A Promise Is a Promise

by Robert Munsch, Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak, Michael Kusugak

Book Overview

When Allashua disobeys her parents and goes fishing on the sea ice, she has to use her wits to escape the Qallupilluit--the troll-like creatures her parents have always warned her about that live... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550370081
• ISBN13: 9781550370089
• Release Date: May 1988
• Publisher: Annick Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

A great book for learning!

I'm fascinated about this book. It contains 3 bits information.#1. you can not break a promise#2. stay away from the ocean#3. have an adult supervising you.I hope there are more books like this!

a promise is a promise

This book is a good book because it relates to real life and evenmine.Its like if you really want to to do something so badly so you lie but just like guilt tthe quallapillious will catch you and youll have to live with guilt forever until you admit it and the guilt will leave you.I think kids trying to clean up their lives should read this.I give this book a rating of 4 and a half

Keeping promises

The Qallupilluq is an imaginary Inuit creature that lives on Hudson Bay, according to the book's afterward. This troll-like thing wears a parka made of loon feathers and is said to grab children when they walk near the cracks in the ice.This creature was invented much like others' hobgoblins, to frighten children into listening to their parents.This version of an encounter with the Qallupilluit comes from Michael Kusugak, an Inuit man who was raised in the Arctic. He sent it to Robert Munsch, who had stayed with Kusugak's family while visiting Rankin Inlet in Canada's Northwest Territories.The result is a dance with some of the greater truths that transcend all cultures. Alyssa A. Lappen

Teaches culture and morals.

Colorful pictures of a cultural heritage tell a scary story that teaches the reader that "a promise is a promise." Allashua lives in the North West Territories where she goes ice fishing on lakes and at the ocean. Her parents warn her of the Qallupilluit, imaginary troll-like creatures that seize children who are out on the ocean ice without their parents. Allashua is caught and promises to return with her brothers and sisters. She must keep her promise but her parents must also protect them from the Qallupilluit. The story might scare some young children, but the ending is a happy one. The sentence "a promise is a promise," is repeated throughout the book. With the threat of the Qallupilluit, children learn not to disobey their parents, always to keep a promise, and where applicable, to not go onto the ice alone. It is a good story that gives insight into one small part of Inuit culture. A good book for multicultural themes.

A happy-ending kids book with a haunting twist and meaning.

In this vividly illustrated children's book, an Inuit girl disobeys her parents and goes out on the dangerous sea ice. She is stolen by the dangerous Kallipilluit people who live under the ice. As they drag her under they tell her she will never see her parents or brothers or sisters again. To escape, she makes a rash promise to deliver her brothers and sisters to them. When she tells her parents about her promise after they warm her up from near-death, they figure out a way to honor their daughter's promise but still save their children from the Kallipilluit. And they succeed at rescuing their children without compromising their values. This story is a fable which teaches about Inuit culture while illustrating important psychological issues of trust, parental responsiblilty, and truth-telling. A savvy parent or therapist might well use this story as a starting point for a discussion of these issues. Or one can equally well just enjoy the story and pictures.