The Orphan and the Polar Bear

by Sakiasi Qaunaq, Eva Widermann (Illustrator)

Overview

In The Orphan and the Polar Bear, an orphaned boy who is abandoned on the sea ice by a group of cruel hunters is discovered and adopted by a polar bear elder. While living in the polar bear’s village, the orphan learns many lessons about survival, but most importantly, he learns something about himself and his own place in the world. This book—retold by Inuit elder Sakiasi Qaunaq—makes this beautiful traditional tale widely accessible for the first time.

"[T]he folkloric narrative and lush artwork command attention" - Publishers Weekly

"This is a great book to introduce people to a culture with which they may not be familiar, and a fantastic way of preserving a story for future generations of the people who belong to it. Highly Recommended." - CM Magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781926569819
Publisher:	Inhabit Media
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sakiasi Qaunaq was born in 1942, at Alangnarjuk, a campsite near Igloolik, but has lived most of his life in the Arctic Bay area. His grandmother told him stories as a child-including The Orphan and the Polar Bear-and fostered in him a love for traditional legends that persists to this day. In his youth the stories were told for entertainment, but today he feels their re-telling is crucial to sustaining Inuit traditions and culture.

Eva Widermann is a graduate of the graphic and design program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany. She worked as a graphic designer for many years before she decided to pursue her long-term dream of becoming a freelance illustrator and concept artist. Her art is deeply influenced by an unusual combination of Franco-Belgian comics, manga, and anime.

Read an Excerpt

"I have seen how the adults mistreat you, and I have often felt great
pity for your situation. I wish to teach you the skills you need to
survive, so that you will no longer be dependent on these cruel people.
Climb on my back and come with me to my village."

Editorial Reviews

Qaunaq, an Inuit elder, retells a traditional story about an orphaned boy who is educated in the ways of being “a man and a capable hunter” by a wise polar bear. Both the folkloric narrative and lush artwork command attention, though the story itself may puzzle readers at times. The unnamed orphan lives with his grandmother and a group of hunters; the boy accompanies the men on walrus-hunting expeditions, but they abandon him after each one (why is never made clear), forcing him to find his way back alone. On one occasion, the boy is confronted by a polar bear that briefly transforms into a man, then takes the boy back to a bear colony where the boy learns to defend himself. In the book’s most dramatic but fuzzy sequence, the boy kills an aggressor polar bear; soon after, the bear resurrects itself and, after screaming angrily for the boy, suddenly extends the paw of friendship. Widermann’s dramatic and sharply drawn pictures of the bears and the icy polar landscape go a long way toward smoothing over the story’s rougher patches. Ages 6–10. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"[T]he folkloric narrative and lush artwork command attention"—Publishers Weekly

"An evocative story that provides a window into an often-ignored culture."—Kirkus Reviews

"This is a great book to introduce people to a culture with which they may not be familiar, and a fantastic way of preserving a story for future generations of the people who belong to it. Highly Recommended."—CM Magazine

From the Publisher

12/01/2013
K-Gr 2—In this tale retold by a contemporary Inuit storyteller, an orphaned youngster is repeatedly abandoned on an ice floe by the seal hunters of his tribe who hope for his death. He is eventually rescued by a polar bear in human form who takes the boy to his own community and teaches him the skills necessary to survive in this harsh land. When he is able to hunt and fight, he is returned to his own kind, having been taught how to become a man. Lovely watercolor illustrations dominated by blue and white hues place readers into the chilly landscape and lend credence to this simple, but cruel tale. The lesson of self-reliance is implied in this stilted translation, but not made explicit enough for younger children. The boy shows no gratitude to his animal rescuers, seems to harbor no resentment against his human tribesmen, and has an unknown future. Useful for folktale collections, but marginal for general storytelling.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY

School Library Journal

An Inuit folktale of an orphan boy who is trained by polar bears to become a man and a capable hunter. Long ago, when people didn't have rifles, they hunted walrus using harpoons. Each day, an orphan boy accompanies the hunters, but at the end of each hunt, they abandon him. He walks the long way back to camp, following the tracks of the dog teams. One day, he hears someone behind him; it's a huge polar bear who transforms himself into a man and tells the boy to return with him to the island of his bear camp. There the bear teaches him the skills to survive, including seal hunting. A large bear that repeatedly bullies him and takes his catch proves to be his greatest challenge, but his new skills have also taught him courage. The foreword from the publisher credits Canadian North storytelling traditions, the storyteller and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Nunavut government, with whom they worked to make the book true to Inuit culture. The blue-toned illustrations realistically portray the landscape, while the text reads with the voice of a storyteller. An evocative story that provides a window into an often-ignored culture. (Picture book/folklore. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews