Besides being the first Inuit artist to win a Juno award, Susan Aglukark is someone who knows the importance of family history and culture. Her book, Una Huna?: Upik Learns to Sew, is the story of a young girl, Upik, and the relationship she has with her mother while learning the cultural ways of her people. Anaana (Upik's mother) wants to be sure her children don't forget the ancestors who came before them and how hard they worked to survive on the tundra. Family and cultural values are shared throughout this book, and the colourful illustrations add life to the narrative.

Other End Matter: Glossary of Inuktitut words
Images: Colour illustrations
Contributor Affiliation: Author Susan Aglukark (Inuit), Illustrators Amiel Sandland and Rebecca Brook
Bibliography: Yes
Index: No

Source: Books BC - Indigenous Books for Schools

Susan Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno. She has also won a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement and she is an officer of the Order of Canada. Susan holds several honorary doctorate degrees and has held command performances. During a career that has spanned more than twenty-five years, Susan’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from and the importance of discovery—discovery of history, culture, and self. This time of reflection, writing, and songwriting has Susan coming back to one area of profound knowing: Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their ancestors. Her children’s book, Una Huna?: What Is This?, and her upcoming album are inspired by these reflections and cultural connections.

Susan Aglukark's profile page

Amiel Sandland is an illustrator living in the Toronto area. He studied illustration at Seneca College, eventually specializing in comic arts and character design. He has also dabbled in layout, comics, and props making. Rarely found without a pen in hand, he enjoys drawing animals, monsters, and plants.

Amiel Sandland's profile page

Rebecca Brook is an artist working in the animation industry. While primarily a digital artist, she also works in traditional mediums such as oil paints and charcoal. Currently, she lives in Toronto but often visits her hometown of Belleville to see her family and go on adventures with her niece and nephews.

Rebecca Brook's profile page

Una Huna?: Ukpik Learns to Sew is an endearing recollection of the learning of traditional skills from a parent who is both patient, wise and loving. It's about being at the crossroads of past and future, connecting to one's heritage but seeing what that might mean for later. It's a big story told skilfully with the essence of the Inuit at its core.

CanLit for Little Canadians

[A] beautiful story that is lively and thought-provoking...I highly recommend this book for all readers inside the classroom and out as it is a wonderful peek into an important aspect of Inuit culture.

CM: Canadian Review of Material

Besides being the first Inuit artist to win a Juno award, Susan Aglukark is someone who knows the importance of family history and culture. Her book, Una Huna?: Upik Learns to Sew, is the story of a young girl, Upik, and the relationship she has with her mother while learning the cultural ways of her people. Anaana (Upik's mother) wants to be sure her children don't forget the ancestors who came before them and how hard they worked to survive on the tundra. Family and cultural values are shared throughout this book, and the colourful illustrations add life to the narrative.

Books BC - Indigenous Books for Schools

A great resource for lessons on the Inuit or larger studies on cultural awareness

School Library Journal