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Sunday, February 11, 2018

Muskox, written by Allen Niptanatiak and illustrated by Kagan McLeod. Inhabit Media, 2016. $15.95 ages 8 and up

"Both male and female muskoxen have curved horns that grow from the tops of their heads down to their jaw bones and then curve out into sharp points. The horns of the male muskox are much bigger than the female's, and the horns of the female are usually darker in colour. Muskoxen use their hard hooves to help them find plants to eat."

Yes! Once again, I learn much that I did not know. I had seen pictures, of course. The text presents the important data that so intrigues learners when they are researching new information.

The design is ideal, and the size just right for smaller hands. The quality in production is praiseworthy. Inviting, colourful endpapers move the reader forward to a table of contents that is familiar to those who have read earlier books in the Animals Illustrated series: the muskox, range, skeleton, diet, babies, predators, defence, withstanding the cold, fun facts, and traditional uses.

The author, a Nunavut hunter and trapper, knows the animal well and shares his knowledge of this very unusual inhabitant of the North. The illustrator is award-winning and a contributor to a First Nations comic anthology, Moonshot. His images add setting, perspective and further information. Their skills seem perfectly matched to present the facts related.

Impressive and culturally important, I have great admiration for the work being done at Inhabit Media to provide books that should be in every library.
                                                                          
  

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