Nanuk Flies Home Book

In this sweet tale, Nanuk, a lovable polar bear, and his mother Anaana are trying to get back to their home.

Bored and hungry, they wander to a nearby town to scrounge for food. But soon they are captured by humans. How will they ever make it back to the Arctic plain?

Readers of all ages will enjoy watching how feisty Nanuk finds a way home and will learn important facts about polar bears in the process.

Children's Literature

Nanuk, a frisky young polar bear, is bored and hungry. His mother takes him to the human settlement, where he encounters busy streets and humans for the first time. He gets very excited when they enter a food market, but then wakes up in a cage. An older bear tells him that when caught stealing food, you get a tranquilizer shot and end up in "Polar Bear Jail." He explains to Nanuk that humans find them dangerous, and will fly them back to their home on the icy plain. Nanuk has always wanted to fly like the birds, but his mother calls that nonsense. Still, they are taken up in a helicopter and back home. Nanuk has found flying exciting but is glad to be back where he belongs. The fictional tale incorporates facts about the bears and their yearly gathering in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Naturalistic watercolors effectively depict the scenes while creating a pair of bears we relate to. Nanuk is a curious youngster, sticking his nose into both garbage dump and supermarket bins. The story itself is peaceful, without any reference to more aggressive animal behavior. A map is included, along with additional facts about polar bears and the yearly gathering in Manitoba. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz