Stones, Bones and Stitches: Storytelling Through Inuit Art.

Each of six chapters begins with a brief biography of an Inuit artist, followed by descriptions and images of one or two examples of the artists’ works. Explanations of geographic regions, artistic techniques, and elements of Inuit life are also included. The pieces, all from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Ontario, represent a wide range of artistic styles including carvings of stone and whalebone, printmaking, and embroidery. Some works tell stories drawn from the artists’ life experiences, while others symbolize Inuit legends. In each case, the tale behind the work is told.

This book presents a lot of information introducing the reader to Inuit art and artists. However, much of the writing is beyond a juvenile level. There are sections where it is evident the authors were trying to write for a younger audience but, especially with the interpretive descriptions of the pieces, the writing usually takes on too scholarly a tone. Most pages are very text-heavy, and though there are lots of images, the text is a bit pedantic compared to other books for young readers.

The organizational structure does not flow as well as it could and some paragraphs seem unrelated to the sequence. It would have been better to begin with a section on Inuit life and history before moving into descriptions of the artwork. For example, the explanation of government census numbers should come before the first number is presented rather than five pages later. Not a first-choice purchase for this age group.