I Am a Rock

“Anaana, what would it be like if rocks were alive?” young Pauloosie asks his mother during a bedtime tuck-in with Miki Rock. Imagining the scenario, Anaana uses the dot-eyed, smiling pet rock to narrate a bedtime tale of what it might perceive through the arctic region’s seasonal cycle. On the coastline, “I watch harvesting seasons with delight. Seasons of clams, berries, and running char... of caribou, heather, and ducks.” It next hears passing animals (“Every bird, every wolf.... Even the little lemmings”) and feels blanketing snow, the sun’s warm kiss, and a cool breeze. In soft-edged scenes that foreground the Inuit-cued parent and child alongside Miki Rock, Turkish illustrator Turgut connects domestic moments with sprawling landscapes, while sensory lines from Inuit author Qilavaq-Savard links Pauloosie—and readers—to the land through Miki Rock’s experiences. A final spread shows the snoozing child and rock beneath the expanse of a sparkling night sky. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)