Putuguq & Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik! by Roselynn Akulukjuk and Danny Christopher, illustrated by Astrid Arijanto.
Inhabit Media, Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada, 2022.
Early reader graphic novel, 38 pages.
Not leveled.
NOTE: This review is of the third book in a series, but doesn’t contain substantial spoilers for the previous two.
Sibling duo Putuguq and Kublu are back in an adventure with dinner, a play, and just maybe an attack from the amautalik…
I continue to love these little graphic novels from Inhabit, and with this most recent volume I’m happy to see that they’ve solved the formatting issues which bugged me. This one has a matte cover with embossed title and selective gloss on the image of Putuguq running. The pronunciation guide on the inside of the back cover is helpful for reading aloud. There are also contributor biographies and a short paragraph about Amautaliit in the back matter.
In this particular volume, we say goodbye to Kublu’s friend, the siblings have dinner with their grandparents and listen to a story from their grandmother, before deciding (with grandma’s encouragement) to put on a play with a surprise twist ending.
These stories include a great deal of information about Inuit culture, but my family loves them because they are so funny and relatable. Learning about caribou stew and mythological creatures is great, but having a sibling who wears the same socks for days on end is something lots of kids can relate to. And even only children, or rigorous sock-changers, will get a laugh out of the antics these two get up to in their daily life.
Although they tease each other a lot, it’s clearly playful banter, and the family is very close and loving. Something I didn’t address in my first two reviews of this series is that Putuguq and Kublu may be living with their grandparents. We don’t see enough to be clear – perhaps they are visiting, just over for the evening, or spending a period of time with their grandparents while one or both parents work or are ill or have some other circumstance. But this volume could also certainly be read as them being raised primarily by their grandparents, and what a powerful mirror this potentially is for the many children in that situation.
It’s interesting to see how the art style has developed from the first book in 2017 to this 2022 volume. Many things are the same, a clean comic style and great expressions despite the simple characters. But other things have greatly improved. Some panels have more motion, helping propel young readers through the book. The backgrounds have gotten much more detailed in some areas, and the illustration uses a variety of perspectives.
Besides the artwork developing, this volume has improvements in the story, text, and formatting also. The panels are set in a more readable way, which ensures young readers can follow the text. The translated dialogue is less stilted. A final, but crucial change, is that this book has a clearer separation of reality, story, playtime, and family life.
One of my biggest concerns with the second volume was that it was a bit too scary for one of the more sensitive children with our family. This volume conveys the story without leaving the reader too terrified, and I appreciated that. This story includes an ogress who likes to steal children, some very stinky socks, and discussion of a clever orphan who has rougher clothing than the other children, but manages to turn that to her advantage.
By the way, although there are three volumes and the story does gradually build in some ways, it’s still possible to read these out of order. Highly recommended, definitely snap these up for your early elementary classrooms. I hope the series continues!
Colorful Book Reviews 