“The Tale of Sleeping DOM” is a children's book that Aude Flamand created to render master's project accessible to a broader audience. The master's project, which is contribution to the scientific programs of Nunataryuk, was directed by Gwénaëlle Chaillou (ISMER-UQAR) and co-directed by Jean-François Lapierre (UdeM). It focused on the effects of permafrost thaw on the ocean and its geochemical processes in the region of the Beaufort Sea.
Born from the idea of sharing knowledge in a fun and educational manner, this book offers a unique way to explore the polar environment, the Inuvialuktun language and traditional elements. The book features a young man named DOM, representing Dissolved Organic Matter and its possible fates when exposed to environmental stressors once released by thawing permafrost, as well as a young girl named Irony who illustrates the interaction of DOM with reactive iron hydroxides.
This book was co-produced by two students from ISMER-UQAR and members of the Inuvialuit community of Tuktoyaktuk (NWT). Charlotte Tessier-Larivière brought the characters and scenes to life with beautiful illustrations, and Betty Elias, an elder from the community of Tuktoyaktuk provided a partial translation of the book in Inuvialuktun, adding cultural and linguistic richness.
A reading session was recently held by Betty (in person), and Aude and Charlotte (in virtual) at the primary school of Tuktoyaktuk where copies of the book were distributed to the students. The children actively engaged in the event, making the session interactive and enriching. More than 40 students were present at the reading.
This book was made possible with the help of the Réseau Québec Maritime (RQM), UQAR-ISMER and ArcticNet, with financial support from NSERC and Québec-Océan. This publication was also endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development as a Decade Activity.
Discover the book here.
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Author: Aude Flamand
Illustrator: Charlotte Tessier-Larivière
Inuvialuktun Translation and Sharing of Ancestral Knowledge: Betty Elias
Graphic Design: Nathalie Rioux, RQM
Publishing, communication, and coordination of the virtual launch: Viridiana Jimenez-Moratalla, RQM
