A story about Arctic seasons and the five senses, I Am A Rock by Ashley Qilavaq-Savard and Pelin Turgut makes a perfect bedtime story.

Pauloosie is settling down to sleep, as just like all young readers, he has a lot of questions, questions about his rock Miki Rock. Anaana answers his questions while he drifts off to sleep with Miki Rock on his nightstand.

Ashley Qilavaq-Savard’s beautiful words are a calming balm on a busy day. Throughout the story she shares the beauty of the Arctic through her vivid descriptions. I love that a rock is the vehicle to describe all the sounds, feelings, sights throughout an Arctic year. It’s a perfect book for the youngest readers and makes for an excellent bedtime story or read aloud for a large group. Older readers will enjoy the descriptions and perhaps be inspired to write from the perspective of a rock about their own communities.

Pelin Turgut’s illustrations wrap the pages in incredible colours and images. Although every inch of the page is covered in colour and illustrations, they still evoke calm and serenity. Readers will be drawn to the beautiful images of the Arctic landscape and those of us who don’t live there might be surprised at the colours and the life that the Artic has to offer all through the year.