Akilak’s Adventure

Akilak’s grandmother sends her on a long journey to her uncle’s camp. Worried Akilak will give up, she sends her out with these words: “You will walk a great distance, but keep in mind, your destination is not running away; it will be reached eventually.” On the long path a caribou joins her. She shares her dream of being a fish or a wolf or a bird to travel faster to her uncle’s. When the caribou asks if she’d really like to be an animal, she thinks she would miss her grandmother and decides to remain a person.

This is an insightful adventure as Akilak communes with the animals on her day-long journey. It’s a great introduction to the Arctic and to how people live in the cold and barren lands. Readers learn that sometimes even young children must help with survival.