Akpa's journey

Mia Pelletier

Book - 2022

"After thick-billed murre Akpa emerges from his egg, high on an Arctic cliff, he soon learns that he must embark on a long migration before he is even able to fly. Flinging himself into the icy water with his father to guide him, Akpa must swim 1,000 kilometres of his journey south before he is able to finally fly the final leg of his journey. Adult male murres are also unable to fly during this time of the year, due to their changing feathers, so father and son must navigate south on the choppy ocean waves, meeting new and unfamiliar creatures along the way."--

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
Iqaluit, Nunavut : Inhabit Media Inc [2022]
Language
English
Main Author
Mia Pelletier (author)
Other Authors
Kagan McLeod (illustrator)
Item Description
Includes glossary of Inuktut terms.
Physical Description
33 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 25 cm
ISBN
9781772274295
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Pelletier chronicles a thick-billed murre's first weeks in this text-heavy tale of Arctic migration. The lengthy story begins with a speckled turquoise egg on a rocky ledge: "A tiny murre named Akpa crouched inside, covered in wet feathers, almost ready to hatch." Predators come hunting, but Akpa's parents keep the egg safe, and once the bird emerges, they fill his belly with "an endless stream of gleaming fish." With winter on the horizon, the chick begins an incredible journey with his father--swimming for days until his flying feathers develop and he can at last launch himself aloft. Along the way, encounters with other marine creatures are played for full anthropomorphized effect as they offer advice for the journey ("Just keep your pointy end headed in the right direction," says a friendly narwhal). McLeod's thick brushstrokes render a sea of deep blues and green, creating a vibrant backdrop for the carefully drawn murres. An endnote and map conclude. Ages 6--8. (Oct.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

The amazing migration of a murre chick, hatched in the Arctic and combining swimming and flying for a journey unique in the bird world. Nesting high on cliffs that tower above the sea, murres gather in the thousands, nesting pairs taking turns guarding the egg from predators and keeping it warm and then feeding the chick once hatched. The book follows the titular chick as he grows through late summer. On a night with a full moon, the fathers and chicks leap off the cliffs into the sea. The young birds cannot yet fly and will start their migrations by swimming with their fathers. Along the route, Akpa grows stronger, learns important skills, and meets a narwhal, a walrus, and a seal, all of whom give him advice that comes in handy several weeks later when it's at last time for Akpa to take to the skies to finish his journey. This relatively unknown migration will fascinate readers who are mature enough to sit through the rather lengthy text, and the language will captivate: Winter would soon be "slowly stitching the waves together with ice." "Fish darted like silver needles sewing a silky blue gown." The blockiness of the cliffs lends a nice visual texture to the slightly stylized artwork, especially against the blues of the sky and sea. Dialogue uses italicized text rather than quotation marks, and the endnote contains additional vital information. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Readers will not want to miss this migration story. (range map, glossary of Inuktut words) (Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.