Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak

Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak 


A: Bibliography 
Tak, Bibi Dumon. 2013. SOLDIER BEAR. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802854360.

B: Plot Summary 
During World War II, a troop of Polish soldiers rescue a bear cub from a trader, while stationed in the middle east. The men take the bear to the camp with them, feeding him and caring for him. The bear, Voytek, grows up inside this army camp, with only soldiers, a dog, and a pet monkey to help raise him. Through the trials and tribulations that is war, Voytek makes a lasting impression on everyone he comes in contact with. 

C: Critical Analysis (Including cultural markers) 
This story presents the actual events of Voytek’s life as a soldier in the Polish army. Tak tells the story of danger and survival, while also presenting cultural normalities of the Polish soldiers through actions, names, words, and even food. The soldiers name the bear they rescue Voytek, a traditional Polish name. They feed him vodka as a bear cub, and give him cigarettes as a reward. These actions show the normalities and even the importance that these Polish soldiers place on items such as vodka and cigarettes. Aside from these specific details, there is not much of a cultural representation in this novel. This could be purposefully done by the author, as a representation of the Polish soldiers’ fight as they begin to feel like they have lost their comfortable and familiar surroundings, after being away from their homeland for so long. The soldiers find themselves away from Poland for nearly 10 years; missing their family, friends, and all things that are familiar to them. By not including many cultural “norms” of the Polish army, the author could be symbolizing their loss of culture. 

D: Review Excerpts 
Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner 

Kirkus Review: “Originally published in Holland in 2009 as Soldaat Wojtek, this is smoothly translated and engagingly illustrated with sketches and helpful maps. Funny, fresh and heartwarming, it doesn't ignore the horrors of war but concentrates on the joy of having an animal friend, albeit a difficult one.”

Scholastic: “Always powerful and surprising, Bibi Dumon Tak's story offers readers a glimpse at this fascinating piece of history.” 

E: Connections 
Look for these other books for young people about surviving during war times: 
  • Sheinkin, Steve. BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD-AND STEAL-THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON. ISBN 1250050642 
  • Boyne, John. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. ISBN 0385751532 Gratz, Alan. PRISONER B-3087. ISBN 054545901X

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If I Ever Get Out Of Here by Eric Gainsworth

Image
If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth   A.            Bibliography Gansworth, Eric. 2005. New York, NY; Scholastic. ISBN 0545417317   Plot Summary Taking place in the 1970s, this story uses the songs of The Beatles to portray the story of Lewis, an American Indian teenager that is growing up in a time (and place) where his Native American heritage is underappreciated and sets him apart. This coming of age story uses themes of young love, friendship, family, and bullying to tell the story of how despite all the odds, Lewis is able to find some semblance of normalcy and happiness.   Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)             The cultural markers of this story come in the reactions of others to Lewis and his lifestyle. The mistreatment of Lewis can be seen time and time again, all because he is of a different cult...
Read more

Infographics: Information in Picture Form

Image
   Just as the title suggests, infographics are simply images with statics and numbers thrown in. It is generally something that someone can read by just glancing at. Infographics are a good way of informing the public or getting your point across about a certain topic. When creating your own infographic , there are many programs available online to help. For the purpose of this post, I will be comparing three different websites; Easelly , Piktochart , and Infogram , to see which (in my opinion) is easiest and most user friendly with creating an infographic .    All three programs that I played around with to create an inforgraphic required me to create an account. As such, I don't anticipate much Spam mail coming from these sites, however that is a subject for another day. Let's see how each one of these programs stacked up. Easelly ( http://www.easel.ly/ ) This site is terrific because it already has created infographics where one can go in and change the...
Read more

Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff

Image
Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff Bibliography Giff, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap . Wendy Lamb Book s, 2013. ISBN 0375838910. Plot Summary Jayna is an orphan and has only her older brother Rob to rely on. Rob has been called to the war in the Pacific, and Jayna is left with only her landlady, Celine. Jayna decides to go to New York and try to find any possible family. After finding a French cookbook with a photograph of a bakery among Rob’s things, Jayna goes in search of the Gingersnap bakery. Once there, she finds much more than she could have imagined. Jayna finds answers to her questions, acceptance, and most importantly, family.  Critical Analysis The different recipes scattered throughout the story that related to particular moments in the story add to a unique spin on the story. For example, on page 122, there was a recipe titled “Waiting Soup” that appeared just as Elise mentions that Jayna can stay with her until Rob comes home from th...
Read more