Photo: Johnny May’s candy drop immortalized in new children’s book

It’s all candy-sweet smiles at the Pitakallak School library Dec. 18 for the official release of “The Kuujjuaq Christmas Candy Drop,” a children’s book written by Linda Brand, middle, about Nunavik’s most famous bush pilot Johnny May, right, and his annual tradition of flying over Kuujjuaq on Christmas day to drop candy on the town, something he’s done for 50 years. Ida Saunders, left, translated the book into Inuktitut from English. May is known throughout Canada and beyond for his fearless search and rescue operations and his tireless contribution to Inuit aviation, logging more than 34,000 hours of flight time thus far in his career. Brand, from the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, tells the story of how May flies low over the Nunavik hamlet on Christmas day to drop candy and gifts, continuing a tradition began by his father, who used to throw candy from a rooftop. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)