How Nivi Got Her Names by L. Deal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G2Q96JAbstract
Deal, Laura. How Nivi Got Her Names. Illus. Charlene Chua. Inhabit Media, 2017.
Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned publishing company, has brought to publication another wonderful story celebrating Inuit naming customs and family ties in How Nivi Got Her Names. The story follows young Nivi as she asks her mother how she came to have the names that she has which leads to an explanation of the traditional Inuit naming practices. The introduction by Aviaq Johnston features some basic information into the cultural background surrounding Inuit custom adoption and naming which would be useful to both adults reading to children and educators looking to frame this book within a lesson plan on Inuit ways of life. Similarly, the glossary featured at the end of the book provides readers with aid in translating the various traditional kinship terms that are used throughout the story.
It features 32 pages of full-colour illustrations, all of which are vibrant and provide visual interest for readers while the writing is always on a white background to ensure good readability. The text overall is simple and comprehensible to the intended audience of 5 to 7 year-olds, but may be above their reading level, so an adult may need to read this book aloud. For parents, this book could be a great springboard into discussing family stories with their child. For educators and public librarians, this book is a very accessible introduction to a facet of Inuit culture that could easily be used during reading times or in the classroom.
Highly recommended: 4 stars out of 4
Lorisia MacLeod is a second year Masters of Library and Information Studies student and Indigenous Intern at the University of Alberta. When not working on her studies, Lorisia enjoys reading almost any variation of Sherlock Holmes or travelling.
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).