Berry Magic

by Teri Sloat, Betty Huffmon

Long ago, the only berries on the tundra were hard, tasteless, little crowberries. As Anana watches the ladies complain bitterly while picking berries for the Fall Festival, she decides to use her magic to help. ""Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsaukina!"" (Be a berry!), Anana sings under the full moon turning four dolls into little girls that run and tumble over the tundra creating patches of fat, juicy blueberries, cranberries, salmonberries, and raspberries. The next morning Anana and the ladies fill basket after basket with berries for the Fall Festival. Thanks to Anana, there are plenty of tasty berries for the agutak (Eskimo tee cream) at the festival and forevermore. As she did with THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE (praised by the New York Times Book Review, a San Francisco Chronicle Choice, and a Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book Award winner), Yup'ik Eskimo elder Betty Huffmon shared this folktale with author/illustrator Teri Sloat, who brings it to life with her delightful illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous, Childrens, Food, Cultural, 1st Grade, Kids

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are working our way through the Reading Together Summer Reading Challenge hosted by @hereweeread and @artish.reader One of the many categories is to read a book with an indigenous main character. My parents gifted my daughter this book after they returned from a trip to Alaska.

This story centers around a fascinating Eskimo folktale. It follows Anana and the women in her village as they harvest berries across the tundra. The elders are worried when the berries they use at the Fall Festival have lost their sweet, juicy flavor. Anana comes up with a magical craft to help the crop grow.

We weren’t familiar with salmonberries and crowberries so we enjoyed researching more info about them after we finished the book. The story also includes several Yup ‘ki words (with pronunciations) such as pelatuuk and mukluks. It also has a catchy little tune that Anana sings a few times. My daughter kept singing it throughout the day.

The book includes some vivid, wonderful illustrations and ends with a description and recipe for authentic Akutaq (Eskimo Ice Cream).

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Arctic story written by an Inuit. This sort of authenticity is what I crave in indigenous children’s books. There are too many settlers writing these stories. We need native people telling our stories. I have my own Anishnaabe stories from my community. They need to be given voice by me or my family. Same with stories from indigenous communities all over the world. After reading 60 indigenous children’s books over the past 2 weeks that’s my biggest realization. Our stories told by us.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the favorite of the books I read to Alena today. I really like Teri Sloat as a picture book author. This one is educational and interesting. It's like a folktale of how berries came to be on the tundra. I like that it gives pronunciation help for some of the words. I love berries. The illustrations are good too and fit the type of story. There's a recipe at the end telling how to make akutaq. It's a really unusual combination of ingredients, but I imagine it tastes pretty good and it nutritionally beneficial for people who live on the tundra.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating folktale that describes how berries came to grow on the tundra. The illustrations are bright and filled with interesting details and the narrative is very entertaining. There are a lot of Eskimo words woven throughout the story and there's a recipe for Akutaq, an Eskimo treat made with lard, berries, sugar, and fish. Not my type of dessert, but it's still interesting to see what other cultures enjoy to eat.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glowing with warm, earthy colours and generously adorned with animal friends, industry and magical chanting, this simple celebration of creativity and appreciation is pure joy.

Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:

http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...

[Maya]

A special story from the Inuit people* about the fall berry festival. It's also probably the first time that I have heard of fish as an ice cream ingredient, but I appreciated the recipe in the back as perspective. In addition to the wonderful illustrations and story, I was glad to see Inupiaq words transliterated, which is easier on the reader - especially for books that will likely be read aloud - and also for language learning since there has been such intense loss of Indigenous languages over time.

I think I've read about 10 books recently about the Inuit people and their traditions and feel grateful for each one.

Companion reads:
- "The First Strawberries" by Joseph Bruchac, one of my favorite reads
- "Charlie and the Blanket Toss" by Brown and Sarah Martinsen
- "On Mother's Lap" by Ann Herbert Scott and Glo Coalson - for younger readers, but comforting to all

* The authors use the term "Eskimo," which is no longer considered acceptable.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book last summer for my little cousin, and a for a friend's daughter. I wanted to bring something back for them to enjoy, that shared about the place and it's people. It's easy, especially in the lower 48, to find stories about Alaskan wildlife, or stories about white people homesteading in Alaska. This is one of a few children's stories as told by an Alaska Native woman (Betty Huffmon) featuring Alaska Native culture. The story is a myth of the origin of wild edible berries. It includes a few Yupik words, and the illustrations beautifully portray Alaskan tundra, wildlife, the Yupik protagonist, and the women in her community. It's a good story for kids age 3-7 or so. Might be extra special for kids who like berries, berry picking, helping in the garden, or like to cook, sew, dance, sing, or make art.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful tale, which I assume is an adaptation from indigenous folklore, that describes how the many different berries used in the main dish of the fall feast came to be. We very much enjoyed learning some of the native Eskimo words, which I'm grateful for the phonetic assistance, since I would have failed miserably, if they had not been provided! The book also includes the "high-calorie" recipe for Anana's Akutaq at the end.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The colorful illustrations draw us right into the story of a young girl Anana who introduces us to Yup'ik culture through such traditional activities as doll-making and berry picking. It is successful in how it weaves myth with current realities and lets us experience the hummocks and bogs of the tundra, especially during the colorful berry-picking season.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the picture books we read in preparation for out trip to Alaska. I really appreciated the pronunciations in parentheses! This folktale takes some imagination on the part of the reader but is a fun way to think of all the different kinds of berries coming to be.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love. More retellings of traditional Yup’ik Eskimo stories please! Such an interesting origin story for an important cultural food.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to read w young children.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this retelling of a Yup'ik tale, and it's combination of nature and magic. Teri Sloat worked with a tribal elder and the story and illustrations are just perfect.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet telling of traditional Native Alaskan culture. I will forever be grateful that I once lived in the Alaskan Bush and worked with Native Aleut and Yup'ik children. Thank you, Tiki and Alan!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations, and it was a wonderful and charming retelling - I am very happy to now know this story.

[Mackenzie Sipes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reaction: I thought this story was very interesting. I have never heard anything like it. I also don't think the students would have either. The pictures were very colorful and even as an adult I could say I enjoyed them.

Purpose:

Read Aloud: I think children would enjoy this story because it is something they haven't heard before. It exposes children to a different language that can create some great discussion among the students. The illustrations are colorful to keep the children entertained while reading such a heart-warming story.

Independent: I think this book would be good for an individual child to read in about second or third grade. The vocabulary isn't too complex except for the foreign words. The foreign words have readings to sound them out too. There is also a recipe for a desert in the back the students can do with their parents.

[Paige Cedergreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: This was a really interesting folktale picture book about how the first berries came to be. I think that students would enjoy the pictures and the story itself.

I would read this book aloud to second or third graders possibly in a lesson about stories that are passed down in families or to show students how creativity can be beneficial. The illustrations have a lot of bright colors and different values within the colors. The vocabulary is especially strong because it includes words from another language as well as the pronunciation so it has a diverse aspect to it. It uses a lot of examples of personification such as the berries growing. It also uses different examples of similes such as "they dotted the hills like eyes".

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This joyful tale takes place on the tundra, which happens to be one of my favorite ecosystems. Anana collects berries with the women from their village. (Yes, this story shows one aspect of the women's world.) Then, she makes dolls with thought and detail. (This girl isn't likely to mutter about being bored.) And magic happens. (After all, this is a folk tale.)

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. A young girl gathers berries that are tasteless with her elders for the feast. This one year she makes handmade dolls who then come to life and bring four different types of berries to be eaten at the feast. Preschool and up for complexity and length. One on One.

[CFAITC]

An Alaskan folk story about Anana, a young girl who spreads different types of berries in her village's fields.