The story of how the world came to be on the turtle's back can be found in Indigenous cultures throughout North America/Turtle Island. It has many variations. This moving version of the tale—a story of resilience, sacrifice, and friendship—is one that Annie Picard was often told as a child by her maternal grandmother while they lived in nutshimit (on the land) in the Labrador/Quebec peninsula. Picard's lovely re-telling of this traditional Innu story of how little muskrat makes an enormous sacrifice to help the wolverine and his other friends rebuild the world after a great flood is brought vividly to life by Elizabeth Jancewicz's stunning illustrations.

Annie Picard is an Innu woman born in Sept. Iles, Quebec, in 1977; in 1980, after some very hard circumstances, she moved to Sheshatshiu, with her mother and younger brother. Upon her arrival there, she quickly went into the care of her maternal grandparents, where she learned to speak her mother tongue—Innu-aimun—and was taught about the very rich culture of her Innu background. She lived six months out of the year in nutshimit in the Innu homeland Nitassinan. One of her best memories of that time is when her grandparents used to tell her the legends of her people every night before bed.

Annie Picard's profile page

Elizabeth Jancewicz grew up in Kawawachikamach and Schefferville, Quebec, and draws much of her inspiration from the flora and fauna of that area. After leaving to attend art school in New York, she retains close ties to her childhood by continuing illustrate books and curriculum from First Nations communities in northern Quebec, Ontario, and Labrador.

Elizabeth Jancewicz's profile page

Anne Nuna started working at the school in her home community of Sheshatshiu in 1990 and continues to work there as an Innu-aimun curriculum developer. She also does a lot of other interpretation work for various organizations. The love of her language Innu-aimun was passed down to her by her mother. She enjoys doing this important work of keeping her language alive, and helping to ensure that Innu children continue to speak and read and write it.

Anne Nuna's profile page