Joanne Schwartz (1) (1960–)

After finishing this book, I couldn’t help but want to step right into its pages—just to breathe in the aromas and soak up the atmosphere captured in those gorgeous illustrations! Every detail feels so alive. The way the artwork pairs with the text creates a heartfelt journey through a small, independent store. It’s so vivid you can almost see the shelves, smell the fresh goods, and maybe even taste a treat or two. Truly delightful!

After a difficult and haunting winter full of strange noises and the disappearance of many of his fellows, Inuit hunter Quannguaviniq sets out one spring day for a walk, only to meet a tuurngaq on his way. Knowing that he cannot defeat this evil spirit through the use of force, our hero feigns death, and is carried home as food by his enemy. Still feigning death, Quannguaviniq waits until the tuurngaq is sleeping, before making his move. But although he decapitates his adversary, the show more tuurngaq's wife gives chase as he escapes. How can Quannguaviniq defeat her...?

This Inuit pourquoi tale explaining how fog came to be - the tuurngaq's wife is tricked into drinking far more river water than she can hold, before exploding and forming the first mist - is apparently one of a number of similar variants from the Canadian Arctic region. The story, retold by Inuit elder and artist Quanaq Mikkigak and picture-book author Joanne Schwartz, is engaging, highlighting the importance of cunning in a hunter, and delivering an example of the triumph of brain over brawn. Children who enjoy somewhat spooky tales will definitely relish The Legend of the Fog, as will anyone who enjoys folktales. The artwork by Danny Christopher, an illustrator who also teaches art through the Nunavut Arctic College, contributes eerie visuals to the telling. Sometimes I found his figures a little flat, especially when Quannguaviniq is walking at the beginning of the tale, but at other times, as when our hero cautiously opens his eyes in the cave of the tuurngaq, the effect was quite dynamic. I really enjoyed this one, just as I have pretty much every book I have read from Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publisher based in Nunavut. I do wish that there was a glossary of Inuit terms included here, as there was in some of their other books. Leaving that quibble aside, this offered an enjoyable insight into Arctic life and culture, and an entertaining tale in its own right. show less

Omg, the sparkling sea... that spread alone justifies the choice of illustrator imo. But the book is about what it was like to be a miner's child, destined to be a miner, destined to a grave before having a chance to know one's grandchildren... and that, too, is shown effectively in text and in art.

The only quibble I have is that this takes place in the 1950s. Families, please do not be complacent and think that this represents the bad old days. There is still dirty, dangerous work that show more saps a person's strength being done around the world. Often by teens. Think of the sweatshop labor that makes your cheap 'fast fashion' for example. show less

This book is like a hug from childhood. All those heady sensory feelings when you are young and notice everything. The grassy earth, the swopping birds, the taste when you bite into a crisp apple; each experience feels weighty when you are young. I love how the descriptions and illustrations capture the loveliness of enjoying the world around us.