Biographical note

Qaunaq Mikkigak is an elder, artist, and throat singer from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. She was born in 1932 in the Cape Dorset area and grew up on the land in a traditional Inuit community. She was featured in the books Inuit Women Artists: Voices from Cape Dorset and Cape Dorset Sculpture. She has collaborated with author Joanne Schwartz on picture book versions of two traditional Inuit tales, The Legend of the Fog and Grandmother Ptarmigan. She is well known locally for her storytelling, and her throat singing has been featured on several recordings. Joanne Schwartz was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She has been a children’s librarian in Toronto for over twenty years. Joanne has written articles for Canadian Children’s Book News and other publications. Her picture books include Our Corner Grocery Store, City Alphabet, and City Numbers. She has collaborated with Inuit elder Qaunaq Mikkigak on picture book versions of two traditional Inuit tales, The Legend of the Fog and Grandmother Ptarmigan. Our Corner Grocery Store was nominated for the 2010 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Joanne lives in Toronto with her two daughters. Danny Christopher has travelled throughout the Canadian Arctic as an instructor for Nunavut Arctic College. He is the illustrator of The Legend of the Fog, A Children’s Guide to Arctic Birds, and Animals Illustrated: Polar Bear, and author of Putuguq and Kublu. His work on The Legend of the Fog was nominated for the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustration Award. He lives in Toronto with his wife, four children, and two dogs.