Soldier Bear

Soldier Bear
by Bibi Dumon Tak
Eerdmans Books for Young Children, 2011

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII Novel

Honors:

• ALA Notable Children's Books 2012
• Booklist 10/15/11
• Horn Book 11/01/11
• Kirkus Reviews 08/15/11
• Library Media Connection 01/01/12
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award 2012
• School Library Journal 11/01/11

Review: During an occupation in Iran, a group of Polish soldiers who've joined the British forces against Germany during World War II come across a boy begging for food, and they discover he is carrying a bear cub. They convince the boy to trade his bear, and one of the men, Peter, becomes an adoptive father to the bear, naming him Voytek. In order to keep the bear, Peter and his comrades have to convince several commanding officers that Voytek is worthy of being a part of the Polish army and is loyal to his soldier duties. At times the narrative is very humorous, especially when Voytek gets into scuffles with other animals at the army camps--there is a monkey named Kaska who has had it out for Voytek since day one, and a dalmation named Dottie becomes Voytek's best playmate, whom he loves to wrestle and race with. The story is based on true events, and Voytek ends up serving with Peter and his friends for five years, getting into trouble with the army cooks, performing stunts on vehicles to entertain the troops, and sniffing out spies. The Polish soldiers who served with the British were given special gear emblazoned with Voytek's image, to commemorate his invaluable contribution to the war effort.

Opinion: This books is really sweet and cute, with a colorful cast of characters. It is impressive how soft and child-appropriate a spin Tak puts on World War II, an otherwise very violent piece of history. The novel deals with death, both of fellow soldiers and of one of the animals, and there is bombing and fighting, but Voytek is always there to provide comfort and entertainment, easing some of the pains that the soldiers are experiencing.

Ideas: The story of Voytek reads well as a sort of "truth is stranger than fiction" novel. If one were doing a history lesson focused on World War II, it would nice to include some light-hearted stories from the war like Soldier Bear, stories that are either too strange to be true or are a humorous way to segue into more serious subjects.