Children's Fiction Native Canadian
The Pencil
- Publisher
- Inhabit Media
- Initial publish date
- Aug 2022
- Category
- Native Canadian, New Experience, Humorous Stories, Polar Regions
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781772272161
- Publish Date
- Apr 2019
- List Price
- $16.95
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781772271966
- Publish Date
- Aug 2018
- List Price
- $12.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781772274639
- Publish Date
- Aug 2022
- List Price
- $9.99
-
Downloadable audio file
- ISBN
- 9781772273960
- Publish Date
- Jun 2021
- List Price
- $6.99
Add it to your shelf
Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 6 to 8
- Grade: 1 to 3
- Reading age: 6 to 8
Description
Winner of USBBY's Outstanding International Book Award
Susan and her sister, Rebecca, love watching their mother write letters to people in other camps. Their mother has one precious pencil, and she keeps it safe in her box for special things.
One afternoon, Mom leaves the iglu to help a neighbour, and Susan, Rebecca, and their brother Peter are left with their father. They play all their regular games but are soon out of things to do—until Dad brings out the pencil! As Susan draws and draws, the pencil grows shorter and shorter. What will Mom think when she comes home?
Based on author Susan Avingaq’s childhood memories of growing up in an iglu, this charming story introduces young readers to the idea of using things wisely.
"[A] rich and moving story about how small things can make a tremendous difference in children’s lives…Avingaq’s childhood is beautifully evoked in this charming story about the need to take care of our belongings." - The Globe and Mail
"[A] wonderful and touching story about resilience and thrift and community. The illustrations are appropriately done in pencil, and they are playful and open and beautiful." - The New York Times Book Review
About the authors
Susan Avingaq est née dans la toundra et est déménagée dans le village d’Igloolik au Nunavut au milieu des années 1970. Elle adore aller camper et pêcher chaque fois qu’elle le peut. Elle amène souvent de nouvelles personnes avec elle pour leur enseigner ces compétences de la terre. Elle aime beaucoup coudre et apprendre aux jeunes les pratiques culturelles traditionnelles. C’est une personne pleine de ressources et elle croit que ces pratiques sont d’importantes aptitudes à transmettre à la jeune génération. Elle compte plusieurs petits-enfants avec qui elle aime partager ses histoires.
Maren Vsetula est enseignante et rédactrice de matériel éducatif pour le compte d’Inhabit Média. Elle veut toujours passer le plus de temps possible dans la toundra à se promener, pêcher, pagayer et faire du traineau à chiens. Elle a vécu et travaillé au Nunavut pendant plus d’une décennie.
CHARLENE CHUA a illustré de nombreux livres pour les enfants de tous les âges. Ses illustrations lui ont valu de nombreuses récompenses et les livres qu’elle a illustrés ont été mis en nomination pour USBBY Outstanding International Books, OLA Best Bets, une récompense Shining Willow, et Kirkus Best books. Son premier livre Hug? a été publié en 2020. Elle vit à Hamilton avec son époux.
CHARLENE CHUA has illustrated more than a dozen books, including Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao, The Pencil, and Hug?, and her work has been nominated for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award, the Forest of Reading Awards, the Shining Willow Award, and the First Nation Communities READ Award. Charlene lives in Hamilton, Ontario.
Awards
- Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award
- Unknown, USBBY Outstanding International Book
Editorial Reviews
The Pencil is an incredible look into a life not many people get to see or experience. While the setting of the igloo and the Inuit customs set the story apart and elevate it to something unique, the experience of children being bored, eager to explore their surroundings and especially the things that are ‘’forbidden” to them is very much universal.
The fact that the story is based on the author’s own experiences grounds it and pulls the reader right into the cozy home, making it easy to imagine the sounds, smells and sights of that one afternoon. The illustrations are beautiful, a limited color palette only serving to accentuate the sketch-like quality of the lines that seem to have been drawn by the same pencil that is at the center of the story. A wonderful message about using resources wisely while not letting go of your imagination, The Pencil is a must-read for kids and adults alike.
Highly Recommended
" [A] rich and moving story about how small things can make a tremendous difference in children’s lives...Avingaq’s childhood is beautifully evoked in this charming story about the need to take care of our belongings."
[A] wonderful and touching story about resilience and thrift and community. The illustrations are appropriately done in pencil, and they are playful and open and beautiful.
A family-focused story with a light moral that lovingly illuminates a lifestyle rarely seen in children’s books.
The Pencil goes beyond a lesson in frugality and becomes a story of family, of play and of culture, which many children will appreciate.
Authors Avingaq and Vsetula understand life in Nunavut, Canada, and embed in the story the importance of being responsible for belongings and caring for them wisely...A breath of warmth from the far north.
Other titles by Susan Avingaq
Other titles by Maren Vsetula
Fishing with Grandma
Sounds of I, pi, ti, hi
Inuinnaqtun Edition
Harry Okpik, Determined Musher
Inuktitut Edition
A la peche avec grand-maman
Ten in a Tent
English Edition
Land Skills
English Edition
Going Fishing
Inuktitut Edition
Trip to the Playground
French Edition
Making Pancakes
French Edition
Going to Grandma’s
French Edition
Other titles by Charlene Chua
Boys Don't Fry
Amy Wu Adventures (Boxed Set)
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao; Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon; Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome; Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance
Amy Wu and the Ribbon Dance
Kindness Is a Golden Heart
Elisapee and Her Baby Seagull
Fishing with Grandma
My Lala
Bye Bye, Binary
Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome
