ᐅᓕᒍᖅ / Alego

A young Inuit girl accompanies her Anaanatsiaq (grandmother) on a clam-digging expedition in this lovely bi-lingual picture-book, with text in both Inuktitut and English. Walking along the shore, Alego discovers the great diversity of life to be found in the tide pools, from kanajuit (sculpin) to siupiruq (snail), but when it is time to go, does she have any ammuumajuit (clams) in her bucket...?

A gentle tale, accompanied by Inuit artist Ningeokuluk Teevee's pencil illustrations, Alego is the first book I have encountered - intended for children or adults - that features the Inuktitut syllabary. That alone makes it an exciting publishing event, but with its warm-hearted family tale, and appealing illustrations, it is worth seeking out show more for its own sake as well! show less

I found it fascinating to read this book that is written in both Inuktitut and English. It is written by a Canadian Inuit artist and writer, and her unique insight into this culture makes this book a treasure. I appreciated the glossary of names for sea creatures, and the map that is included in the book.

Curricular connections: could be used in a unit on tide pools or ecosystems (G4); in a study of Native people of North America; in an inquiry lesson (Alego's curiosity drives her exploration of the sea life).

A young Inuit girl named Alego ᐅᓕᒍᖅ goes clam digging with her Anaanatsiaq (grandmother). They live in a small community called Kinngait (Cape Dorset) on Baffin Island, Nunavut. This delicate tale portrays life in the Arctic with stark realism – a welcome change from the cartoon-ish polar bear characterizations of the North we often see.

Alego explores the inter-tidal zone, discovering the diversity of life on the sandy shore. After getting squirted by a clam burrowed in the sand, she collects clams, an orange starfish, a snail and a creepy, crawly ugunnait in her bucket.

The story is told in two languages – English and Inuktitut. It’s a treat to see the exotic Inuktitut syllabus, rarely seen outside of Nunavut. The show more pencil-crayon illustrations are simple and graceful. This is a very sweet, if subtle story, particularly pleasing to ages 3 and up.

Cape Dorset artist Ningeokuluk Teevee has been nominated for the 2009 Governor General's Award for children's literature illustration for Alego, her first children’s book.
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Personal Summary:
Alego is a fabulous way to introduce young readers to Inuit culture and language. The bilingual text in Inuktitut and English is a simple, yet very effective way to introduce young readers to Inuktitut. An illustrated glossary of sea creatures at the end is a fun way for readers to learn new vocabulary; in both languages!

Curricular or Programming Connections:
Excellent for supporting curriculum and programming on Native peoples/ Inuit.

Bilingual text along with the help of illustrations provides early readers (and older for that matter!) with a not too overwhelming introduction to Inuktitut.

A good book for discussing life by the sea and grandparent - grandchild relationships.

A simple story about a young Inuit girl who goes to the shore with her grandmother to collect clams for dinner. They discover pools of a variety of shell fish, collect it and return home to show the grandfather and have a delicious feast.