Baker Lake (Oct 20/04) - A world full of promise, legends, beauty and adventure came to life for youth in Baker Lake earlier this month.

From famous children's authors to local storytellers, the spoken and written words joined together to fuel the imaginations and whet the appetites of discovery within Baker's most impressionable young minds.

The event was an afternoon Storytelling Festival held at the Thomas Tapatai Library to celebrate Nunavut Literacy Week on Oct. 9.

Festival a success

The festival was the first event of its kind to be held in the new community library, which opened in early September.

The event was a great success, thanks to the help of community volunteer readers and a number of elders who told legends or stories in Inuktitut.

Community librarian Susan MacIsaac says the focus of the Storytelling Festival was on children's stories.

She says during the course of the festival, close to 60 children and adults were immersed in wonder as they listened to elders and volunteers retell traditional Inuit tales and recite modern children's classics such as Robert Munsch's A Promise is a Promise.

"The goal of the Storytelling Festival was to celebrate family literacy and the art of telling a good story, especially local stories and legends or Northern themes," says MacIsaac.

"We have some really good storytellers here in Baker Lake."

MacIsaac says the stories captivated the children until the final tale was told, and she hopes the sparks of interest continue to grow.

"I was amazed at how many kids listened to stories for the entire afternoon -- kids who normally don't sit still for that long.

"I hope the people who came to the Storytelling Festival will continue to read and visit the library long after Nunavut Literacy Week has ended."