Kamik Joins the Pack by D. Baker
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G2X10CAbstract
Baker, Darryl. Kamik Joins the Pack. Illustrated by Qin Leng. Inhabit Media, 2016.
This is the third book about Jake and his puppy, Kamik. Each of the books in the series is adapted from the memories of a different author. The first, Kamik: an Inuit Puppy Story was by Donald Uluadluak, while Kamik’s First Sled was by Matilda Sulurayok. In addition to the characters and setting, the constant across these books is the illustration by Qin Leng, whose bright and colourful drawings capture the Arctic environment. Each of Leng’s drawings covers a pair of pages, with text overprinted on the snow or sky. Leng sometimes cleverly adds to the expansiveness of the images by showing just a boot or a dog entering or exiting the side or bottom of the page.
In this volume Jake and the reader learn about looking after sled dogs and training a puppy to join a dogsled team. Jake’s uncle teaches him about cutting dogs’ nails, inspecting paws for injuries, mending harnesses, building dog houses and keeping dogs healthy. The most important lesson is about spending time with the dogs to get to know them well. The language is more appropriate to an upper elementary reading level than the 5 to 7 year-old intended audience. However, because it is primarily a picture book, it would be a good read-aloud book for younger audiences.
Recommended for elementary schools and public libraries.
Highly Recommended: 4 stars out of 4
Reviewer: Sandy Campbell
Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
