Wild Geese
Caroline Pignat

Kit Byrne and her friend Mick O'Toole flee famine-ravaged Ireland. Across the Atlantic aboard a notorious "coffin ship", through quarantine, and into the heart of North America, the two displaced teenagers endure storms, epidemics, and discrimination. Desperate to find her family in the New World, Kit is willing to sacrifice everything, even her love for Mick, to reunite the remaining orphaned Byrnes children. Jack and Annie are out there somewhere and Kit will not stop searching until she finds them and her family is together again. The original "Wild Geese" were Irish soldiers fighting outside of Ireland, but the term later came to encompass all expatriate Irish.

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Greener Grass
Caroline Pignat

Life is desperate in 19th century rural Ireland.  When the potato blight hits, the farmers can no longer make their payments much less produce food for themselves, and the cruel system has no mercy as their landlord wields an iron fist, driving families from their homes and burning their cottages. The Byrne family experiences a series of tragedies, and eldest daughter Kit undergoes a daunting event that tears her away from her family. With her father dead, she must fight for survival and help her ailing mother and siblings escape Ireland for good. This story is a glimpse into the tragic events of the Great Hunger, the famine that devastated Ireland, forcing thousands of impoverished families to seek better livelihoods outside of their homeland. Winner of the Governor General's 2009 Literary Award.

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Arctic Giants
Neil Christopher

Illustrated by Eva Widerman, this book is the only full-length volume on the giants of the North. It is based on Inuit oral tradition and has been extensively and meticulously researched. These authentic myths will take you back to a dangerous time of epic battles, shape-shifting animals and dark magic. For hundreds of years these Inuit legends have been carried down from generation to generation, whispered quietly in the night. Unsparingly told in the vein of the Brothers Grimm, this powerful cultural legacy is bound to become part of Canada's fairy tale canon. This rich and dramatic Arctic folklore with its spectacular illustrations will cast a spell on children and adults alike.

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The Legend of the Fog
Qaunaq Mikkigak, Joanne Schwartz

In this traditional Inuit story, a simple walk on the tundra becomes a life or death journey for a young man. When he comes across a giant who wants to take him home and cook him for dinner, the young man?s quick thinking saves him from being devoured by the giant and his family, and in the process releases the first fog into the world. Illustrated by Danny Christopher, this action-packed picture book brings a centuries-old traditional tale to life for modern readers.

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The Orphan and the Polar Bear
Sakiasi Qaunaq

An orphaned boy who is abandoned on the sea ice by a group of cruel hunters is discovered and adopted by a polar bear elder. While living in the polar bear's village, the orphan learns many lessons about survival, but most importantly, he learns something about himself and his own place in the world. This book has been written for contemporary audiences by Inuit elder Sakiasi Qaunaq and illustrated by internationally renowned artist Eva Widermann.

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