Tuk and the Whale Book

During the early 1600s, there was an active whaling industry in Canada. Whale oil was used to light the streets and buildings of European cities and to manufacture leather, wool, and soap. The baleen was used to make everything from carriage springs to corsets. Told from the point of view of a young Inuit boy named Tuk, this story imagines what might have happened if the people of Tuk's Baffin Island winter camp had encountered European whalers, blown far from their usual whaling route. Both the hunters and the whalers prize the bowhead whale for different reasons. Together, they set out on a hunt, though they are all on new and uncertain ground. Scrupulously researched and vetted, this early chapter book inspires discussion about communication between two groups of people with entirely different world views, early whaling practices, and a productive partnership that also foreshadows serious problems to come. Simply and beautifully told, Tuk and the Whale — now in paperback — includes a glossary, historical note, and recommendations for further reading.

Children's Literature

When an ominous boat looms in the distance, Tuk, an Inuit from the whaling island Baffin, feels uneasy. His grandfather had a fuzzy vision about a boat that told an uncertain future. Separately, the elders and the children discuss what the giant boat's arrival means for the island full of natural resources. Rivera tells a poignant historical fiction tale that takes place in the early 1600s. This well-researched book provokes different perspectives and thoughts about what these strangers have planned for Baffin Island. Gerber's intense black-and-white drawings accent the imagery latent text. Glowing white igloos shine against a black night sky, beautifully portraying a quiet night. This would be a good book to prompt kids to write their own version of what they think the strangers mean for Tuk and the island. Reviewer: Julie Lodermeier