Nuni of Nunivak Island
PJ Nickels; Illustrated By: Juliann
Kaiser
Review by A. E. Jaskiewicz
Nuni is a shy child. She doesn’t really
mind having friends,
because she doesn’t understand why other kids fight so much. She is quite content to be friends with the
little doll her mom made for her. She
likes to take the doll with her as she walks the beautiful beaches of
the Alaskan Nunivak Island where she lives.
One day, as Nuni tries to decide on a name for her doll friend,
the doll
flies out of Nuni’s hands as she’s walking home from the beach, and the
doll
ends up in the ocean. Nuni’s mom, grandma,
grandpa and big sister all tell her the doll is gone.
Then, Nuni realizes she has a special gift,
and her new friends, the animals of the island, help her figure out how
to get
her doll friend back.
Through the story of Nuni,
children can learn a little bit about the people and culture of Nunivak Island. They can even
learn some of the language. Much of the
story describes the picturesque beaches and magnificent scenery. It is a good book as a start for kids to
learn about different cultures, as it is written at an appropriate
level for
elementary school children. There is
even a corresponding lesson guide that will be helpful to children of
all age
levels, as it has different activities for younger children and older
kids.
The characters in the story
of Nuni are all characters that kids will likely be able to relate to
in their
own lives. There is the older sibling
who sometimes likes to fight with Nuni, but overall really loves her. There are also the loving mother and
grandparents who would do anything to help Nuni. And
there is also Nuni herself, who many kids
may be able to relate to, especially if they are shy themselves. The animals in the story play a significant
role, but aren’t seen as much as Nuni and her relatives, but are
nonetheless
cute and fun for kids.
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The illustrations in the book
will certainly make it more appealing for kids.
They help really enhance the idea of how beautiful the island
is, as
well as show much of the action of the story, to really help take young
readers
right into the action.
The
corresponding lesson guide is something that kids
will enjoy as well. With fun activities,
such as seek and finds and making an otter and puppet.
There are also activities that challenge kids
to come up with alternate endings to the story, and various language
activities.
Also to go along
with the
book, there is a glossary in the back so kids can learn some of the
language of
the people native to the Alaskan Nunivak Island. This is a
good tool to help kids learn some of a new language in a fun and easy
way.
Nuni of Nunivak Island is a
charming book for kids. It teaches
important lessons like being true to who you are, and being happy about
that. It is also a great way for kids to
start learning about a new culture as well as respect what they have in
their
own community. The corresponding lesson
guide will also help kids really get into the spirit of learning about
this
exciting culture.