I Would Give You My Tail - by Tanya Tagaq (Hardcover)

About the Book

"... shares an Inuk child's experience with gratitude and celebrates family connections from the newest siblings to cherished Elders."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! - A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2025! - Beautifully illustrated with a cloth-like spine, this imaginative picture book shares an Inuk child's experience with gratitude and celebrates family connections from the newest siblings to cherished Elders.

A young boy, Kalluk, leaves his camp to tell his grandmother that his mother is about to have a baby. Along the way, Kalluk meets different animals and he asks them why they are so happy. The rabbits say they love to be fast enough to outrun the fox and clever enough to know when to hide. They are happy to protect each other from the winter wind: "I'd give you my tail if I could!" they say. A mother fox tells the boy her pups make her happy (and her pups say their mother makes them happy: "We would give her our tails if we could!" they say. Even the river and the wind have reasons to be happy. Kalluk's encounters with nature make him reflect on his gratitude for all it provides.

On the trip back, Kalluk and his grandmother talk about happiness, peace and choices. They speak to the ravens and get a lift from the wind right to Kalluk's doorstep. And waiting inside is a new baby sister! Holding her in his arms, Kalluk discovers a new reason to be thankful.

Review Quotes

A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens, Fall 2025

"Each word of throat singer and songwriter Tagaq's unhurried narrative is steeped in love and reverence for nature, while her characters are generous of spirit, brought to life with heartwarming simplicity by Manumie's spare colored pencil drawings. Uplifting in tone and engaging in delivery, this picture book honors Inuk wisdom, storytelling, and kinship. A poetic homage to Indigenous families and their deep-seated connections to the natural world." --STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

"A gratitude-enriched lesson for children that everyone has a different purpose, this book has a quiet but lasting impact for lessons on being true to oneself." --STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"In layered prose, Inuk author Tagaq subtly models themes of interconnection and thanking the natural world for gifts received. Spare, fine-lined illustrations from Manumie, making his picture book debut, retain colored pencil textures as the child makes his way home and, in a stirring moment smartly rendered, begins to pass the lessons he's learned on to his new sibling." --STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

"The relaxed, unhurried pace of Tagaq's poetic storytelling allows room for contemplation and observation. Inuktitut words are woven seamlessly into the text, and a translation and pronunciation guide is included. Inuit artist Manumie's harmonious, precisely composed colored-pencil illustrations resemble stonecut prints, highlighting Kalluk's connection to the land and nature. This authentic and meaningful picture book celebrates Inuit culture and is an exquisite meditation on gratitude, kindness, and kinship." --STARRED REVIEW, Booklist

"Tagaq's story is deeply moving, encouraging both child and adult readers alike to reflect on their relationships with other people, animals, and the environment and to consider what we can offer each other. Manumie's illustrations are simple, whimsical and imaginative, and perfectly compliment the text. Full of gentle wisdom and an Inuktitut translation and pronunciation guide, I Would Give You My Tail is a truly special book that belongs on every bookshelf." --Quebec Library Association

"[P]recision and care has brought out a true joy and appreciation for the world being depicted." --Young Adulting

"When his mother goes into labor, Kalluk is asked to bring his grandmother back to help. As he goes, he is fully engaged in the natural world that surrounds him, and the creatures who share his world. . . . Kalluk's gratitude grows with his grandmother's advice, as well as what is given by all of the other encounters he has on this journey." --Sal's Fiction Addiction

About the Author

TANYA TAGAQ is a Canadian (Inuk) throat singer from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuutiaq), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island. She is an author, improvisational performer, avant-garde composer, and experimental recording artist who won the 2014 Polaris Music Prize for her album Animism, a work that disrupted the music world in Canada and beyond with its powerfully original vision. Tanya's most recent album Retribution was released in fall 2016. Her first book for adults, Split Tooth has received numerous accolades and awards. Tanya's first picture book, It Bears Repeating, will publish in fall 2024.

QAVAVAU MANUMIE was born in Brandon, Manitoba. He returned to Kinngait, Nunavut, as a very young child and now lives there with his son and grandchildren. In 1978, Qavavau began his career as an artist by packing and shipping carvings, and he is now a Master Stonecut Printmaker at Kinngait Studios. His art is idiosyncratic and often amusing in its depictions of Inuit legends and mythology, Arctic wildlife and contemporary aspects of Inuit life.