Raven Makes the Aleutians is a simple story about a raven who is flying across the ocean and needed a place to rest. He rests upon some seaweed where he befriends a sea otter who he asks to dive to the bottom of the ocean to gather stones. The raven then drops the stones as he flies over the ocean and as he does they become the islands we now know as the Aleutians. The illustrations are vivid and detailed. The story is simple and intriguing and I would recommend keeping the book in your library.
Alaska connections: raven, sea otters, Aleutian Islands
Activity: discuss and explore sea life, learn about how islands are formed, look at the Alaskan map to identify the Aleutian Islands and look for other islands on the map. ( )

Raven Makes the Aleutians is about how the resourcefulness and creativity of Raven created the Aleutian Island chain in Alaska. The story was adapted from the oral traditions of Alaska Native elders that were written down by Nora and Dick Dauenhauer and published by the Sealaska Heritage Institute. They point out in the introduction that these Raven stories are not meant to portray Raven as a model of correct or appropriate behavior, but to illuminate some aspect of humanity or nature or the relationship between them. The story is illustrated by Haida AIYL award honoree Janine Gibbons.