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Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

The dark sky and blue shadows make the powerful polar bear on the cover really stand out. The story of Nanuk, the Inuit name for the polar bear, is one of survival. The hungry bear hunts for food and succeeds in catching a seal. It isn't enough to satisfy his hunger, but as he is about to fill his belly with a second one, he senses danger-an Inuit hunter seeking a bear to fill the bellies of his family. His harpoon misses Nanuk, who has taken to the sea to escape. The hunter, dressed in warm furs, raises his hands high in the air to praise Nanuk, whose seal he now takes. The text is accompanied by Manchess' magnificent paintings of this Arctic world. An author's note provides context for the story.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-In parallel stories, a polar bear and a young boy both set out to hunt. Nanuk is hunting seals. The boy is hunting him. The short narrative describes in detail how Nanuk stalks and catches a seal, and how the boy and his dogs chase and wound the bear. Nanuk escapes, and the boy must make do with the bear's kill, leaving the story with a fine sense of equilibrium. Tersely told, it creates a mood of suspense that is beautifully enhanced by Manchess's evocative oil illustrations. The skilled use of frosty polar blues and violets gives a clear picture of the habitat in which both the animal and the child live. The balance of picture to text and the precision of the telling make this a superlative read-aloud. Accurate descriptions of the boy's hunting methods and the bear's fit in his environmental niche render Nanuk an apt lead-in to such nonfiction titles as Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith's Arctic Hunter (Holiday, 1992) or Downs Matthews's Polar Bear Cubs (S & S, 1991).-Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA

Kirkus Reviews

Heinz (The Wolves, 1996, etc.) and Manchess convene their talents in praise of the polar bear's fierce, free spirit. Set in the harsh ice lands of the Arctic, majestic Nanuk smells seal on the wind. Poetic descriptions trace Nanuk's hunt and near-peril as he stalks his prey—-a ringed seal. The hunger is also the hunted; alternate scenes depict a man and his dog team tracking the bear. The narrative does not spare graphic details: "Nanuk clamped his dead seal down under his right forefoot and skinned the carcass, tearing out the blubber with raking claws, staining the ice crimson." The less visceral oil paintings mix light-infused still-lifes with photo-realistic action shots. Text and art work together in symphonic anticipation, conveying the hunt in all its tension and fury. (Picture book. 5-9) .