This is a beautiful story that offers a glimpse into Inuit culture and traditions. Originally a legend that was passed down from generation to generation, this book offers a view into a different way of living and thinking - a life in close connection to nature, where even the lines between being an animal and being human are blurred. As the title suggests, the book also sparks an interest towards understanding language and how it works, and how humans and language have a special relation. The illustrations are beautiful and the style is in tune with the story. The only thing that is keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that it is a bit lyrical and metaphorical and this deeper layer might be a bit hard to grasp for young children, who would most likely just be fascinated by the idea that humans could be animals and animals could be humans anytime they wanted to be. However, since there is way too little literature that explores the traditions and way of life of other cultures, I think it would be very good if more children would be encouraged to read this. I believe this is really a book that children and parents should take their time with together, to fully understand it the way it is supposed to be and to examine the illustrations more closely, as they show different animals and Inuit practices.

A special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The illustrations are beautiful and I feel they do a great job to depict artwork from the Inuit. However, there does not really seem to be a storyline. The book just tells the story of how people use to turn into animals and vice a versa.

Magic Words was an enjoyable and whimsical read. In a sense it was the illustrations which made this story come alive, but I wish both the illustrator and the author had been Inuts, as they would probably have been more familiar with the story.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

The only thing I liked about this book was the illustration. It was so beautiful and colorful and creative. I’d love to see more work from this illustrator because I was blown away by it.

However, the story just lacked for me. It didn’t make any sense and I kept pausing while I was reading to double check that I really read what I read. I understand that it’s a children’s book so my expectations for this type of fiction is low.

The actual story wasn’t enjoyable for me but the pictures were.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

This short children’s book is a translation of an Inuit creation story. The story is told via free form verse, which is quite lovely. The illustrations are stunning. The human characters in the story are quite obviously Inuit, and the artwork resembles Inuit style art. The colors are wonderful but not too bright or overly “hip”. The illustrations include animals. Field has a list of animals in the book at the end.
The other thing that the book has going for it is that it makes use of words. It showcases the power of words in a rather beautiful way.

The artwork from the cover to the end was fascinating and beautiful. Fun story about animals and the messages they share.

The artwork is glorious, and clearly Inuit-based. As for the text, perhaps it was a pity to use an old translation by poet Edward Field, rather than attempt to re-translate. I have read this material in translations by Tom Lowenstein in his Ancient Land, Sacred Whale: The Inuit Hunt and Its Rituals. Lowenstein is more playful with the text, while Field seems determined to be very plain. The concepts in these few lines are valuable and fascinating for children or for adults, and are fully expressed by the art.

The artwork is beautiful but why not have an actual Inuit artist to do the illustrations? Could you not find a member of the Inuit nation to tell this story?
I wish an author's note with the actual poem was included to honor the original format. Did Field talk to the Inuit people to gain approval for this?

Beautiful little story from the Inuits' oral tradition, about the power of words and the profound connection between humans and animals. The illustrations are simply gorgeous, made me look at them in detail several times.

This is a very short book. It's not so much a story as an introduction to an idea. It is, however, nicely illustrated. After reading this, I'm curious about other Inuit stories and beliefs. We get some tantalizing hints about shapeshifting and the magic of words, but since there really isn't a story here, that's about all we do get.

So it's a nice introduction to this Inuit idea; I wouldn't really call it a creation story, since the first lines are:

In the very earliest time,
When both people
and animals
lived on earth...


I'm curious to know if there's an actual creation story that happens before that (i.e., where did the earth and the people and the animals come from in the first place?).

Ohh.. I really wish I love this book as much as others do. It's not bad at all, but it's just an okay read for me. I am glad that this book help me to more about Inuit. Because I only ever heard about Inuit from The Fish Boy and this one. So, I really appreciate it in that way. Also, the illustrations are really beautiful.
Even though I did not love it as much, I still recommend this book to others. Maybe it would be more fun to read it with the kids :) It will surely make a great gift for kids though :D

Thank you Net Galley!

This is a gorgeous book full of lovely Inuit artwork. I l adore how simple the story is. It's written in the way that the story would have been told when passed down orally. This is perfect for a children's book that is (generally) read out loud to children. The simplicity of Magic Words allows for very young children to have a way to learn about Inuit tradition. Not only are the pages brilliantly drawn and coloured, but each page design helps illustrate the limited words on that page. I could easily see a child loving this book so much that they learn the words on every page by heart.
The absolute best part of this book is the magical feeling it invokes. It stretches our imaginations to think of a time when people could be animals. I love the line "nobody could explain this: that's the way it was." As it is the last line in the story it leaves the door open for a conversation with the child about what animal they would want to become and why. I can absolutely imagine a child saying a bird and flapping their wings, or maybe a pig and oinking. The possibilities this story leaves in the mind of a child are endless. I also like that magic is mentioned here in a different context than usual. It's in a more spiritual and less tangible way. It's not a spell or a wand or even a prayer that allowed the Inuit to become animals; it just was. As though the Earth bid it to be and so it was. I like the ambiguity of this statement (and will confess it's in-line with some of my own personal spiritual beliefs).
I would love to see this book in the hands of all Canadian children so they could start having appreciation and understanding towards the Inuit of our country. As a child I knew there was a difference between the Native Americans and Inuit but I'm not sure I really understood what that was. These types of stories are critical to children realizing that everyone has their own culture and beliefs. It's always good for children to have exposure to other cultures than their own; but also who doesn't want to believe in magic?

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The pictures were very colorful and eye catching. The story is a Native American legend about when people and animals could change bodies and speak to each other. It's an interesting story, but it seemed to end very abruptly. Not a whole lot of explanation at the end

Lovely goodnight story, more for adults than children, because I can see a lot of whys at the end from the little ones' part.

The illustrations are great and that single line on the page is like a whisper. And even being so short, it contains a lot of wisdom in its words, shows a strong bond between humans and nature, love and respect for animals, which I would preach ad infinitum.

A real enchantment for eyes and soul.

Magic Words is a gorgeous short picture book that takes a translation of an Inuit poem and provides expressive pictures to add to the history being shared. The underlying concept is that we are all one with the creatures of the world, and our minds are powerful and capable of bringing about our desires. This lovely and colorful book should capture the eye of people of all ages, and become a starting point for a variety of conversations.

I first have to say that the artwork in this book is stunning. This is the story of the Intuit People. They believe that animals can become people and people can become animals. Both speak the same language. It is easy to read and would be a great short bedtime story for younger children and beginner reader for older. I highly recommend this book for the artwork and subject.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

These Inuit poems are written in short verse, allowing the reader to keep the interest of the targeted age groups, small children through 3rd or 4th grade. The illustrations are lovely, executed on natural mediums that will fascinate all ages. After living in Alaska for 30 years, I was already familiar with Alaskan Native stories told in illustrations, poems and dance. many of these poems could easily be adapted to dance, allowing the child another outlet to soak up the history and traditions set forth in this book.

Such a lovely little book, for people of all ages who would like to learn a little. Out the Inuit oral tradition. The images are lined with very thin lines and encapsulate bold watercolour like colouring. Worth spending time looking at them and perhaps making up your own stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a book full of wonder and magic. Based on Inuit oral traditions, it is an illustrated poem brought to life. The book is very sparsely worded relying on the images to evoke powerful feelings in children. Absolutely beautifully done. People could buy it for illustrations alone, but coupled with the poetry it is remarkable. A great read!