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The Man of the Moon

The Man of the Moon

and Other Stories from Greenland

by Gunvor Bjerre

Illustrated by Miki Jacobsen

Published by: Inhabit Media

Imprint: Inhabit Media

202 Pages, 6.70 x 9.60 x 1.00 in, Colour illustrations throughout

Hardcover
9781772272956
Published: July 2021

$29.95

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Description
Authors
Praise
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Based primarily on explorer and anthropologist Knud Rasmussen’s transcriptions of oral tales, the stories in this anthology of old Greenlandic myths and legends have been passed down through generations. This collection features stories about children and young people—stories that were told in the depths of winter, that the youngest listeners would one day tell to their own children.

Talking animals, flying shamans, orphans so poor they have to walk barefoot through the snow, and men so strong they can carry a whale all on their own: you’ll meet all of them and more in this collection.

Gunvor Bjerre is a journalist and librarian. She has travelled much of the world, but Greenland holds a special place in her heart. Gunvor has worked with children her whole life, primarily with Danmarks Radio’s children’s programming, but she has also written books and songs for children. She is passionate about sharing old Greenlandic Inuit myths and legends, which are a part of the country’s cultural heritage.

Miki Jacobsen is one of Greenland’s best-known and most highly regarded artists. In his career, he has worked with many different artistic media, and the close relationship between Greenlandic culture and nature is a recurrent theme in his work. There is strength and vigour in his watercolours that add an extra dimension to these old tales.

"A compendium of Greenland’s Inuit culture places readers in a realm of icy waters and shape-shifting animals."—Wall Street Journal

"Hunting, killing, and skinning animals is a prominent feature (with moments such as harp seals having their heads smashed together), but the brutality is balanced by humor (if earthy; lots of pee and poo) and compelling action...Copious watercolor illustrations by Greenlandic artist Jacobsen are often comical, always loose and lively, in warm blues and browns, with a full-page illustration for each story and occasional small, labeled pictures of animals and objects."—The Horn Book Magazine

"The Man of the Moon delighted our reviewers with its mix of darkness and humor, necessary surely for the cultures that have thrived in such inhospitable landscapes. The watercolor illustrations with a color palette to match the icy blues, grays, and browns of Greenland drew us further into the world of the stories."—American Folklore Society

Aesop Accolade