4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
I remember very little about my childhood, but some of my strongest memories are of my parents telling my sister and I stories. Whether they were Golden Books or from the Bible, and whether they were at bedtime or in the middle of the day, those moments make for some great memories. The same must be true for Austin Hulsey; Austin and his father co-authored this book after Austin's daughter recommended putting the story in ink! Nanook was originally a story that Larry Hulsey told to his son Austin while he was growing up, and once Austin had children he told the story to them as well, which led to the aforementioned daughter's recommendation to make it a book for everyone to read.
Nanook is an illustrated children's book that tells the tale of a father and son in Alaska. Nanook loves to fish, but has been repeatedly warned not to go to a particularly dangerous part of the Canning River where a dangerous, big polar bear they call Old One Ear hangs out. Old One Ear earned his name due to having his other ear shot off during a previous encounter with him when he almost stole the fish they caught. Nanook is a good kid, so of course he listens to his father... at first, until he realizes the fish aren't biting at the safer part of the river and gets bored.
The story is told with text on full-page images, and even on my Kindle I never had trouble making out words over the colorful art. The writing isn't told through poems or rhyme, so it's very easy to read and none of the words seem forced or awkward. The vocabulary chosen is easy enough to read while adding some Alaskan/cold weather vocabulary to a child's mind like igloos and tundras.
Speaking of Alaska, this was one of the main reasons I picked up Nanook. I've always been fascinated by Alaska, and I've wanted to visit as long as I can remember. Anytime the weather is any kind of warm, I always tell people that I wish I lived in Alaska, and the illustrations really help bring it to life. The warm Inuit outfits, their igloo, the frightening polar bear Old One Ear... the book made me long for a visit to Alaska. The illustrations are all lovely, vibrant and capture the emotions of father and son. A few pages even used an enlarged snowflake shape to great effect, such as giving two views of Nanook getting ready to fish on the same page. The tiny bit of border around the full-page illustrations are also unique, giving the images a bit of a snowblind effect. I assumed the illustrator was a random professional the father and son team had hired since the images are so nice, and was blown away that Kyle McCloud (the illustrator) is actually Austin's cousin! As such, this is entirely the work of a family, which is awesome!
I really enjoyed Nanook, and I didn't see a single error. It had a great lesson to teach, it felt very realistic and genuine, and the art was great. I also particularly loved the story behind the story - a father telling his son, who ended up telling his own kids the story until they write it in a book with Austin's cousin doing the art. It's clear a lot of love went into the book, and it's very well polished. My rating is 4 out of 4 stars, and I can easily recommend it to anyone who has young children they read stories to and who want to reinforce the importance of listening to one's parents. If your children are interested in Alaska, it's all the better!
******
Nanook
View: on Bookshelves
Like CataclysmicKnight's review? Post a comment saying so!
