JAMES HOUSTON, Canadian author and artist, made his first journey to the Canadian Arctic in 1948 in search of a new land to paint. There he found a warm, friendly people living in a vast, cold, and hauntingly beautiful world. He lived with the Inuit and Indian people in the Arctic for twelve years and grew to understand them and their way of life. He has since traveled widely in the Arctic region, from Iceland to Alaska, as well as in Scandinavia, Russia, Mexico, and Europe. Mr. Houston is the award-winning author and illustrator of many successful children's books that vividly portray the striking landscape of the Arctic and its strong and independent people.