition. For this reason, my favorite story in the collection is "Nanurluk". When I try to think of equivalent stories in the European tradition, I think of stories of lucky fools that keep stumbling into success and becoming wise rulers in the end, or something like that. But in this story, the protagonist (?) Nakasungnak acts foolishly and wins by good fortune; but he pushes his luck and ends up dead, just as everyone around him thought would happen.
July 12, 2019
Picked this up on a whim at a comicbook shop and I loved it! The folktales are engaging and properly spooky and the art is excellent. Definitely would have loved this as a kid!
November 22, 2021
A magical collection of stories.
February 21, 2013
Mythology plays a large role in many cultures around the world, it is no different with the Inuit of Canada.
In this book, author Rachel A. Qilsualik tells the story of four mythological creatures: Amautalik, Akhla, Nanurluk and Mahaha. Each of these creatures is big and scary, some more human in appearance and some more animal. Each is a threat to the neighbouring Inuit who must find a way to escape the threat to them or to defeat the beast.
These stories were totally unique to me. They were not a typical 'feel good' tale where the strong man of the village goes out and easily slays the monster. It took cunning and intelligence to be victorious.
The art work by Larry MacDougall and Emily Fiegenschuh brought these tales to life. I spent as much time looking at the art work as I did reading the stories.
While I did enjoy these tales, I do think I would have enjoyed them more had I read them with a child. A child who would have asked questions and made guesses about the nature of the creatures an how they would have defeated the beast.
This would appeal most to children ages 8-12.
In this book, author Rachel A. Qilsualik tells the story of four mythological creatures: Amautalik, Akhla, Nanurluk and Mahaha. Each of these creatures is big and scary, some more human in appearance and some more animal. Each is a threat to the neighbouring Inuit who must find a way to escape the threat to them or to defeat the beast.
These stories were totally unique to me. They were not a typical 'feel good' tale where the strong man of the village goes out and easily slays the monster. It took cunning and intelligence to be victorious.
The art work by Larry MacDougall and Emily Fiegenschuh brought these tales to life. I spent as much time looking at the art work as I did reading the stories.
While I did enjoy these tales, I do think I would have enjoyed them more had I read them with a child. A child who would have asked questions and made guesses about the nature of the creatures an how they would have defeated the beast.
This would appeal most to children ages 8-12.
August 1, 2012
“The Shadows that Rush Past” is a collection of Inuit horror stories for children. I did find these stories to be quite frightening and the illustrations went along with them very well. I don’t recommend this book for all children as the language is quite advanced and the stories are scary, but it would be a good fit for older children who prefer the horror genre (the Goosebumps fans in the making). But because this book is presented as a picture book I think it would be hard to get older children excited about reading this one. But I loved the Canadian content and think that more children should be exposed to this side of our culture.
February 28, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this book for a few reasons.1 It's about these bizarre supernatural creatures and I love reading about stuff like that.2 The book doesn't take a long time explaining things and talks about the strange creatures on the second page of the story which also makes the book very short.3 If I read about stuff like sea monsters, or ghosts it just makes me want to see a picture of them. But in THIS book half of the pages have pictures of the charcters and even of the strange creature that they're talking about.
April 25, 2013
Shadows that rush past is a good book with a lot of good details. Although I think the pictures are to detailed and gory. In particular the story about the giant bear Nanurluk kills villagers I thought it was very very gross.
January 29, 2013
i dint really like the book because i didnt make sense itwas just random monsters.... but near the end it gets pretty good. theres funny looking monsters and animals
February 16, 2013
I think that the elders of this time were very imaginitive.But I also think that some of the stories could be about true things and that they are exadriated
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February 13, 2018Though illustrated, this is definitely for older readers. The stories read really easily, though -- and have an oral tradition flavor to them (e.g., "some say it's a hood; others imagine it as a cage; personally, I don't want to think about it").
It was interesting reading the Amautalik story and noticing the similarities to the two I'd already read.
The Akhla story felt a little bit like a retread of stories I'd already read -- neither the monster nor the hero particularly stuck out to me -- but I liked the ending.
The Nanurluk story is more about the "hero" and took an unexpected turn. #ArcticFolkloreIsDark
Mahaha seemed to me a pretty uniquely Arctic monster. I wasn't super sold on the ending, but the monster is pretty haunting. #TheArcticIsAColdCruelMistress
It was interesting reading the Amautalik story and noticing the similarities to the two I'd already read.
The Akhla story felt a little bit like a retread of stories I'd already read -- neither the monster nor the hero particularly stuck out to me -- but I liked the ending.
The Nanurluk story is more about the "hero" and took an unexpected turn. #ArcticFolkloreIsDark
Mahaha seemed to me a pretty uniquely Arctic monster. I wasn't super sold on the ending, but the monster is pretty haunting. #TheArcticIsAColdCruelMistress
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews