The Caterpillar Woman

By Nadia Sammurtok and Carolyn Gan

"She felt like the butterflies she once danced with by her favourite lake, freed from her cocoon."

Piujuq is a kind young woman who loves to take long walks on the tundra and dance by her favourite lake surrounded by butterflies. But one day, she encounters a stranger on her walk. When this person asks a favour of Piujuq, she happily obliges, and that kindness leaves Piujuq stuck in the body of a caterpillar. Alone, and thinking that no one could ever love her because of how she looks, Piujuq does not return to her camp. Instead, she lives a lonely life on the tundra as a caterpillar. Until one day, when another stranger appears . . .

Based on traditional Inuit story, this tale of inner beauty, kindness, and magic is a perfect addition to any young reader’s bookshelf.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inhabit Media
• Release date: Dec 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781772271553

Nadia Sammurtok

Nadia Sammurtok is an Inuit writer and educator originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Nadia is passionate about preserving the traditional Inuit lifestyle and Inuktitut language so that they may be enjoyed by future generations. Nadia currently lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with her family.

Book preview

�X�/fbook_preview_excerpt.html

Reviews for The Caterpillar Woman

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A kind and beautiful young maiden is tricked into switching parkas with a stranger in this traditional Inuit tale, finding herself transformed into an ugly caterpillar woman when she dons the other woman's garment. Withdrawing to live by herself on the tundra because she fears her appearance might frighten her family, Piujuq ("beautiful") eventually encounters three hunters on a quest to find wives. One of them, the kind-hearted Amaruq ("wolf"), asks her to become his wife, and the two eventually fall in love. Although an older man, Amaruq is a good provider, and when Piujuq expresses a desire to dance again, as she did before her transformation, he sets out to make a drum for her, finding a magical drum beater in the process that makes him young and strong again, and reverses the enchantment on his wife.Published by Inhabit Media, an Inuit-owned press based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, The Caterpillar Woman is an immensely engaging tale, one that folk and fairy-tale lovers will take to heart. Like many of the more well-known classics - Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc. - the heroine here is rewarded for her innocence and kindness, finding a happy ending through her own virtue. The illustrations, done by Australian artist Carolyn Gan, capture the beauty of Piujuq and Amaruq's far-northern home, as well as the creepier aspects of Piujuq's transformation. There was one scene where I felt that the artwork didn't match the written description - shouldn't Piujuq have green bristly hair? - but other than that, I thought that the illustrations here were well-matched to the story. I'm very happy to have discovered Inhabit Media, as I am always looking for smaller publishers with quality output, and also value books about Native/First Nations people created by native people themselves (Nadia Sammurtok is Inuit). Recommended to anyone looking for traditional Inuit stories specifically, or for entertaining folktales in general.