Mamaqtuq!

This book is about the band the Jerry Cans going out hunting seals for stew. It is part of their culture. This book is in Inuktitut and English. Mamaqtuq, the name of this book, means delicious. This is actually one of their songs translated and put into a book. In the afternoon, they finally spot a seal! They shoot it and cut it up to make a nice seal stew!

This is a cute, realistic, but cartoony picture book. My favorite picture is an underwater view of a seal swimming, while the Jerry Cans are above watching in their boat. I also like the last picture when they are eating the seal and celebrating! I’d like to know if this story actually happened, or if it was written just to make a point and celebrate the culture. In the Jerry Can’s description, it says, “They are committed to representing Northerners and to challenging common misperceptions they have encountered about life in the Arctic.” I don’t really think the story covered that well.

It said in the book that they spotted a young seal and killed it. I think that could upset some younger audiences. This book would be good for library story time if it wouldn’t scare the kids. I thank the illustrator for not showing the seal being killed.