In this story, the patience of a little musk ox is sorely tried when he suffers an itch that he can’t scratch. There’s not a tree in sight—nothing to rub against for relief—so he wanders away from his herd looking for a branch, a rock pile, anything to scratch on. On his journey, he meets with three individuals: A buffalo, a wolf, and a woman. Through his interaction with each one, he learns something new and affirming about himself before at last returning to his herd.
Endnotes include information about how musk ox were native to Alaska until they went extinct in 1865, and then reintroduced in the early 1930s; biological/behavioral details about the animals; and info about the cottage industry among Native villages in which women knit the qiviut (KIV-ee-oot), the rare underwool, into beautiful, warm garments. An additional "Learn More" section provides facts and information about the animal and about qiviut, the soft and warm wool which comes from musk ox.
