I Would Give You My Tail by Tanya Tagaq, illustrated by Qavavau Manumie
CBC Books | Posted: April 11, 2025 7:43 PM | Last Updated: April 11
Beautifully illustrated with a cloth-like spine, this imaginative picture book shares an Inuk child's experience with gratitude and celebrates family connections from the newest siblings to cherished Elders.
A young boy, Kalluk, leaves his camp to tell his grandmother that his mother is about to have a baby. Along the way, Kalluk meets different animals and he asks them why they are so happy. The rabbits say they love to be fast enough to outrun the fox and clever enough to know when to hide. They are happy to protect each other from the winter wind: "I'd give you my tail if I could!" they say. A mother fox tells the boy her pups make her happy (and her pups say their mother makes them happy: "We would give her our tails if we could!" they say. Even the river and the wind have reasons to be happy. Kalluk's encounters with nature make him reflect on his gratitude for all it provides.
On the trip back, Kalluk and his grandmother talk about happiness, peace and choices. They speak to the ravens and get a lift from the wind right to Kalluk's doorstep. And waiting inside is a new baby sister! Holding her in his arms, Kalluk discovers a new reason to be thankful. (From Tundra Books)
Tanya Tagaq is an Inuk writer and Juno Award-winning throat singer. Her first novel, Split Tooth, set in 1970s Nunavut, won the Indigenous Voices Award for best published prose in English in 2019. She also wrote the picture book, It Bears Repeating, illustrated by Cee Pootoogook.
Qavavau Manumie is an artist and Master Stonecut Printmaker from Brandon, Man. He lives in Kinngait, Nunavut.