This is a book where the title can mean so many things, especially when it focuses on an indigenous culture. As a result and combined with the cover photo it was hard to say what I was getting into.

Instead the story explains how the Inuit believed words were like at the beginning of time for their people as well as for the animals who lived around them. As a result it was a lesson on being careful of what you said.

The presentation was too brief though. Although there is a bit of a poetic rhythm and the wording made as simple as possible for readers to understand there was no actual ending. This may be the way this particular story ended but I wanted to know what changed to the words' magic and the relationships of the living beings. And no I am not wanting to be patient to see if another book is released that follows-up with the answers to the questions.

The illustrations are bright and busy on some pages while others they have room to breathe. As a result they can be a bit disconcerting to the reader while at the same time allowing the reader to become a part of the story.

All in all I am up in the air about this book. I liked it but was disappointed with the ending. The illustrations were gorgeous in many instances but they made me feel lost in others. There were no cultural words used so it was all English which feels like a translation. This will have to be a reader's choice for this book and not a recommendation.

***I received a free copy to read of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

This book captures a glimpse into the spirit of Inuit people and their connectedness with nature through Edward Field's poetic translation and Mike Blanc's captivating illustrations. In the notes of the creation of this book, it doesn't mention any connection to working with actual Inuit people. I wonder whether the abrupt ending could have been further developed if an Inuit storyteller was a part of the team. That withstanding, Mike Blanc created the most magnificent illustrations I've seen in a long time. Each time I read it, I noticed so many more details used to capture the true essence of the Inuit people.

I liked this book. It was very simple, and the illustrations were lovely. I do wish that the book had been written and/or illustrated by someone with Inuit heritage, but that is not a reflection of the quality of the book/story. It is a lovely telling of a traditional Inuit oral story.

A very delightful short children's book about Inuit oral traditions. A great and simple book for children and adults alike! I love all of the beautiful artwork and motifs in this book, and how the intentionally open-to-interpretation story encourages our imagination to wander.

This book was very cute with nice artwork. It was a sweet story about how our words have meaning and the ways in which man and animal were once one. I do think that it could have been longer with more of a story. Overall, very cute!

5 Stars for the presentation of deep shamanic concepts in "Magic Words" by Edward Field!

This review is based on a NetGalley downloaded PDF that was only 16 pages of what I think is supposed to be 24 or even 32 pages or more art and text pages, but I adored it enough to purchase it elsewhere, to gift a mother of a young child in my friend circle.

This beautiful young child picture book I believe is a refreshed presentation with new art on an older publishing of this work. The art is fresh illustration in a bright and colorful style that would be favored by young children, it's target audience. The cover art matches the inner style, and it is beautifully done to add to the meaning of the text, to cause more wonder than the text itself, to complement perfectly the high shamanic concepts simply stated.

Most importantly this is a fantastic work to present shamanic ideas to a young mind. These are apparently very old poems discovered and translated into English by the author, and they are presented as simple words in the vein of good children's books, yet highly complex ideas to get young (and old!) minds thinking.

The style reminds me of "Mama Do You Love Me?" but with more complex ideas.

It's truly a gem of a book, especially for those presenting diverse world views, and even introducing highly complex ideas of the study of consciousness in an incredibly simple way for young minds.

HIGHLY recommended! 5 Stars, a winner!

This book is absolutely beautiful. The story is quite simple and mysteriously hopeful, and the illustrations are vivid and imaginative. Definitely a nice book to have in your home library for younger children, especially.

Wow - the illustrations in Magic Words by Edward Field is simply stunning! Even without words to go along with the pictures, I would have enjoyed experiencing those images.

The story itself is a translation from the writing of Danish explorer Rasmussen, in his 1920s expeditions to the Inuit people living north of the Arctic Circle. I do wonder if it's more of Rasmussen's interpretations, or a direct actual Inuit story.

Overall, a very interesting and visually stunning storybook!

As a retelling of an Inuit creation story that was translated from Danish explorer notes, I wonder how accurate the story was. Is it close to the Inuit story? I tried doing research to find out if there was anyone from the tribe included as part of the creative team on this book and was unable to find anything.

The story is sweet, the art is beautiful.

This book has phenomenal, mystical, tribal artwork that ties in wonderfully with the text. It’s EXACTLY the book I would have wanted as a child. The illustrations are full page and colorful and the text on each page is minimal and good sized. The story describes ancient times in which people and animals lived closely and could transform into each other and when mere words had mystical properties.

This was a short book about how words were seen anciently, and how humans and animals used to be one and the same. It was odd and ended abruptly, and I’m not really sure what to think about it. I think even my toddler would think this was weird.

With respect to other visual styles, "Magic Words" is one of the most gorgeously illustrated titles I've ever laid eyes on. Mike Blanc did a fantastic job. So great, that I did something I don't do too often - I read the postscript regarding the construction of the work which tell us that the art"began as ink drawings retraced and softened with 6B extra soft charcoal pencil. Finished drawings were scanned and colored with digital painting software." That is to say, the art pops and is vibrant. This is not to discredit the translation by Mr. Field of course, which -while direct - gets the job done. However it does not flow lyrically for lack of a better word than Blanc's art does.

7/10

Would recommend as an early years title - but is great for any age

Beautiful illustrations to go with this simple story. Great for young children. As a teacher I'm always trying to add new FNMI stories to my classroom and I definitely feel like this one will be a great addition.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

The artwork of this book is absolutely stunning and the fact that it has been lovingly adapted from Inuit drawings adds to the magic of the book.

This isn't your average children's book as the words are sparse and the "story" is minimal. I will admit to not really understanding it until I read what others had said about it and I think therein lies the value: this book shares something of a culture that we might not have come across before or at all.

A rich, powerful telling of the Inuit tradition. The vivid, colorful illustrations work seamlessly with the text to provide a mystical and magical reading experience.

The art is the standout part of this title, with beautiful illustrations that match the text and move the story forward. The story is simple, but I enjoyed it. An excellent choice for libraries looking for stories from diverse cultures for their collections.

On the one hand, the art in this short picture book is stunning. It's also interesting to learn an Innuit myth about a time when animals and people could become each other and strange things happened.

On the other hand, the book is translated and illustrated by white men and nobody seems to have worked with Innuit people in any way in publishing it. The text was translated by the author from text written by a Danish explorer a hundred years ago. The words are sparse and the book ends so abruptly that I thought there was something wrong with my copy. There is no information for kids about the Innuit people, how the text was found and translated, the myth, anything. There are a lot of misses here, despite the lovely art and interesting story.

I love the illustrations in this children's book. It is a short read, but there are some beautiful ideas within. It is great for beginner readers because there is not much text to read.

Beautifully illustrated. While the words don't create a conclusive story, they still provoke interesting ideas, and the fact that they're translated from Inuit provides a fresh cultural experience. As a whole, the book is worth sitting with for a while.

Magic Worlds is brilliantly vibrant and colorful. The illustrations are by far the best part of the book. I wish the book was longer or that other Inuit lore had been added to it, the book seems short and doesn't seem to have an ending.