Richard Schmitt
ED693
Critiquing Indigenous Literature
Book Review #5

March 23, 2006

Book Title: A Sled Dog for Moshi
Author: Jeanne Bushey
Illustrator: Germaine Arnaktauyok
Published: 1994
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN: 1-56282-632-8
Grade Level: Primary
Genre: Fiction

Summery:

Moshi has a new friend named Jessica who has moved to the village from New York City. Jessica has a cute little terrier puppy who does tricks. Moshi also wants a dog to have as a pet. So she asks her father who tells her that the dogs they have are not house pets but work dogs that pull the sled. Father's lead dog, Nuna, who is ready to have pups, is missing. It is spring and the girls go out to collect flowers and get caught in a whiteout. As they are struggling in the storm, Nuna finds them and leads them back to a shed on the outskirts of town. There she has had her puppies. After a while, father finds the girls. He then tells Moshi she can have one of the puppies as a pet.

Author:

Jeanne Bushey was born in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1944. She and her husband immigrated to Canada in 1973 where they lived for four years in Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay). In 1980, she moved to Yellowknife, NWT where she continued to teach and began to write. In 1990, Jeanne moved to Richmond, B.C. She has written three books; The Polar Bear's Gift, Holiday Hang-ups: Arts and Crafts for Every Season, and A Sled Dog for Moshi.

Illustrator:

Germaine Arnaktauyok (born 1946), is an Inuit artist from Igloolok on Baffin Island in the Northwest Territories (now Nunavut). She has illustrated children's books, in both English and Inuit languages. She has had successful shows all around the world.

Tribal group portrayed: Inuit Eskimo

Stereotypes:

This is a story about a little white girl, named Jessica, from New York City and her Inuit friend Moshi. The book is clear that there are cultural differences between the two girls. The role of domestic animals for instance is different. To the girl from New York City, a dog is a house pet that does cute tricks. But to her friend's family, dogs are large animals, kept outside and used for heavy work.

However, there is stereotyping from the author. When the girls are caught in the whiteout, it is Jessica who has forgotten her mittens. And later in the shed, when Jessica begins to cry, Moshi chides her by saying, "Please don't cry, Jessica. Your tears will freeze. Any three year old Inuk knows that!" And later her father scolded Moshi by saying "Your friend doesn't know any better, but you do!" Jessica is portrayed as not only ignorant, but lacking in common sense and fortitude.

Loaded Words:

The language mentioned above is insulting to the character of Jessica.

Tokenism:

The Native people shown in the book all have the same facial features. They all look alike. The only characters we get to know are Moshi and her father. They are each presented as individuals with specific personalities.

Distorted history:

The story of the greenhorn new-comer from the south is a recurrent experience for northern people. This story emphasizes the specialized knowledge Native people have about how to survive in their environment. This knowledge often has to be taught to new-comers. The author in this book has emphasized that the Native characters are the experts in this context.

Distorted lifestyles:

The lifestyle of the Native people in this story is presented realistically.

Dialogue

The language between Moshi and her parents is stilted and unnatural. Would a father call his daughter in the course of a normal conversation, "little one"?

Standards of success:

It is Native knowledge that is celebrated in this book. Jessica's little white dog is mocked as being more of a cat than a dog. And later Moshi is told that Jessica doesn't know what she is doing. Even Moshi tells Jessica that she is ignorant.

Role of Women:

The only woman in the story is Moshi's mother. She has a minimal role and only one line of dialogue. She is seen sitting on the couch holding a baby. Her speech is described as "gentle".

Role of elders:

There are no elders in this story.

Effect on Children's self esteem:

There is nothing in the story that would hurt or embarrass a Native child. However, a white child might be hurt or embarrassed by the role of Jessica.

Author's background:

The author has lived and taught in Native communities in the north for many years.

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