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Tom McLeod is an eleven-year-old boy from Aklavik who is a gifted storyteller heard frequently on CBC Radio North. He is of mixed cultural heritage-Gwich'in and Inuvialuit. Tom tells us why his home in the Mackenzie Delta is a special place and why he loves to live on the land. He describes how his town floods in the spring and why he loves ratting" (trapping muskrats) and hunting "black ducks" (white-winged and surf scoters) in the Delta. Readers will learn why these ducks are decreasing in number and how and why they are important to Tom and his people. Tom says, "Northerners have always hunted animals for survival. We are careful about how we use the land. To be good hunters we need to pay attention to what is happening on the land around us-that's why it's important for us to be out there. We are the first to know if the land and animals are changing."… (more)
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Copiously illustrated with color photographs, a map, and some of Tom's own drawings, and containing many informational asides, this brief, 26-page book follows Tom as he shares the story of some of the activities of his community. From hunting with his father Ian, a renewable resource officer and member of the Gwich'in Land Use Planning Board, to attending Moose Kerr School with his sister Ocean, Tom's days are full and happy. Great emphasis is placed on treating the land with respect, and using resources responsibly, but readers should be aware that hunting and fishing are an essential component of life in the north, and are treated as positive aspects of the culture.
I was excited to discover this series, not only because it provides a window into communities with which young Canadian and American readers may be unfamiliar, but because each installment is told from the native perspective. These aren't books about First Nations peoples, but books by them, and that makes them a valuable cultural resource for children's libraries!