Picture Book Exploration: The Snow Baby

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I know, it’s a little too early in the year to bring up snow. However, when I discovered this intriguing picture book, full of actual pictures, and the life of Marie Peary, I could not wait to share it with you! The Snow Baby: the Arctic Childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary’s Daring Daughter by Katherine Kirkpatrick is one of these living picture books that transport you into a different world and time. At a time of strict convention and norms, Admiral Peary and his family were a symbol of the American spirit and of freedom to many. And seemed just plumb crazy to many others. So read on and make up your own mind.

The Snow Baby by Katherine Kirkpatrick

At first glance this picture book looks almost textbookish, so I approached it cautiously. But Katherine Kirkpatrick’s passion and knowledge of the life of Marie Peary soon drew me in and I fell in love. The beautiful black and white original pictures of Marie Peary and her family add such a charm to the story and bring to life in such a way that you almost need a blanket to read the book, lol. Katherine Kirkpatrick’s passion for the life of Marie Peary transpires through every line, making this picture book a very complete and fascinating biography of Marie. I highly recommend exploring Kathrine Kirkpatrick’s blog to discover the work she put in her research that enables her to become so familiar with her historical heroes. It is not for the faint of heart!

Who was The Snow Baby?

Marie Ahnighito Peary was born on September 12th, 1893. The daughter of famous Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary and Josephine Diebitsch Peary, she was instantly famous due to her birth place: the far North of Greenland. What was so extraordinary about being born in the North of Greenland? She was the first white child born this close to the Arctic circle, at a time when mothers and babies did not partake in adventures. However, Marie was born of very adventurous parents who were not afraid to challenge the norms of the time. Josephine Peary had always felt that her place was by her husband’s side and this was her second trip to the Arctic. And, of course Admiral Peary was one of the nineteenth century’s explorer extraordinaires

A magical childhood

Marie’s infancy was spent in the Arctic, enjoying the outdoors and the company of Inuit children. Just before her first birthday she discovered America and city life in Washington, DC. What a contrast it must have been! She returned to Greenland with her parents at the age of 4  for a short stay. This pattern was to continue throughout Marie’s childhood, divided between two worlds: America and Greenland. What an exciting and adventurous way to grow up! Resilience and a spirit of wonder and excitement carried Marie through one of the most fascinating early years of anyone’s life. In The Snow Baby, you will discover so many of her incredible adventures, her fearlessness and, the best part, all the pictures of these expeditions to the Far North as well as city life.

Making the most of it

Exploring this picture book could truly be endless! It is so rich! I could spend hours and days in the smallest details, so the following suggestions are just scratching the surface. It has really ignited in me a desire to know more about the Arctic, Admiral Peary, and others, expeditions and the Inuit people of northwest Greenland.

Geography

I love, love geography. It is one of the best modes of transportation around the world, enabling us to discover new lands and people for a pretty cheap price. This picture book affords us one of these magical “couch travelling expeditions”. Greenland and the Arctic are not places that I have ever really thought about and explored, this picture book certainly ignited a greater desire to find out more about it. So let’s spread some maps, follow Marie’s travels and discover her native land, right alongside her. If you really want to deep dive into Greenland geography I cannot recommend enough Draw Canada and Greenland by Kristin Draeger as well as Draw the Natural Wonders of Canada and Greenland by the same author.

Culture

The details contained in this book about the life of the Inuits has certainly awakened the anthropologist in me! The Inuits are a fascinating people and culture. Their resilience, their resourcefulness in an environment that appears to be so hostile to human life is incredible. Their lifestyle is so foreign to the rest of us, so intriguing. A life lived in the great outdoors in extreme conditions attracts us and awes us. Their arts and traditions are another intriguing and delightful appeal of the Inuit culture. Enjoy exploring more about this centuries old culture.

Exploring further

Here is a short book list of other works of interest to the Inuit culture and the race to the Arctic circle:

• I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez.
• Skeleton Woman, Villoldo
• Mama, Do You Love Me?, Barbara M. Joosse
• The Eskimo Twins, Lucy Fitch Perkins
• Water Sky, Jean Craighead George
• Julie series, Jean Craighead George
• Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway, Kirkpatrick Hill
• The White Archer, James Houston
  Disclaimer: most of these take place in Alaska, not Greenland.

Making it our own

Sometimes we read about incredible life stories and have a hard time absorbing all of the details. I love “re-writing” the story, so to speak for myself. Growing up I would retell the stories that I was reading and insert myself into them. My favorite was always being one of Laura and Mary Ingalls’ sisters. I have very vivid memories of reenacting the chapter read that day while falling asleep and I truly have a lifelong bond with Laura. My children create deeper bonds with people whose stories they have made their own as well. I always encourage them to become part of the story and they greatly enjoy the process.

Dinner time!

Finding a traditional Greenlandic recipe with ingredients that could be found anywhere was not as easy as it seems, but this soup sounded like a winner! Suaasat Soup is a hearty meal, most welcome when coming in from the cold (and especially the very, very cold!).
The seal meat can be replaced with beef or other meat and Gellan can be replaced by gelatin. It is definitely a soup worth trying and enjoying during the cold winter month for warmth and a hearty meal.

Picture Book Explorations

Picture Book Explorations are offered once a month from titles found in that month’s booklists. Consider them a free sample of the booklists, which are released on the 15th of the previous month. I relish creating these Explorations and sharing them with you. On occasion I will go down a rabbit trail and create Explorations unrelated to the booklists such as the Leaf Man one published earlier this week. Please subscribe to the weekly newsletter to always be apprised of new wonderful picture books and homeschooling materials! Also feel free to contact me directly if you have any special requests, I’ll try to accommodate.
Love,
Mattie

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