Oona in the Arctic
by Kelly DiPucchio
illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00For Soosay and our old friends Kind of Magic, KD, RF, with thanks to Inuit artist and activist
00:19Holly Mightycock Nordlum enrolled member of the native village of Kakitigruk for her
00:23collaboration and contributions, Oona in the Arctic, words by Kelly Dipukio, pictures by
00:29Reysa Figueroa, Oona loved surprises, shiny pearl surprises, coral reef surprises, sandy
00:36beach surprises.
00:38But when a baby beluga whale unexpectedly appeared one morning in the koi, Oona jumped
00:42and her basket of shells went flying.
00:45How in the world did you get here?
00:47Oona cooed at the baby.
00:48She had never seen a beluga whale in the warm waters where she lived.
00:52The poor calf looked lost and frightened.
00:55Otto wasted no time trying to make their new visitor feel welcome.
00:58Oona did the same offering her a slice of kelp cake.
01:01And then another.
01:02And another.
01:03When the cake is gone, the hungry whale ate 99 sushi rolls, a bucket of chowder, and an
01:09entire plate of sea salt cookies.
01:11But the whale still looked sad.
01:13I think she misses her home, Oona whispered to Otto.
01:16The young whale began to wail.
01:18Oona and Otto agreed.
01:20Somehow, they'd find her family.
01:22Like most treasure hunters, Oona had a collection of old ship maps and broken compasses.
01:27She tinkered.
01:28And tapped.
01:29And tweezed until.
01:30Ta-da!
01:31It worked.
01:32After a night of rest, Oona, Otto, and the baby whale set out on their long journey north
01:37to cooler waters where belugas made their home.
01:39The travelers passed sailboats and swordfish freighters and fan-dales.
01:44As the temperature dropped, the sea and its creatures became more and more unfamiliar.
01:49Oona lived in the water, but she knew a thing or two about the sky.
01:52And this one liked trouble.
01:54Messy trouble.
01:55Tricky trouble.
01:56Oh no!
01:58Here comes a storm kind of trouble!
02:01The waves grew as tall as mountains!
02:05An angry swell tossed Oona into the air!
02:08The compass!
02:10Oona reached for it.
02:11But it was too late.
02:12The weary crew took Scheller with the king crabs and waited out the storm.
02:16When the Arctic Sea finally calmed down, Oona examined the map.
02:20It was badly torn and useless.
02:23How would they ever find their way?
02:25Oona shivered.
02:26The cold water became strangely still as a giant iceberg pushed toward them like a
02:30ghost ship.
02:31Do they swim to the right?
02:32To the left?
02:33Oona didn't know.
02:34She felt like crying.
02:36But there wasn't time.
02:37The pushy, pushy iceberg was about to crush them!
02:40Swim right!
02:41She ordered.
02:42Oona dove through the icy waters with renewed confidence.
02:46She couldn't follow her map, but she could follow her heart.
02:49Oona hoped she was done with surprises.
02:52But the ocean had one more in store for her.
03:15The mermaid's name was Isiku which meant ice.
03:17Her adorable friend was Star.
03:19He flipped.
03:20He yipped.
03:22He tripped.
03:23The girls giggled.
03:24Oona explained that she was trying to return the lost whale to her home.
03:28I can help, Isiku said enthusiastically.
03:31To Gullick.
03:32She whistled and a narwhal appeared.
03:34His horn pointed the way.
03:36When the narwhal could travel no farther polar bears appeared to offer guidance.
03:40Followed by a walrus, a few kind strangers, and a flock of snow geese.
03:45For the first time since their adventure began, the young whale smiled and took the lead.
03:51Isiku grinned.
03:52She hears her family.
03:53Oona smiled with relief.
03:55Baby Beluga was home.
03:57Oona lived in the water, but she knew a thing or two about the sky.
04:00And this one looked like magic.
04:02Happy magic.
04:04Found magic.
04:05A new friend's kind of magic.
04:07The end.