True Story of Survival

Inhabit Media publishes exciting stories from the north, focusing on Inuit traditions, stories and people. In How I Survived Four Nights on the Ice by Serapio Ittusardjuat and Matthew K. Hoddy we learn how traditional teachings still apply in present day.

In this retelling of Serapio Ittusadjuat’s experience getting lost on the ice on his way back from the fishing camp, he must rely on the teachings of his elders from when he was a young child to help keep him alive until help can arrive. Told in graphic novel form this story is fascinating and really accessible to all readers. There is a ton of knowledge to be gained from this story. I don’t think I will ever forget that my clothing mustn’t get wet if I’m lost in the winter because then hypothermia will set in. The patience that was required is inspiring. There is no panic in the words of the story, simply facts. When he needed water, he worked out how to get some. When his snowmobile broke down, he patiently waited until daylight to fix it. The whole story is a calm and deliberate tale.

The simple, straightforward colour palette and absence of flashy extras by Matthew K. Hoddy, perfectly compliment the words of the story. You can feel the vastness of the terrain and the methodical way of survival in the pictures as much as the text. 

A lot of the time stories like these are retold as newspaper articles or long novels filled with photos and every single minute detail of the time on the ice, making them inaccessible to young readers who crave stories about real people in real situations. I love the graphic format as it invites so many more readers into the story, learning as they read.