Katie views life from the warm hood of her mother's parka. From her safe vantage point, she watches as her mother catches salmon, picks plump, red berries, and leads the family's dog team across the snow. Then one spring day, Mama decides it is time for her little girl to walk on her own.

The first time Katie walks, it's a short distance - just as far as you can throw a stone. The next time it's as far as a rabbit runs, then as far as a bear roams! But trying to keep up with Mama takes all of Katie's energy. Carry me, Mama! she begs, even though Mama knows it's time for Katie to make her own way.

Carry Me, Mama is a charming story about growing up. Young children will understand Katie's mixed feelings about standing on her own two feet. Here, too, is a perfect bedtime story, as young readers follow Katie and her mother through their walks until it is time for Katie to be tucked in.

Charming illustrations by Pauline Paquin are full of life, and reflect the beauty of the northern tundra. Pauline's unique artistic style incorporates faceless figures. Remarkably expressive, these images reflect her desire for young children to see themselves as the characters in the story.

Monica Devine writes both fiction and non-fiction for children and adults, and she is a past nominee for the Golden Kite Award for outstanding work in children's non-fiction. Her titles include Carry Me, Mama, and Iditarod: The Greatest Win Ever. Monica lives in Eagle River, Alaska.

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Pauline Paquin is a self-taught artist who has shown her work in many solo and group exhibitions across Canada, the U.S., France, and Japan.

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