Appropriation of an Inuit tale by a non-Inuit writer.

<i>*Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*<i/>

This book is a folk tale about why there are so many birds in a certain part of the islands. Great story and great illustrations.
Thank you Netgalley for this beautiful story.

This story--heavy on magic and light on logic--tells the story (within a story) of Fish-Boy, who helps his father and his friends. I'd never heard this story before, and I thought it was different and interesting. Kitmesuk, after some initial hesitation, grows to love his new son, an armless little boy with a tail and feet (yes, that's a different twist on the traditional mermaid). And it's Fish-Boy who uses his abilities to help his father out of a tight spot.

I liked the illustrations for the most part. However, I was a bit disappointed that they're not quite in the same style as the cover illustration (Fish-Boy has quite a bit more personality there; I think it's the eyes). But the pictures portray a beautiful, far-north landscape with stunning colour and interesting detail. This is the same illustrator that did Magic Words: From the Ancient Oral Tradition of the Inuit, and the pictures here are just as nice.

The actual tale of Fish Boy and his ‘dad’ was cute. That said, I thought the lead-up to the actual telling of the tale was too long, and I found the inclusion of some names (of people and places) superfluous. Also, the language, in a few scenes, especially in the dialogue between Fish Boy and his dad, felt way too formal.

I really loved the illustrations; and kudos to the author for scripting a main character who is differently-abled.

A little boy is travelling to Diomedes with Teragloona, to trade bearskins for dearskins.
In the sea, the boy spots a beach, he thinks is made of black sand.
To his shock, it tunrs out that it isn't a beach but millions of birds who are known as sea parrots.
That's when Teragloona tells him the story of Fish-Boy.
Fish- Boy is lonely and when he meets a fisherman, he requests him to be his father. The fisherman agrees after Fishboy helps him catch fishes easily.
Soon they're famous and get an invitation from a chief of another village.
But when they pay visit, they are disappointed by the way the people treat them.
The fishboy saves himself, his father and the crew through magic. But those who mistreated them where turned to birds forever.
This a great story for any kid, who likes the oceans, seas, fishes, mermaids, mermen and the deep.
The tale also explains how we should treat our guests with respect and kindness.
A must read!

Thank you NetGalley and Vanita Books for this DRC.

Vanita has a delightful talent for storytelling and has made great use of her talents with the retelling of this magical Innuit folktale.
The soft and smooth lines created by Mike Blanc were captivating and allowed the ambience to unfold beautifully across the pages.
This was such a wonderful way to teach tiny humans (and full grown humans as well) that kindness is trait everyone should possess.

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This is a great story told as a myth about the Fish Boy. The Fisherman is fishing in the water and not catching any fish. This is his livelyhood and he needs fish for food and to exchange for goods. Fishboy arrives and asks him to be his Father. Fish Boy has no arms and the Fisherman feels he will be of no use to him. He finally accepts and Fish Boy takes him to where the big fish are. Word reaches another village and the head there wants to see Fish Boy. He and his father travel there and are not treated nicely. The story goes on to how all the Sea Parrots got to St. Lawerence Island. This is told by one of the elders of the tribe. This is a beautiful story with good illustrations and a wonderful tale for young and old. The back has a glossery of some of the terms unfamiliar in the book. I recommend this book for ages 7+.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

He is part fish and part boy, and he asks the fisherman to be his father. The fisherman is hesitant about that but when the fish boy shows him where the big fish are, he agrees.

Vanita Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

When they venture to another island to fish, they are met with scorn. They are especially mean to fish boy. So he turns them into sea parrots. When they leave, he reverses the spell but the ones that were mean don't change back. After that, people treated him with kindness, which they should have done in the beginning.

The beautiful illustrations in this book are just part of why both me and my daughter loved this book. The illustrations do a great job of setting the mood for the story. I loved the little details like the glossary of new words in the back and the map at the front. This book was definitely a little more advanced for my daughter than usual, but with a couple quick explanations she loved it. The story is very charming and I can't wait to read more from this author with my daughter

Such a lovely retelling, with gorgeous artwork. An interesting origin story. I was afraid the story would veer off into Armless Maiden territory, but it didn't.

This beautiful book for children is born from an inuit story that the author wanted to share with the world of readers. The legend is told to a child and is accompanied by numerous illustrations.

What I liked the most are the illustrations: they have magnificent colors, pure and powerful, as pure is the story. The story is about nature, courage, enthusiasm, friendship, love for the world and for animals.

The story transports us to the border between USA and Russia, where the island in which the story takes place is located. I was surprised by the beauty of the drawings and the musicality of the words chosen by the author. Colors are powerful, impressive, warm and cold depending on the time of day.

There's a bit of magic and a little bit of morality, two things I've always liked in children's books. There are many lessons to learn, such as kindness and hospitality.

A very good book.

.This was such a cute little children book. I don't read a lot of child books but this one is about iniut and i really wanted to read this. I really enjoyed it. Illustrations are amazing. Story is really lovely but i guess i was wanting more.

Maybe I am too old for this book? I don't know.
Look, I really enjoy the story and the knowledge about Inuit poeple. Because before this book, I have never heard of Inuit & to have that little knowledge is such a nice thing. I enjoy the story, but it's probably something that I would remember for a long time.

I read this book with high expectations and was mildly disappointed. The pictures were beautiful but the story, even though it is an Inuit tale, just did not seem that it would grab the attention of the students in my school library.

This beautifully illustrated book tells the Native American Inuit legend of Fish-Boy. Fish-Boy has no arms, but that does not prevent him from helping his adopted father, Kitmesuk, fish. This lovely story has strong moral messages about passing judgement on people who are different as well as treating guests kindly. It is a great additional for library collections looking for diversity in their offerings. There are several Inuit words introduced in this book that makes the glossary in the back particularly helpful. Targeted for ages 6 – 9.

This was a cute story regarding the treatment of others, in terms of hospitality and physical differences. These positive messages were aided with very appealing and beautifully created illustrations. A glossary was also provided to help young readers have a better understanding of some of the concepts used in this story.

This book is quite imaginative and full of intriguing illustrations, which I'm sure will be very appealing to young children! "Fish-Boy" also contains a positive message to be kind and accept each others' differences.

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Fish-Boy tells an Inuit folk tale with beautiful art and poet text. It is the story of a very special boy gifted in friendship who journeys with his new father. On their travels they experience many hardships and unwelcoming villagers.  Teaches lessons of hospitality, kindness and living with an open heart. 5/5

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Vanita Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I love fairy tales and folk tales, and this Inuit folk tale was a great one. This book had nice illustrations to go along with the story of fish-boy. This is a fun story featuring themes of hospitality, nature, and respect. I like the glossary at the end and the message with suggestions for teaching points. This folk tale is a good story to expand kids' worldviews.