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Caribou Song

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By DeeDee
Cover image for Caribou song

Caribou Song
Written by Tomson Highway
Illustrated by John Rombough
Fifth House, 2013. Unpaged picture book

Joe and Cody live in the far north of Canada.  Their papa drives a dog sled as the family follows the caribou herds.  Cody and Joe sing and dance to call the caribou, but one magical night their song is so powerful it calls an entire heard of the great animals.  As the beasts rush by, the boys' parents are afraid that the boys have been trampled. They are relieved to find them safe, standing on a giant rock, and singing their caribou song.

Some picture books have the ability to transport the reader into a different world.  This bilingual book, written in English and Cree, offers children a glimpse into the life of the native peoples of northern Canada. Rombough's stylized illustrations invite careful inspection and reflect the stark complexity of the northern landscape and lifestyle.
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