Seven Ways to Trick a Troll
by Lise Lunge-Larsen,
illus. by Kari Vick
University of Minnesota Press • ISBN: 978-0-8166-9977-3 • $19.95 Hardcover
The perfect guide to ridding your village of trolls, this book also retells some delightful old stories about quick-witted children who turn their own fortunes from bad to good and, of course, always manage to trick the trolls. Duluthian Lise Lunge-Larsen continues here with her lively revival of old tales made fresh through her writing and in this book the work of Grand Marais, Minnesota, artist Kari Vick smartly complements the stories. A great read by a warm fire on a cold winter day.
Winds & Currents Native American Stories
retold and illus. by Joan Henrik
Holy Cow Press • ISBN: 978-0-9864480-8-9 • $15.95 Softcover
The recent passing (Oct. 24) of Joan Henrik of Duluth just weeks after this book’s release makes this slender volume all the more valued. Joan created the terrazzo floor design in the lobby of the city’s new Amsoil Arena that shares, as she told WDSE-WIRT’s “The Playlist,” “how I felt about living on the shores of Lake Superior, to be in it and by it and under it and on it.”
Elements of that design inspired this book, as did the fact that she needed to create a “coloring book” version of the floor to help contractors get the design done right. The stories come from a variety of Native cultures in the United States and Canada. Joan does a sensitive and responsible retelling, bringing to a broader audience these thoughtful, often witty, narratives of the natural world. This book has become the tribute to an artist whose contributions to the world have ended too soon.
But That is Not Me!
by Susan Larson Kidd,
photos by Richard Hoeg
Happy Endings Publishing • ISBN: 978-0-692-87428-8 • $12.00 Softcover
Consider this a children’s guide to regional birds as well as a guide to life in general. The images by Duluth photographer Richard Hoeg, whose work has appeared in this magazine, clearly illustrate each type of bird featured and give an excellent starter to show children and then take them out in the woods (or to the bird feeder) to do some identification of their own. Susan Larson Kidd, who consults with children and youth with disabilities, uses her text to add a bit of knowledge for each bird, while staying true to her larger goal of showing how each individual has unique talents and ways of interacting with the world.
The tale moves along as Woodpecker tries to decide what his role in life is, asking different birds what he should do. Osprey suggests catching fish, Hummingbird believes he should sip nectar, Junco advises eating seeds off the ground, but after each idea, Woodpecker realizes “But that’s not me.” Finally, he comes to decide what he should do … and that is who he is.
A self-published book, it is available at local bookstores and online if you search the title and ISBN number. It’s a lovely gift to start a child on a lifelong pursuit of observing nature.
Sadie Braves the Wilderness
by Yvonne Pearson,
illus. by Karen Ritz
Minnesota Historical Society Press • ISBN: 978-1-68134-038-8 • $12.00 Softcover
“We drove for a hundred hours past a lake called Superior. It was big as the ocean.”
And so Sadie’s adventure in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness begins. Sadie, unlike younger brother Benjamin (or so Sadie herself believes), can brave a flying dinosaur (aka a blue heron), monster boulders (aka yes they are) and an alligator in the water (aka who knows what that was?).
The colorful main illustrations layered with their own visual narrative are pepper-painted “photo snapshots” of familiar locales and critters, like Split Rock Lighthouse, the Silver Creek Cliff tunnel, squirrels, loons and bears.
For any family learning to love the North Woods – or about to plunge into their first northern adventure – this book (and those adventures) will become a perennial favorite.