Jake and Kamik are finally ready to run their first dog sled race with a full team! But there is a lot to do to prepare, and Jake must follow his uncle’s lead if he and his dogs are going to be ready for the early spring race.

Kamik Takes the Lead is the fourth installment in the Kamik series of books following Kamik: An Inuit Puppy Story, Kamik’s First Sled, and Kamik Joins the Pack. Books in this series share traditional dog-rearing practices and dog-training techniques from the remote community of Arviat, Nunavut, through the life memories of community members. These books preserve the rich history of working dogs in Nunavut and celebrate the traditional bond between Inuit and their sled dogs.

Building on the dog-training practices outlined in Kamik Joins the Pack, Arviat, Nunavut, author and dog musher Darryl Baker shares with young readers the basic information needed to prepare a dog team for a race.

Darryl Baker est enseignant à Arviat au Nunavut. Né à Churchill au Manitoba, il a grandi à Arviat. En 2006, Darryl a obtenu son diplôme du programme de formation des enseignants du Nunavut avec d’autres Inuits de sa localité et il enseigne depuis à l’école primaire Levi Angmak. En plus de sa carrière d’enseignant, Darryl qui se passionne pour le traineau à chiens participe assidument à la Hudson Bay Quest et à d’autres courses de traineaux à chiens entre Rankin et Arviat. Jeune homme, il a commencé à élever des chiens, son intérêt lui venant de son beau frère, Bernie Sulurayok, aujourd’hui décédé. Lorsqu’il était enfant, Darryl allait souvent chasser le phoque à la limite de la banquise avec son beau-frère. Il décida finalement d’élever ses propres chiens, passant du temps de qualité avec eux, créant des liens et gagnant leur respect. Aujourd’hui, il fait encore assidument du traineau et espère transmettre sa passion à ses fils jumeaux.

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Ali Hinch has worked as a full-time illustrator in educational children’s literature since getting her degree in illustration from Sheridan College. She’s had the opportunity to work on a variety of unique projects outside of book illustration ranging from designing puppet concepts and assisting on set building to working with musicians and artists to design CDs and promotions. Currently living in Toronto, she spends a lot of time drinking iced coffee and making new dog friends.

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Louise Flaherty grew up in Clyde River, Nunavut. Early on, Louise was fortunate to be surrounded by great storytellers. Her grandparents instilled in her a passion for Inuktitut, and an understanding that speaking Inuktitut is a fundamental part of Inuit identity. In 2005, Louise co-founded Inhabit Media Inc., an independent publishing house dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Inuit knowledge and values, and the Inuktitut language. Inhabit Media has since published dozens of books and Inuktitut resources that are used in classrooms throughout Nunavut.

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