There's an invisible creature in the waves around Sarichef. It is altering the lives of the Inupiat people who call the island home. A young girl and her family are forced to move to the center of the island for refuge from the rising sea level. Soon the entire village will have to relocate to the mainland. Heartbroken, the young girl and her grandfather worry: what else will be lost when they are forced to abandon their homes and their community? Addressing the topic of climate refugees, My Wounded Island is based on the challenges faced by the Inupiat people who live on the small islands north of the Bering Strait near the Arctic Circle.
Jacques Pasquet is a French writer, storyteller, and performer who has written many books for both kids and adults, including My Wounded Island, a picture book about climate change in the Arctic. He was a lecturer in the Department of Literary Studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal for many years. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.
Hopefully this kind of children's book will be release worldwide so that everyone, especially kids, will be inform and reminded about climate change and its effects. It is beautifully written that even adults, such as I, will definitely love and appreciate this picture book. If ever this will be available locally here in our country, I would definitely purchase some copies to be given to my niece and godchildren.
Imarvaluk, an Inuit girl, lives in the island of Sarichef. It is a very small island close to Alaska that is gradually getting smaller due to the rising water levels. She is scared of "the monster" that is devouring their island. It is forcing the settlement to move further inland each year. In the summer they head to the mainland to hunt caribou and return to the island in the winter. Many of the islanders are now staying on the mainland year round due to the shrinking island. Her grandfather is worried that if they have to move to the city, Nome, they will lose their culture and heritage. The illustrations are wonderful. They are done in watercolour and will evoke some real emotion in the reader. There is an explanation about climate change, what is causing it and how it is affecting places like this island. It is a very powerful message told in a way that children will easily understand and be able to relate to. A book that should be in all school libraries and/or primary/junior classrooms. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.
What a heartbreaking book! A very simply written and drawn story that deals with quite heavy issue. Seen through the eyes of a little innocent child, this is really upsetting but gives a brilliant account of what happens to the ordinary person when such geographical disasters happen.
It’s a tiny island and the monster is the water taking over their land and home. I think the watercolours and nature of the paintings were perfect for the story and themes and everything works so well on so many levels. A very important book with a simply conveyed message with a little girl who will stay in your mind.
I found myself learning about the Iñupiat people and way of life so it works for adults as well!
How do you explain climate refugees? Did you know there was such a thing? What do you think happens to those people that have to leave their homelands, and move because the land has ceased to exist?
In this very simple, beautiful picture book, a young child talks about how her island, the home she has known all her life, and there peoples have lived on, is slowly being eaten by a creature, that soon the island will be below the waves, and they will have to move, but to where? As her grandfather says, it is not just the island that dies, but the memories of those who came before, as well as their way of life.
We need to know these things. And in this beautiful picture book we see the damage the climet change is having to places in the world. Just because it isn't affect the first-world, yet, doesn't mean that it won't.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Imarvaluk -- what a beautiful name -- is forced to leave her island because of the terrible effects of global warming. The coast, where she made beautiful memories with her grandfather, is now being swallowed by rising water levels. So, she moves further into the land -- their summer land -- to rebuild their lives.
'My Wounded Island' is an excellent book to initiate a dialogue with children on global warming and how many lives are displaced across the world.
As an adult, I found the beginning poetic, especially the paragraph on the narrator's name, and expected the story to unfold in that fashion. Although it didn't, I am still satisfied.
This is the story of Imarvaluk, a young girl who lives on a tiny island near the Arctic Circle. She is part of a strong community that continues to live the way their ancestors had. Still, things are changing. The weather is impacting their small island, shrinking the pack ice and flooding the island. Scientists try to help by studying the impact and new barriers are put up, but there is no stopping the monster of climate change as it ravages the Arctic. The little girl imagines it as a huge sea monster, coming to gobble them up. For now, their homes are being moved to the center of the island but eventually, they will have to decide if they will leave and lose their community.
Told with analogies that will help children understand the impact of climate change, this picture book makes a large concept much more concrete and real. The illustrations with the monster of climate change bring to life the feeling of powerlessness and how small humans are on the planet. This book can be used for units on climate change or the Arctic and Native Peoples. Appropriate for ages 6-8.
An arc was provided generously in exchange of an honest review via Netgalley.* Beautiful illustrations that give you a sense of wonder. The text gives you a real situation of global warming and its consequences. The story leaves a kid worrying, because there is no ending as we know it. It's more of a "it is as it is" and we are sad and scared. PS: One thing pulled me out of the story. The island is described as situated between Alaska and Russia. Alaska is a State, and Russia is a country, which is quite big and multinational. The book could have mentioned a Russian region too. There live people who have the same lifestyle as in a book. Or is it not interesting? Then why not say between USA and Russia? And an illustrated map cut would have being interesting.
This book is beautiful. The artwork is breathtaking. It is rather short, so I do not have much to say, but I really enjoyed the story. It is not every day you read a picture book about climate change.
The main character fears the sea. She and her family are forced to move to the center of the island because of the rising sea level. Things are changing and it is scary. The artwork really helps you understand the emotion of the story.
Disclaimer: I received this from Netgally in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the chance to read this!
A deeply touching and informative story about the Iñupiat people and their native island as they, in the face of climate change, make decisions to stay or to move their families to the mainland, meanwhile pondering the survival of their ancient culture in the face of these changes. Lovely and sensitive illustrations. I love to see books for the young about native peoples, and this one does not disappoint. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.
This story is based on the truth of climate change that is occurring in our world. A tiny island in the North near the Arctic circle is being gradually consumed by the ocean. The people whose generations have lived there for hundreds of years have to move to the middle of the island, but eventually they will have to leave for the mainland. Many fear their traditions will disappear when they have to leave their home.
Beautiful children book about a nation but also about environmental issue that concern us all in today's world. Not too intense, not heavy, just a cute story to makes children think about it while enjoying a beautiful story.
My Wounded Island by Jacques Parquet, illustrated by Marion Arbona and translated by Sophie B. Watson and published by Orca Book Publishers is the sad story of an island slowly disappearing into the sea. A little girl lives on the Island of Sarichef near the Arctic Circle. Her village, Shishmaref, is home of the Inupiat people, her people who have lived there for generations but who will inevitably have to abandon the place of their ancestors because of the invisible monster lurking in the sea waters around the island. They will be forced to move, become climate change refugees, but what will become of their traditions and their ways if they are forced away from their home? A beautifully illustrated and haunting examination of the impact of climate change, especially in the Arctic. Sarichef is a real island in the Bering Strait near the Arctic Circle. The melting of the pack ice has caused soil erosion, flooding, and the loss of protection against storms. It's sinking into the sea. In 2016 the community voted to move to the mainland but the costs associated with the move and the long term viability of the proposed new site are all in question. This story forces us to examine how we are living and the things we can change in order to slow climate change, including acknowledging that it exists and is a real threat. This storybook is the perfect jumping off book to lead to discussions of environmental stewardship.
***This book was reviewed for Orca Books via Netgalley
**This book was translated from the original French by Sophie B Watson
Imarvaluk is a young Inupiat girl who tells her story of being forced to leave home because of a monster. In her native language, her name means 'song of the waves’, and once she lived along the coast of Sarichef. But then the sea turned against the people. An invisible sea monster drove the Inupiat away from their wee island home of Sarichef, nestled in the Bering Sea. He has made traveling the once safe pack ice a dangerous endeavour.
Now, instead of the song of the sea, Imarvaluk is surrounded by fear of this creature who eats away at their island home. Even though houses have been moved to the interior of the island, soon that won't even be enough. Her people will have to leave their ancestral island home. If they move to a city such as Nome, they are in danger of losing their traditions, and what makes them who they are.
The artwork of Wounded Island is just plain gorgeous. I loved the depiction of the invisible sea beastie as a human faced jellyfish creature. He was shown noshing on teeny Sarichef. This little book may be a children's picture book, but it tells a terrifying, sad story. It is the story of fear of losing home and identity to invisible, implacable forces. It's a wake-up to the dangers and full depth of devastation due to climate change.
Title: My Wounded Island Author: Jacques Pasquet Illustrator : Marion Arbona Genre: Linguistic Diversity Theme(s): geography and weather Opening line/sentence: My name is Amar Valad in my language in Yapiyat it means the song of the waves. Brief Book Summary :the Inupiat people who live near the Arctic Circle, and how they are impacted by environmental changes. The book follows a young girls who along with her family is forced out of their home to escape the rising sea levels on the island. She fears they will have to leave their island and return to the mainland. Tell Me Framework (4 sentences in your own words): Like(s): The cultural aspect was very well represented throughout the story Dislike(s): I wish the story talk more about how the weather affected the people of her culture. Patterns(s): Getting out of the storm and the difficulty Puzzle(s): How did the storm form? Consideration of Instructional Application : The story expresses the young girls culture and how the weather has impacted their life. How It is important for children to learn and could be used in a lesson in talking about weather and how it changes and how the changes impact people. Children can learned the geographic differences that weather can affect different cultures.
My Wounded Island by Jacques Pasquet is translated from the French by Sophie B Watson. It evokes feelings of sadness and regret over the land and nature loss due to man's irresponsible care for the environment. A little girl who lives on a speck of an island in Alaska is afraid of the threat of a monster that is attacking her island home seeking to destroy her people's way of life. It is a realistic tale, full of a girl's imaginings and Inuit community battling land erosion in ethereally drawn illustrations that are haunting and could frighten a little child. This finds space in folk collections, and environmental collections. Mother Nature can make refugees of people. There are Inupiat words that are a little difficult to read, although there is a glossary towards the end of the book with a short list of some of them. Good for public libraries, school libraries, science and nature centers, and those who are environmentally minded. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is quite an unusual and heavy topic to be addressed in a children's book: climate refugees. It is therefore fairly heavy reading for your minds, but a highly educational topic. The pages are so packed full of colour right up to the edges, and the illustrations are simply beautiful. I like that the text is a nice clear serif typeface which is well spaced and therefore easy to read. The young girl in the family talks about the 'creature' that is threatening the safety of their island, the creature being the water. The illustrations are so bold and powerful that they embody the persona of the creature perfectly. It's certainly an interesting story but I can see some young people getting lost in following this story due to the depth of the topic. I also found it ended a little abruptly.
In a story originally in French. a little girl—I’m guessing Inuit, since the island is close to Alaska—is scared of a monster that is forcing her family to move further inland by raising the water level around their island. It’s an invisible creature, though its outline is in the shape of a giant jellyfish. This book might introduce you to a new term: climate refugees. You can’t help but feel the heartbreak in her words as she tells us the monster is forcing them out of their homes, and giving her nightmares. As a metaphor for what the world’s going through today it’s very effective, and the pastels are lovely in an impressionistic sorta way.
I am reviewing a copy of My Wounded Island through Orca Book Publishers and Netgalley:
In this beautifully written and illustrated Children's book we are taken to Sarichef where an invisible creature in the waves is altering the lives of the Inupiat people who call the Island Home. In this book a young girl and her family are forced to move to the center of the Island for refuge from the rising sea.
It may be a children's book and it may be short, but it is an incredibly powerful story. The story serves to remind others of those, like the Iñupiat , that are being directly impacted by climate change today, not years from now, and everything they have to lose with it. It also puts climate change into a perspective that can be easily understood by a child and could be a great way to breach the topic. The illustrations, as well, are absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A mournful, honest look at climate change and the destruction it is wreaking on the island of Sarichef, home to a small Iñupiat community. With the loss of their secure home and the disruption of seasonal processes that have guided lifeways for time immemorial, the family and community at the heart of this book fear not only the loss of their home, but also the loss of their culture. While not written by an Iñupiat author, this is a sensitively-told, heartbreaking story.
Themes: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Ocean, Monsters, Change, Loss Age range: Kindergarten +
Beautifully written and wonderfully illustrated. I am a huge advocate for more diverse stories and am thrilled to see this available -- thank you NetGalley. There's no happy ending to this story. While the addition of a brief glossary was nice, I think the book could've benefited more with information about global warming/climate change. It would've made the book more informative and a useful tool to bridge the story with the current issue.
A young Inupiat girl and her family live on a small island that is being eroded by the melting of the sea ice and rising oceans. Soon they will have to leave, but the grandfather worries that leaving will mean the end of their culture.
This is a beautifully illustrated book that highlights the impact of the existing climate crisis on individuals. It's an important message.
I only wish that at least one of the contributors could have been Inuit.
Love the illustrations and the message (rising sea level is forcing the Inupiat people to consider moving from their island home but if they do that, they are likely lose their homes, community and culture). Might be useful as a school project on indigenous cultures or climate change for grades 1-3.
This excellent picture book is really meant for bigger kids. It's about a child who lives on island that is being devoured by an invisible beast. It might take awhile for the kids to understand the beast is global warming, but it has a great message about why it's a problem, even though there's no real conversation about how to solve the global warming problem.
The illustrations by Marion Arbona are simple but they convey the horror and terror of the sea creature.
Very sad book about the effects of climate change on the land of the Iñupiat (a group of indigenous Alaskans) as told by Imarvaluk, a young girl who lives on “the island of Sarichef. It's a very small island. On a map of the world on a classroom wall, you'd think Sarichef was a speck, a minuscule dot of nothing at all. An ink stain near the Arctic Circle, between Russia and Alaska.” Indeed, according to Wikipedia, it is a little bit over 4 miles long at its longest part.
Imarvaluk explains that there is an evil creature in the sea that is making the water levels rise, and soon her island will not exist. Even Sedna (the goddess of the sea) is unable to protect them. because the evil creature is so strong and dangerous. “Our island is wounded, gnawed away bit by bit by a monster that is unknown to the gods, goddesses and spirits who looked after our people in ancient times. This creature is greedy and invisible.”
She explains that “Its powers are so mighty that even winter is retreating early from the island. The pack ice that used to protect us from storms only brushes lightly against the island-it no longer dares to come near.”
They spend summers on the mainland, but their homes for the rest of the year are being moved. A crane picks up the home, then places is it on skis, and moves it inland. But this is at best a temporary fix.
The book plainly states: “this tragedy has been caused partly by humans … [T]he climate is changing, the earth is warming, and this heat gives the creature all of its destructive force. We watched a film that showed what is happening to islands like ours. Because of the warmer temperatures, glaciers are melting and the water is rising. Our island, like all the others that are too close to sea level, could disappear under the sea.”
There really is no ending to the book; just the talk that some people are thinking of going to Nome (where they will finally have running water). Her father wants them to buy houses together, but this is too expensive. Grandfather wants to live on the tundra where they stay in the summers, but not too many others want to.
The book ends by saying “What worries Grandfather the most is that this creature will make not only our island disappear but also the memories of our people.”
The effects of climate change are made personal by the Inuit girl who narrates this story. Her small island off the coast of Alaska is shrinking because of rising seas. Some of the residents have moved to the mainland. What will her family do? A heartbreaking but necessary title. Tie-in with Earth Day, studies of weather, and climate change. Also tie-in with ELA: Metaphor. The Monster is devouring the island.
🍎 belle histoire magnifiquement bien illustrée qui reflète les conséquences de l’industrialisation et de la pollution qu’elle cause dans le monde. Cette histoire est à intégrer dans un réseau littéraire sur les changements climatiques ou à intégrer dans un réseau autochtone puisqu’il s’agit de déracinement et d’un choix difficile à faire pour les habitants de cette île blessée.