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.

It would have been nice to see a native illustrator for a book based on Inuit culture, but Blanc's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and certainly emulate the style of traditional Inuit cave art with a simple, lyrical translation of passages from Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen's 1920s expeditions among the Inuit people . . . with retellings of Inuit creation 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!

Poetic, both in illustration and verse, MAGIC WORDS is a modern retelling of an ancient Inuit creation story. Lovely to look at and to read, whether you are an adult or a child. 5/5

Thank you, NetGalley and Vanita Books, for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

This book has beautiful graphics! My children loved them, but I really appreciated them too. They were just amazing! The story is quite short and focuses on the Inuit. I found it to be a little too simplistic and my 4 year old daughter was a bit confused by it, when she was distracted by the fantastic art. So while I did not love the story, I did really enjoy the pictures throughout.

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

The illustrations are gorgeous in this book. Absolutely beautiful. I wish the story wasn't so short - just when it feels like it's starting to get going, the book is over. It's basically the intro to what feels like an Inuit folktale, but the intro is the entire story. Wish it would have had about 10 more pages about a specific story that used the power of words, because then it would have been a better length and a five star review for me for SURE. Would make a great (very short) bedtime story if you read it slowwwwwly, with the appropriate amount of awe and wonder the story seems to beg to be read with.

3 things about this book:
1. Amazing illustrations! Really, really beautiful!
2. Cute story/poem
3. From the Ancient Oral Tradition of the Inuit, which is great to get to know a different culture.

This is a beautiful children's book! My four-year-old was fascinated by the idea of people turning into animals and vice versa. He started talking about the different animals he would want to morph into, and I loved the conversations that followed. Some of the illustrations, which were breathtaking and utterly captivating, showed what appeared to be animal-human hybrids. A human face with deer legs and a fish tail, for example.

Magic Words also emphasizes how important words are, and that saying them can have unforeseen consequences. Words have the potential to be powerful, and people should be careful how they use them.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on June 15, 2018.

The illustrations alone on this one are astounding.
I loved this little poem, and the introduction made it all the more meaningful. This is a story I’d love to read to my kids one day, probably many times.

This is a very short book which is beautifully illustrated by artwork and drawings that bring the Inuit story of creation into being.
Where every tribe /people have an oral tradition that passed on stories most have a creation account of how human beings were formed and lived on a world filled with animals and the interdependence of between both and the spirit world.
The words are but a brief poignant account of the relationships between the wonderful world of nature and the Inuit people.
This would be a wonderful children's book. Certainly, the pictures are a magical element as they depict creatures: Seal ❂ Fish ❂ Caribou ❂ Dog ❂ Fox ❂ Tern ❂ Dall Sheep ❂ Musk Ox ❂ Narwhal.
The words also have a supernatural element for these folk but these ideas transcend all the Inuit hunting and survival in an otherwise bleak world.
Anyone will adore this book and be more at ease with a world where simple ideas enable one to live in peace and safety in a life sustaining environment and perceived world open to you. To be grateful for days of plenty but also wise guardians and stewards of other limited resources.

This is a very short story about the beginnings of the Inuit people, translated in English by Edward Field and illustrated by Mike Blanc. At first reading, it seems almost too simple and brief. But given time to sink in, the story's deeper meanings emerge gradually. It has the potential to feed discussions not limited to the specific Inuit culture, but also to more general topics on the relationship between people and the natural world as well as the "progress" of humanity and human societies.

The illustrations were not of my particular taste - I did find some of them creepy and given that this is considered to be a children's book, I thought that both sketches and colours might appeal more to adults instead. They are of good quality though and I can see and appreciate the illustrator's attempt to remain faithful to the Inuit traditions.

Definitely worth the reading and it is always enjoyable to learn more about cultures we are less familiar with.

This book is ephemeral but powerful; succinctly written. I've been dishing out so many 5 star picture book reviews, but for such good reason. These Inuit tales are beyond learning - beyond ABC and 123 - they are life told with pictures, told with words - told with the heart from a deeply beautiful culture and people.

"Children....more than anyone are responsive to the magical power of words and images"

These illustrious but mystical illustrations are truly something to marvel and gawk at. I can't tell you the story - it's something you need to discover for yourself. All I will mention is that this is a tale of when animals and humans were one - they spoke the same language, felt the same joys and pains. When words were magical and could breathe life into the world.


I have pondered Fish-Boy and Magic Words more than any 700 page fantasy tome. I recommend this masterpiece to all. The art is entrancing and intermingles wonderfully. I implore you, read this beautiful, beautiful book. Again and again and again.



I received this picture book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Super simple story about people being animals and animals being people in historical Inuit culture. The illustrations are amazing! They are so bright and colorful. Tribal, but vibrant. I could hang any of these illustrations on my wall and stare at them for hours. My favorite is all the animals in the boat.

This feels like the start of a really great story. It feels authentic and exciting, the illustrations are beautiful and add to a layer to the story. However, it feels incomplete. I wish there was more.

I would totally use this book in my classroom. Gorgeous illustrations. Good book to start a description of how people are different. We learn about different countries, so this would be a great kick off book.

Absolutely phenomenal illustration, but I had issues with the capitalization. It was distracting.

There's something truly brilliant about this idea and I personally loved the artwork. But the story didn't reach my son's attention.

We read it together and I asked questions and tried to explain but the blank stare led me on to believe he didn't find it quite as magical as I'd expected.

He did like the drawings, though. In his own interpretations of them.

A cute poem with gorgeous illustrations! I was short though and I want more. I would absolutely love more books about Inuit traditions and mythology.

The art is amazing! I love the lightness of the story, that it didn't compete with or overweigh the images. I don't know enough about the author or the collection of the story to speak to the authenticity of it, which would be my only hesitation in giving this book a prominent spot in my library.

This is a short book for little kids that illustrates an Inuit poem about the beautiful connection between the Inuit people and nature, especially animals. I got captivated by the Inuit culture after reading another book, also illustrated by Mike Blanc, and his illustrations are stunning and that will attract the kids for sure.

While the text is quite short and quite abstract, the images are telling the story of this book. While I enjoyed the art tremendously, I have to admit I was a bit sadden by the length of the book and I think it should have more written substance as well, although it could spark interesting conversations with the little ones.