KUGAARUK/PELLY BAY - Two students in the Nunavut Teachers Education Program in Kugaaruk are the proud authors of two Inuktitut children's books published earlier this month.

Sandra Niptayuk and Christina Immingark both wrote books about their daughters as part of a class assignment during NTEP almost three years ago, said Niptayuk.

Nunavut Teacher Education Program student Christine Immingark is the author of Qaumayurlu Qa'mattiarlu Nukariikuluk, an Inuktitut children's book published earlier this month. - photo courtesy of Christine Immingark

"In 2006, I wrote the book and three years later I got the copy of it so it took like three years to get everything finished," she said.

"When we went into NTEP, we had a teacher and she made us write stories about anything," she said. "I decided to make a story about my daughter."

Niptayuk wrote her book, Paniga, about her daughter's transition from babyhood to becoming a little girl.

"It's about my daughter as she's growing up from when she was a little baby until now," she said. "She learned how to walk and crawl and then sing and then talk, it's all about my panik."

She said her book is written only in Inuktitut and is for children in kindergarten until about Grade 2.

"It's in syllabics and roman orthography," she said.

Her classmate Immingark also wrote her book about her daughters, who are now five and six years old.

"It's about my two baby girls, when they got up in the morning, they went down to the kitchen and they both asked for milk for their bottles," she said.

Her book, Qaumayurlu Qa'mattiarlu Nukariikuluk or Two Sisters is about sharing, which is demonstrated after the older sister in the book grabs a toy away from her younger sister, then comforts her when she starts crying.

Niptayuk said her book is scheduled to be distributed to elementary schools throughout Nunavut.

"I got a letter from KSO saying that it's going to every school in Nunavut," she said. "Every school in Nunavut will have a copy of that book that I wrote."

Niptayuk said her daughter is definitely one of the biggest fans of the book.

"She knows it's about her," she said. "She made me read it to her 20 times."