How I Survived

After his snowmobile breaks down halfway across the sea ice on a trip back from a fishing camp, Serapio Ittusardjuat recounts the traditional skills and knowledge he leaned on to stay alive.

This harrowing first-person account of four nights spent on the open sea ice—with few supplies and no water—shows young readers the determination and strength necessary to survive in the harsh Arctic climate, even when the worst occurs.

Serapio Ittusardjuat was born in a qarmaq (sod house) at Akunniq (between Sanirajak and Igloolik, Nunavut) on February 1, 1945. He went to residential school in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, and Fort Churchill, Manitoba. He studied art, jewellery making, and metalwork at the Ottawa School of Art and Nunavut Arctic College, and was a certified journeyman mechanic. Serapio came from a long line of walrus hunters. He organized walrus hunts from his summer camp every year. He also went caribou hunting with family and friends.

Matthew K. Hoddy is an illustrator, comic book author, and animator hailing from Brisbane, Australia. Matt came to Toronto in 2014 on a working holiday and never left. His work ranges from material for children and young adults, all the way through to autobiographical and introspective works. He is co-creator of the Space Pyrates and Saga of Metalbeard comics.

Louise Flaherty grew up in Clyde River, Nunavut. Early on, Louise was fortunate to be surrounded by great storytellers. Her grandparents instilled in her a passion for Inuktitut, and an understanding that speaking Inuktitut is a fundamental part of Inuit identity. In 2005, Louise co-founded Inhabit Media Inc., an independent publishing house dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Inuit knowledge and values, and the Inuktitut language. Inhabit Media has since published dozens of books and Inuktitut resources that are used in classrooms throughout Nunavut.

• First Nation Communities Read AwardsShort-listed 2021
• Forest of Reading—Silver Birch Express AwardNominated 2022
• Red Cedar Book Award for Non-FictionShort-listed 2021