This book has beautiful artwork that inspire feelings of mystical energy and fantasy. The story starts out very intriguing and my kids (3 and 6) were very interested. But then, we yurned the page, and it was over. It ended abruptly and what seemed prematurely. Iy was the setup for a great story, but then it just stopped mid-way. I recognize this is a translation, but my kids couldn't get past the incompleteness it left them feeling.

This beautiful work of visual and literary artistry will surely be enjoyed by both children and adults. The fact that us, humans, and animals are one and the same is a lesson everybody should learn.

Hear the world being called into existence as is gently whispered straight into your heart. A book for children and adults. Illustrations are wonderful. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.

I am always in awe of picture books that teach children about different cultures. And, I absolutely adore this retelling. Ink drawings have been digitally colored and will help children better understand the Inuit who live along the far northern seacoasts.

The story begins from Rasmussen expedition. And, while we see creative mixes, we also see the Inuit dressed in their caribou skins, which they wear to keep warm and dry. But, the story delves much deeper than that. Hunting and trapping are necessary for Inuit survival. There are images of walrus, polar bear, and of a young hunter, which appears to depict the 'rights of passage'. And, we also see images of potlatching practices.
Magic Words is a wonderful way to introduce children to the lifestyle of the Inuit.

I really love the idea of this book: a translation of some inuit history, with the illustrations capturing the art of inuit wisdom. The illustrations really are fantastic, but this book and its words are quite hard to get your head round. It may appeal to younger children based on the illustrations alone, but the text is difficult to understand. This is more of a work of art than a story, and even myself (certainly not a child!) had to re-read several times to get the full gist of the text. A great concept, but the execution not so much.

The illustrations are simply marvelous! They are highly engaging and captivate the eye.

I enjoy that this is a translation of an old Inuit story of creation, it's magical and shows a different culture's views. The idea was kind of lost on my six year old as I read it to him, but I explained it.

The drawback was that it was so short. I read this at bedtime and my son was not impressed by the length as it is only a few pages. However, it was a unique read! I also think this would be a great book for those that are just beginning to read.

This beautiful book takes an old Inuit creation myth and brings it to life. Teaching about other cultures is so important and Magic Words gives kids a look into an ancient Inuit poem and the artwork of this part of the world. This book would work with a class or a parent/child reading time. It is easy to understand, look at and would be a great source of discussion for little ones. Great!

This book is SO beautiful. The art took my breath away. It really captures what's happening in the poem. I could see myself reading this again and again with my kids. So simple, yet so beautiful.

This poem translated from the original Danish is a beautiful and vivid reinterpretation of 'Magic Words' a poem previously told through the ancient oral tradition of the Inuits. Mike Blanc's striking illustrations are bold and colourful and truly lift the words of Edward Field off the page. I found myself rereading the poem several times in order to study the images to make sure I didn't miss the symbolism contained in each one, This is my first introduction to the poetry of the Inuits and I will certainly be searching out more.

I would recommend this for story time or for educators who are teaching the form of poetry and world literature in general.

What a beautifully illustrated story. The pictures were interesting, bringing me into the world of the Inuit. The words seemed calming and easy to read. The story moved along nicely. The only thing I could say, was I wish it was longer. Four stars for Magic Words.

Review published on April 21st, 2017

A truly, truly, gorgeous book that tells a truly, truly, simple story.

This book felt magical. The poetry was lyrical and dreamlike and the illustrations were wholly original and really quite beautiful. I read it and enjoyed it on my own, but I'm looking forward to reading it with my children as well and letting them see/experience the gorgeous artwork.

Breath taking illustrations and engaging plot make this a great read for young readers

I wish the book was longer. Great pictures and an interesting story.

This picture book gives us a modern translation of an old Inuit Creation story that was translated and turned into a poem by poet Edward Field. The poem shows the intimate relationship that the Inuit have with their natural environment, and it shows, among other things, a world where humans and animals can share bodies and souls and where the real and the imaginary can mix together.

I would recommend this book not only because of the beautiful illustrations, but for the poem as well. The poem is lyrical and beautiful and paints an amazing picture of the Inuit culture. In a way I also found the poem to be magical and very peaceful, like a dreamy nighttime story. I would not only recommend this for children, who could find much joy from this book and could learn about another culture, but for the parents as well, who I think could find pleasure in the artwork and in the peaceful flow of the poem.

Simple concept: words have power. In this case, the ancient Inuits believed that words could turn people into animals and vice versa and make fish rain from the sky. From an early reader point of view, this was a somewhat difficult book to read. The typeset was very stylized, with most of the text printed in straight, left-to-right lines, but sometimes the lines ran in curves in and around the pictures. Also, the lower case Y and G were backward of how children are taught to write. The pictures were gorgeous, however, with an almost auroral feel to some of them. This book would be good for a study on native people and beliefs. The book would be a good springboard discussion of how people don't really turn into animals and fish don't really rain from the sky just because someone says the words would be in order. Children should also be lead to discuss how words do indeed have the power to hurt or to heal people's hearts.

I received this book as an eARC for free from the author, the publishers, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a beautiful book that children will love as well as the adults that may read it with them. This book would be perfect in school libraries and classrooms. I loved the artwork, and how vivid it is. The font is even interesting. Most important, the poem told is very sweet, and I think it is great for children culturally as well as fun to read.