Educator Review: Nunami

Nunami: Poems from the Arctic
Written by Barbara Landry
Published by Quattro Books
Category: Poetry

Reviewed by Tanya C. Leary, OCT
Author, Artist, Literacy Coach at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and K-12 Community Engagement Specialist at Indspire

“No one told me about the beauty of the North…”

Taking your students on a field trip to the Arctic would be nice, wouldn’t it? It will probably never happen of course, however, I’m pleased to report that I have discovered the next best thing to do with your students, of any age.

Nunami: Poems form the Arctic, authored by Barbara Landry from Quattro Books, is a stunning collection of poems, written from a visitor’s perspective on life in the true North strong and free. Landry has literally used every single one of her senses in her writing, and describes images so vividly, that you feel as if you are right there beside her. Polar bear sightings, seal hunting, landscapes, community events, people and even funerals are a few of the themes she so eloquently and simply portrays in her prose. Whether you read this aloud to your students, or have them read to self, the visualizing that will occur among them is worth a thousand words. This is the perfect place to start your next literacy-arts lesson while incorporating Inuk culture into the classroom. Staying true to the relationship between language and culture, Nunami is translated into Syllabics, which is the written language of Inuktitut.

Not the artsy type? This collection is the perfect segue into any English, Science, History or Geography lesson. It is sure to captivate both your critical and creative thinkers, and engage students on a new level in pursuit of inquiry based learning.

This collection is truly a must have for the Canadian Classroom.