Angelou Maya - Mayas World Izak of Lapland

Text copyright 2004 by Maya Angelou. Illustrations copyright 2004 by Lizzy Rockwell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House Childrens Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Angelou, Maya. Izak of Lapland / by Maya Angelou ; illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell. 1st ed. p. cm.
A Random House pictureback book.
SUMMARY: A Sami boy who lives with his family in Lapland teaches his little brother how to take care of reindeer.
ISBN 978-0-375-82833-1 (trade)
ISBN 978-0-375-92833-8 (lib. bdg.)
ISBN 978-0-449-81831-2 (ebook)
1. Sami (European people)Juvenile fiction. [1. Sami (European people) Fiction. 2. Brothers Fiction. 3. Reindeer Fiction. 4. Lapland Fiction.] I. Rockwell, Lizzy, ill. II. Title.
PZ7.A5833Iz 2004 [E] dc22 2003019892
PICTUREBACK, RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

v3.1

When I was a little girl,

I looked around at my world.

It was small, so was I.

Then my world began to grow

With each child I came to know.

Now I try,

Now I dare

To make a new friend

Everywhere.

L et me tell you about my friend Izak. He is a boy from Lapland. Some folks used to call Izaks people Lapps, but not anymore. Izak loves to say that a lap is something all people make when they sit down, but that he is not that kind of lap! He is a Sami, whose family herds reindeer. And now I will tell you all about him.

When Izak was only six, his father gave him his very own reindeer to take care of. Izak named him Totti. Izak loved Totti and called him his deer friend. He thought that was very funny!

Here is a picture that Izak drew of himself in a traditional Sami outfit, which he wears for special occasions. His coat and hat are beautiful bright blue with red and yellow embroidery, and his mittens and boots are made from reindeer skin.

Izak went to school in the winter. But in summer, his family herded reindeer up in the mountains.

Lapland is way far up in the Arctic Circle at the top of the earth, in what some people call the land of the midnight sun. They call it that because in summer, it is as light out at midnight as it is in late afternoon. Why, the sun never sets!

Izak had two big sisters, named Elina and Jannie, and one little brother, who wanted to be just like him. His brothers name was Yaaupti Utsi, and you just try and say that five times fast! Yaaupti was five years old and copied everything Izak did. If Izak caught a reindeer, Yaaupti tried to catch one, too. Whoa! Reindeer run very, very fast.

What a baby! said Elina and Jannie when they saw Yaaupti crying. But Izak picked him up and tickled him, and in no time he had Yaaupti laughing again.

Maybe someday youll have a reindeer of your own, Izak told his little brother.

Izak taught Yaaupti everything he knew about reindeer. Reindeer like punctuality, so you have to be on time. If I am late letting Totti out to graze, he just sits down and waits for me with this awful look on his face, explained Izak.

Izak taught Yaaupti about the things reindeer like to eat. Reindeer find their own food, such as grasses and lichen. Mushrooms are Tottis favorite, said Izak, but once I fed him too many. He got sick, and lay down and wouldnt move. I stayed with him until he felt better and then took him for a run in his favorite meadow. Now I let Totti fend for himself!

And most important of all, Izak said to his brother, is that you must never leave young reindeer out at night.

Do you know why he said this? Because there are wolves and wolverines in Lapland and they are hungry for reindeer!

One afternoon, Izak and Yaaupti were playing hide-and-seek. Yaaupti loved popping out of his hiding place before Izak had a chance to find him!

When their father called them for dinner, the boys came running.

How is Totti today? Getting bigger? asked Izaks father as they all sat down to dinner.

Yaaupti tugged on Izaks sleeve and whispered, You forgot to put Totti in the pen!

Izak gasped. He grabbed his little brothers hand and jumped up. Excuse us, Mamma and Poppa, he called over his shoulder. We forgot something! Everyone was very surprised. Izak loved to eat. What could possibly be more important than supper?

Izak ran as fast as he couldas fast as Totti had taught him to runout into the meadow. Yaauptis little legs could barely keep up. Totti! Totti! they called, but the reindeer was nowhere to be seen.