Children of the Arctic

In Short

This semi-autobiographical children's narrative records the Arctic voyages of Marie Ahnighito Peary, the young daughter of explorer Robert Peary. Journeying aboard the steamship Windward with her mother, "Ah-ni-ghi-to" travels from eastern Canada to Danish Greenland and high-latitude Inuit settlements. Through excerpts of her diary and observational prose, the book details wintering in frozen harbors, building snow play-houses, and sharing daily life with local Greenlandic families. It survives as an intimate, child-centered historical document offering a rare period look at polar exploration and northern native culture through a young girl's eyes.

The Story

The narrative opens after young Marie Ahnighito Peary, known as the "Snow Baby," has returned from an early trip to the Arctic. Living in the United States, attending kindergarten, and adjusting to the arrival of a newborn sister, she eagerly awaits the next opportunity to join her father, explorer Robert Peary, on his polar expeditions. In July 1900, Marie and her mother board the steamship Windward at Sydney, Cape Breton. As they sail north along Labrador and cross the Straits of Belle Isle, Marie chronicles the voyage in her diary, keeping company with a shipboard kitten and enjoying deck swings provided by Captain Sam Bartlett.

Reaching Greenland, the vessel stops at Godhavn, where Marie encounters Danish administrators, local turf-and-stone homes, and native tradesmen who visit the ship in skin canoes. The expedition continues across treacherous, ice-choked Melville Bay. Sun-melted icebergs roll over with deafening roars, and intense glare forces Marie to wear dark goggles. The Windward arrives at Etah to find that Peary is not at his winter house; letters left behind direct the vessel three hundred miles further north to Fort Conger.

Beset by dense sea ice, the ship is forced to winter in a northern shelter. The crew and passengers settle in for months of polar darkness. Marie forms close friendships with local Inuit children, particularly a girl named Achatingwah. Together they go coasting under starlight, build a decked-out reception tent on the sea ice, and learn about the constellations—such as TOOK-TOK-SUE, the sky-reindeer. Marie learns how native families construct insulated turf igloos, keep soapstone blubber lamps burning, and care for infants in fur hoods.

The long polar night breaks as spring returns. In May 1901, Peary unexpectedly arrives at the ship on his birthday, reuniting the family after three years apart. Summer brings flower-gathering walks, bird hunting, and a challenging six-mile hike over rocky cliffs and snowbanks between Etah and the harbor. Although Peary stays behind to continue his pursuit of the North Pole, Marie and her mother depart on the relief ship Erik in late August 1901.

The narrative concludes with a final return voyage aboard the Windward. Marie manages a menagerie of polar pets—a musk-ox calf named Daisy, white Arctic rabbits, and a litter of sledge-dog puppies—intended for the New York Zoological Garden. After steering the ship alongside Captain Sam and saying tearful goodbyes to her companion Koodluktoo, Marie returns to America, leaving her arctic playground behind.

How It Unfolds

Setting sail for the frozen north Marie leaves her home in the United States, traveling north through Cape Breton to board the Windward. Her early journal entries describe compact ship cabins, foggy sealanes, and friendly interactions with sailors and shipboard pets.

Crossing into Danish Greenland The vessel halts at Godhavn, where Marie observes turf-roofed huts, native schoolmasters, and the small community of Danish officials. Local residents paddle out in kayaks to trade handcrafted miniatures for tea, sugar, and biscuits.

Traversing the northern ice fields Navigating through Melville Bay, the Windward rams through rotting sea ice under twenty-four hours of daylight. Marie watches giant icebergs capsize into boiling foam and wears dark goggles against the intense glare of the sunlit snow.

Trapped by the winter freeze Finding Peary absent from Etah, the ship attempts to press northward but becomes locked in harbor ice for ten months. The crew and passengers adapt to the polar night, relying on stored provisions and local wild game.

Life in the winter settlement Marie forms bonds with native children like Achatingwah, learning native lore and exploring turf igloos. They construct a decorated play-tent on the frozen sea, complete with draped flags, box furniture, and snow-banked walls.

Reunion and the journey home Peary returns to the ship in spring, bringing news and joining his family for outdoor summer excursions. Marie collects Arctic pets—including a musk-ox calf and sledge puppies—before making the long journey back to American ports.

The People

• Marie Ahnighito Peary ("AH-NI-GHI-TO")

A young, adventurous girl born in the Arctic who longs to reunite with her explorer father. She approaches the cold landscape with curiosity, adapting easily to ship life, playing with native children, learning local customs, and caring for young animals.

• Robert Peary ("Father / Dear Old Dad")

An ambitious polar explorer dedicated to reaching the North Pole. Separated from his family for years at a time, he relies on local resources and dogs, maintaining a warm, encouraging bond with his young daughter whenever they reunite.

• Mrs. Peary ("Mother")

Marie's mother, who manages the household aboard ship, oversees Marie's education, and coordinates holiday festivities during the long wintering. She maintains family routines amidst dangerous ice conditions.

• Captain Sam Bartlett

The cheerful master of the Windward. He safeguards the ship through ice-jammed waters, rigs deck swings for Marie, joins in shipboard games, and teaches her how to steer the vessel.

• Achatingwah

A twelve-year-old Inuit girl who becomes Marie's primary winter playmate. She teaches Marie about native constellations, explains local legends, and demonstrates how her family constructs and maintains their soapstone-lamp-heated igloo.

• Koodluktoo

A young native boy who plays with Marie, helps look after her sled dogs and rabbits, and shares in her outdoor excursions over the ice.

In Its Own Voice

"The poor old 'ice palace' would roll over and over and rock and sway and totter until at last it regained its balance."

This observation captures Marie's impression of a giant, top-heavy iceberg flipping over in the sunlit arctic waters.

"Achatinǵwah says the stars in this are a herd of reindeer in the sky. The Eskimos call it TOOK-TOK´-SUE."

Here, Marie records her native playmate's explanation of the Great Dipper constellation while the two girls go coasting under the polar sky.

"Then a great giant all dressed in bear and deer skins was coming toward the bed asking for his baby, and here was Father really and truly, safe and well..."

Marie describes the early-morning moment when her father unexpectedly arrives at the icebound ship on his birthday.

What It's Really About

Beneath its charming account of a child's northern expedition, the book explores cultural exchange, domesticity in extreme environments, and childhood adaptability. It contrasts Western maritime life with the self-sufficient traditions of northern Greenlandic communities. Rather than framing the Arctic purely as a desolate expanse to be conquered, the narrative presents it as a lively home populated by close-knit families. Marie's experiences show how play, celebration, and friendship cross language barriers, transforming a bleak winter entrapment into a place of warmth, discovery, and shared humanity.

Why Read It Today

Children of the Arctic offers modern readers a delightful primary perspective on historical polar exploration. Far removed from grim survival journals, this account presents the far north through the candid, observation-rich perspective of a child. Readers interested in early 20th-century history, travel, or native northern cultures will find its everyday details—from soapstone blubber lamps to makeshift Christmas trees built with wire and wax—thoroughly engaging.

The book moves at a gentle, anecdotal pace. Readers should note that it contains period terminology, archaic spellings, and typical turn-of-the-century attitudes toward indigenous populations and wildlife hunting. However, Marie's genuine warmth, curiosity, and respect for her companions make the text inviting. What stays with the reader is the image of children playing on the sea ice beneath the stars, bridging two very different worlds through simple, shared joy.