The Lonely Inukshuk

An Inukshuk all alone on a hill is very sad until he learns how very important and special he is to the community.

Unique and as beautiful as a snowflake or footprint, an Inuksut (inNUKshuk,) is one of the stone figures that can be seen dotting the Canadian Arctic region. Many made by ancient hands, the Inuksuit (inNUKsweet) purposes are varied, from earthly uses such as navigation and message centers to those of the spirit, as sites of reverence. Author Mike Ulmer explores the connectedness of all Arctic life in his tale, The Gift of the Inuksuk.To find recipes, games, interactives maps and much more for this title visit www.discovertheworldbooks.com! Author Mike Ulmer keeps an Inuksuk at home--it reminds him of the way the Inuit People of the North live a simple life and consume only what they need. His tale expresses this belief in a warm and simple manner that readers of all ages will appreciate and enjoy. Artist Melanie Rose's charming and lively oil paintings bring great variety and surprising bursts of color to this unique northern story.Mike lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with his wife Agnes Bongers and their three daughters: Sadie, Hannah and Madalyn. When he is not learning about Inuksuk, Mike writes a sports column for the Toronto Sun newspaper. Among Mike's books are M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet and H is For Horse: An Equestrian Alphabet. Melanie Rose lives in Mississauga, Canada with her son Liam, and their two cats, Mickey and Meesha. Melanie teamed up with Mike previously on M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet. She has also illustrated Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet and K is for Kick: A Soccer Alphabet. She is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art.

An inuksuk is a stone landmark that different peoples of the Arctic region build to leave a symbolic message. Inuksuit (the plural of inuksuk) can point the way, express joy, or simply say: welcome. A central image in Inuit culture, the inuksuk frames this picture book as an acrostic: readers will learn seven words from the Inuktitut language whose first letters together spell INUKSUK. Each word is presented in English and in Inuktitut characters, with phonetic pronunciation guides provided. The words and their definitions give a sense of the traditions and customs of Inuit life in the Arctic: nanuq is the powerful polar bear of the north; kamik is a warm seal- and caribou-skin boot; and siku is sea ice. Stunning paintings with deep color and rich texture evoke a powerful sense of place and show great respect for the Acrtic's indigenous people. Extra informational text features include an introductory note about the significance of inuksuit in Inuit culture and a nonfiction page that profiles seven different types of inuksuit.

“An elaborate tale of family and the paths people take to understanding.” —Seattle Times “[This] mix of well-researched history and contemporary fiction makes for a fine, sad read.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Hauntingly honest and emotionally resonant.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Gregory Spatz’s prose is as clean and sparkling as a new fall of snow.” —JANET FITCH, author of White Oleander and Paint it Black “At its heart Inukshuk is about family. But Spatz has transfigured this beautifully told, wise story with history and myth, poetry and magic into something rarer, stranger and altogether amazing. A book that points unerringly true north.” —KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of The Jane Austen Book Club and Wit’s End John Franklin has moved his fifteen-year-old son to the remote northern Canadian town of Houndstitch to make a new life together after his wife, Thomas’ mother, left them. Mourning her disappearance, John, a high school English teacher, writes poetry and escapes into an affair, while Thomas withdraws into a fantasy recreation of the infamous Victorian-era arctic expedition led by British explorer Sir John Franklin. With teenage bravado, Thomas gives himself scurvy so that he can sympathize with the characters in the film of his mind—and is almost lost himself. While told over the course of only a few days, this gripping tale slips through time, powerfully evoking a modern family in distress and the legendary "Franklin's Lost Expedition" crew’s descent into despair, madness, and cannibalism aboard the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on the Arctic tundra. Gregory Spatz is the author of the novels Inukshuk, Fiddler’s Dream, and No One But Us, and the short fiction collections Wonderful Tricks and Half as Happy. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and recipient of a Washington State Book Award, he teaches at Eastern Washington University in Spokane and plays the fiddle and tours with Mighty Squirrel and the internationally acclaimed bluegrass band John Reischman and The Jaybirds.

A story of magic, family, a mysterious stranger . . . and a band of marauding raccoons. Otter Lake is a sleepy Anishnawbe community where little happens. Until the day a handsome stranger pulls up astride a 1953 Indian Chief motorcycle – and turns Otter Lake completely upside down. Maggie, the Reserve’s chief, is swept off her feet, but Virgil, her teenage son, is less than enchanted. Suspicious of the stranger’s intentions, he teams up with his uncle Wayne – a master of aboriginal martial arts – to drive the stranger from the Reserve. And it turns out that the raccoons are willing to lend a hand.

Living Things for Grades K–2 from Hands-On Science for British Columbia: An Inquiry Approach completely aligns with BC’s New Curriculum for science. Grounded in the Know-Do-Understand model, First Peoples knowledge and perspectives, and student-driven scientific inquiry, this custom-written resource: emphasizes Core Competencies, so students engage in deeper and lifelong learning develops Curricular Competencies as students explore science through hands-on activities fosters a deep understanding of the Big Ideas in science Using proven Hands-On features, Living Things for Grades K–2 contains information and materials for both teachers and students including: Curricular Competencies correlation charts; background information on the science topics; complete, easy-to-follow lesson plans; reproducible student materials; and materials lists. Innovative new elements have been developed specifically for the new curriculum: a multi-age approach a five-part instructional process—Engage, Explore, Expand, Embed, Enhance an emphasis on technology, sustainability, and personalized learning a fully developed assessment plan for summative, formative, and student self-assessment a focus on real-life Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies learning centres that focus on multiple intelligences and universal design for learning (UDL) place-based learning activities, Makerspaces, and Loose Parts In Living Things for Grades K–2 students investigate plants and animals. Core Competencies and Curricular Competencies will be addressed while students explore the following Big Ideas: Plants and animals have observable features. Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment. Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment. Other Hands-On Science for British Columbia books for grades K–2 Properties of Matter Properties of Energy Land, Water, and Sky

A tale of adventure and discovery on a coral reef.