Incredible pictures, written well making it easy to read and understand. Palka makes you feel like you've been in Denali, even if you haven't. Outstanding book!

Having been to Alaska I am aware of the landscape and its unigue place in our worldly environment. This presentation truly touches the key elements of the Alaskan adventure and its place in the travelers journal. I was truly impressed by the pictures and the ability of the author to portraite the imense landscape and the importance of the countryside in his work

The writer manages to combine the human interest and interaction while, at the same time,uses his experience in Denali as a teaching instrument. Makes me want to visit Alaska and Danali!

Living in Barrow, Alaska, the farthest north community in the U.S., I have experienced small houses in a harsh environment, like the one in the book. The book takes place in the small Northwest Alaska village of Buckland and is based on tales elders tell the young people all the time.
Kumak and his family have a comfortable little house on the edge of a frozen river, but with several generations living there, it seems crowded.
When I first met my wife Chris in Barrow, she was living alone in a 10x12 dwelling she called "The Box." And we do have a lot of larger and newer houses, but some large families and households still live in smaller houses.
Anyway, the author writes and illustrates the very wise way a local elder helps Kumak and his family deal with their perception of "a crowded house." It is a fanciful and funny at times, but there is a good lesson to be learned.
The book is listed for children age four years old and up, but I'd say it will be interesting to older children and adults ---anyone who has lived the small village lifestyle in Alaska, or who is interested in that way of life.
Now if I can just make some space in our little house in Barrow, so I can find my notes and finish my writing for the day.
Enjoy the book!
Earl Finkler

bravo, michael bania!,more books like this one,please. i adore this book, and so do my nine year old twin son's. the pictures in the book are beautiful, the colors reflect the exact colors in the far north (how did she acomplish that?). and the message this story shares with us is priceless, to be content with what we have, NOW. this is a book we all can learn from, and one we need to teach to our children. give this book as a gift to all the people in your life that you care about. my family is already looking forward to the next one. blessings to you michael bania, your a winner.

My three year old was engrossed as I read this book to her. I couldn't turn the pages too fast because she was busy examining all the details in the illustrations. At the same time, my 11 year old 7th grader who was born reading wanted to see the illustrations also. He did not leave his chair til I had finished the book. My three year old immediately wanted me to read the book to her again. It is a pleasure to be able to read them a story depicting Native children and adults engaged in cultural activities.
From a bush teacher's point of view- a great piece of literature with local ties.
I hope this is only the first in a long line of books from this talented author and illustrator!

A quirky and delightful book

A wonderful writing style that will charm you and keep your attention right to the last punctuation mark." Dave Fremming, Alaskan Southeaster

I've been collecting paper dolls for years, and this is one of the best books I've found. There are 6 dolls (4 women and 2 men) with a nice variety of costumes. The clothes are beautifully drawn and obviously well-researched (but kind of tricky to cut out). As an easterner, I know almost nothing about western history, and the diary entries that tell the stories of two sisters who become Harvey Girls are very interesting and definitely made me want to learn more about them.

A story/paperdoll book that even adults love

Reading this book was a wonderful experience. What a touching story of a family that develops as all families do; realizing we love our family members even more when we accept them loving us the only way they know how. All this against the backdrop of a still unspoiled area of America. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this region, history or living.
Allen

People from the prairies of South Dakota and North Dakota aren't pretentious. Well, some might be, but they tend to stand out in miserable ways. Linda Hasselstrom's writing is like the people of her home: careful, persistent, simple, surprisingly complex, fascinating. Your own family and home may be very different from Hasselstrom's, but through her writing you'll gain a better understanding of your own people and place of origin. Hasselstrom is a master; she shows us how to cherish the tribes we were born into, despite the inevitable losses and disappointments of life. She ranks right up there with Kathleen Norris and Patricia Hampl.

This far outshines the vast majority of modern hunting literature. I love the fact that not every story ends with a successful kill.

As a traditional bowhunter, I found Dr. Thomas' stories to be not only informative but delightfully entertaining. He brings out not only the adventure of the hunt but the ethics of the sport. He has taken us to places that few will be able to go and made us see them through the eyes of a hunter and naturalist. He shows us that it is the hunt that matters, not the harvest. His ethical approach to our sport is a lesson to all who bowhunt. I can not recommend this book more highly. Whether you hunt with modern Hi-Tech equipment or carry a stick bow this book is required reading

This book surprised me as I first saw it as an endearing picture book talking about igloos. But when I read it, it became a real eye opener. With Tookoome's humble way of telling stories I feel that I got a very clear picture of what it was like for him to go from living the most real of lifestyles on the land, to a contrived one, being forced to live in a settlement. Tookoome tells a sad yet beautiful tale that will make you think about what white man (Kabloonaq) has done in the name of "progress", and how it has forever altered the course of how life was intended to be lived.

In The Shaman's Nephew: A Life In The Far North, Inuit shaman Simon Tookoome and author/storyteller Sheldon Oberman collaborate to provide a unique translation of both Inuktitut and oral traditions. Illustrated in full color throughout by self-taught Tookoome, The Shaman's Nephew offers distinct and animated art showcasing twenty-eight passages describing various and diverse aspects of Inuit life including the naming of children, child-rearing, hunting, drumming in Inuit culture, the mysteries of Shamanism, and Tookoome's own inspiration for his art. The Shaman's Nephew is highly recommended reading for students of Native American studies in general, and the Inuit culture in particular.

Mardy Murie is often referred to as "The Grandmother of American Conservation" and "The Grand Dame of the American Conservation movement, but somehow after reading her story, these titles barely seem adequate to describe such an incredible and personal woman. While we may liken Murie to women like Rachel Carson or Anna Botsford Comstock, Murie's journey is singular. We follow her from her childhood in Wyoming to graduation at the University of Alaska, through love, into the far reaches of the Alaskan North.
Murie successfully bridges the personal and the political, her own life and her life's work, her love for one man and her love for their work together. You will laugh with her, you will cry with her, feel scared for her, and come to love her. She will become your hero.
We must recognize Murie as an American treasure, but we must also recognize that Murie's inspiration is perhaps more important now than it ever was. The most obvious reason for this statement is the continuing struggle to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from growing oil interests. We must also recognize, however, that Murie could be the inspiration for the young generation of leaders in conservation-- a group of leaders that undoubtedly must include women. That there are very so few women leaders in conservation has caused the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women to recognize the struggle of women in their efforts to achieve leadership positions in the conservation movement. Other organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club, and the National Wildlife Federation have launched campaigns to attract more women into leadership roles. The lack of women in environmental leadership reflects America's view of rugged individualism in our collective imagination...nowhere has this myth been more prominent than in the discussion of America's last frontier-- a very personal discussion for Ms. Murie.
Not only is Margaret E. Murie a woman in the conservation movement, but she is an American treasure with a very personal and very political story to tell. Even as she approaches her 101st birthday in August, she continues to speak out for Alaska's lands, peoples, and wildlife. Her story is not one of fame, comfort, or glory, but it is her American story. Mardy Murie will become your hero, your inspiration and your friend. Take the journey with her.

I, first, heard of Mardy Murie and her husband, Olaus, while watching John Denver's The Wildlife Concert. He wrote A Song For All Lovers for their deep and abiding love for each other and for the state of Alaska. The song's beauty gave rise to my curiousity. And, recently, while watching a documentary of Mardy's life, I became determined to read this book about her life.

This book is a must have. Mrs. Murie paints with words, a picture so vivid of Alaska's tundras and plains, that I felt as if I were part of it. The lifestyle was hard, but satisfying, and this woman's life was nothing short of fascinating. Mardy Murie is a living testament to the strength and beauty of women, and she leaves a shining example of what a woman can do. In her assistance in Olaus' work for the ANWR and other Alaskan Land Conservancies, to her carrying on of that work, she is a beacon to us all of what we can do.

Buy it...read it. You will fall in love with Alaska and with Mardy.

The book describes everything about the furtrade in the American west.It describes the hunters and trappers,the history of the furtrade west from 1807 to 1843,the Santa Fe trade,how the western country looked like and the indians.It was very interesting because it described so much.It should have described the hunters equipment better.

Phil Neuweiler was my Dad. He loved hunting and Alaska hunts were his favorite. Doug LaPasta did an excellent job of putting together the notes my dad kept while ill and the book reads as my father spoke. It is a wonderful tribute to the favorite stories and advice that depict the hunts and events my dad experienced during his many years as a big game hunter.