An orphaned Inuit girl and her brother flee to the sky and create the forces known as lightning and thunder.
Hungry and rejected by those gathering for the spring festival, the girl and boy steal caribou meat and some necessities of daily living. Using the dried caribou skin and flint and rock, the children begin to have some fun, making noises and creating sparks. As they realize that they will be accused of thievery, they plan their escape. The younger brother suggests they turn into Arctic animals like “Rabbits? Ptarmigans? Grizzly bears?” The wiser older sister thinks flying into the sky is the better escape, and they go, bringing their playthings. And so the pourquoi tale explains that the children, when bored or lonely, create lightning and thunder. This Canadian publisher specializes in folklore retold by Inuit authors, in this case a young woman who has experienced both traditional and urban life. The illustrator has worked on contemporary graphic novels and combines a mangalike portrayal of the children with a more traditional style employed in Inuit printmaking. The brown and gray tones with just a hint of red evoke spring in the vast Arctic; the dejection in the lonely children’s body language is palpable.
An unusual tale with obvious curriculum applications in weather units or projects about the region, it also serves to bring the far north a little bit closer. (Picture book/folk tale. 6-10)