Nanuk: Lord of the Ice - Hardcover

Heinz, Brian J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0803721951 ISBN 13: 9780803721951

Publisher: Dial, 1998

Synopsis

As a huge polar bear hunts seals and a walrus for food to keep itself alive, it is in turn hunted by a young human

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Heinz (The Wolves) and Manchess (To Capture the Wind) team up to track a day in the life of a polar bear. Artfully weaving in facts ("In silent grace, nine feet of bear rose upward and balanced motionless"), Heinz allows his readers to absorb information effortlessly as they follow his smashing tale. Hunter becomes hunted when Nanuk the polar bear, scouting for prey, in turn becomes the quarry of an Inuk boy who tracks him with harpoon and sled dogs. The alternating story lines shift like quick-cut camera work, urging the story toward the climactic face-off between bear, boy and dogs. Heinz's keen appreciation for the wild lights up his highly descriptive prose, and his enthusiasm and expertise are equaled by those of Manchess. The artist's magnificent oil paintings are sculpted as if from ice and light, highlighting the drama and dangerous beauty of the region. His illustrations cut to the heart of the tale, vividly conveying the struggle for survival in all its passion. In these pages readers can virtually hear the hiss of sled runners and thunder of paws on snow as the dogs race toward their destination, and feel the splash of frigid seawater as the bear plunges in after his prey. A gripping, edge-of-the-seat ride. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 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
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dial
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0803721951
• ISBN 13: 9780803721951
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Manchess Gregory