From School Library Journal Grade 2-6?Tiktala is a modern Inuit girl who wants to be a soapstone carver， but first she must find her spirit helper. The beginning of the story， in which Tiktala goes to a town meeting called to determine who is "...willing to learn the secrets of the old carvers，" is slow and predictable. But once the girl begins her search and becomes a seal， the action and interest pick up. She swims with another seal， Tulimak， who does not trust humans. Only when Tiktala defends her friend's pup from a man with a club does she truly understand the seal and how to carve its image. The illustrations lead one to surmise that Tiktala and her people are Greenland Inuit. The book is much like Rafe Martin's The Boy Who Lived with Seals (Putnam， 1993) and Michelle Renner's The Girl Who Swam with the Fish (Alaska Northwest， 1995)， but has a more noble purpose. The save-the-seals theme is not overly emphasized， even though it isn't too subtle for young readers to absorb. Shaw-MacKinnon introduces children to the demands of the creative spirit while increasing their awareness of the needs of nature and the role humans play in protecting wildlife.?Mollie Bynum， formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School， Anchorage， AKCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Booklist Ages 6^-8. After expressing her wish to become a great soapstone carver， Tiktala， a young Inuit girl， is sent to find her spirit helper. Transformed into a harp seal， Tiktala gains the understanding and wisdom she needs to return to her people and begin practicing her carving. Softly colored illustrations in cool blues and greens fill the double-page spreads， beautifully showing how the seals live and Tiktala's homecoming. A pleasant addition to the multicultural shelf， with somewhat more text than the traditional picture-book selection. Karen Hutt See all Editorial Reviews"