Waluk

Starred review from September 30, 2013
This exceptional English-language debut for the author/artist team of Ruiz and Miralles will make readers hope more translations are underway. The basic plot of their Arctic tale is familiar—two outcasts find they can survive when they cooperate—but the two are polar bears, not humans, and their fates are linked to the circumstances of climate change. Miralles resists romanticizing the Arctic landscape; her honest documentation of the scars humans have left on the land—trash, fences, highways—is especially moving. Waluk is a cub just abandoned by his mother, while Manitok is an ancient bear close to the end of his life, with few teeth and little speed left. Their efforts to hunt enough protein to feed themselves draws them together, and the drama that unfolds when Manitok is captured by scientists helps Waluk become a leader. Heartbreaking moments (“I saw how the humans had taken the skin off my mother and sister... as if they were seals”) are never overplayed, and humor always leavens the sadness. Suggestions of a polar bear spiritual world add yet another layer of interest. Ages 7–11.

January 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-This large-format graphic novel looks at climate change through the eyes of a young polar bear. After his mother disappears, Waluk must fend for himself, searching the tundra for food. He soon comes into contact with Manitok, a wise and once-strong polar bear past his prime. The two form a bond as the elder bear assumes a mentor role. Looking for food, they venture to a garbage dump, where Manitok is captured. The protagonist then rallies the other polar bears to rescue their friend. Waluk provides a glimpse into the often tenuous relationship between polar bears and humans, and the topic of climate change is well integrated into the story. Back matter includes a note that provides insight into the current state of this species. The full-color illustrations are crisp and appealing, capturing moments of comedy and drama with equal skill. With a unique perspective on a controversial topic, this is a graphic novel that stands out.-Travis Jonker, Wayland Union Schools, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013
A glimpse into the life of a young polar bear and its struggle to survive within a rapidly changing landscape. Abandoned by his mother, Waluk is left to fend--and hunt--for himself. After a time trying to subsist on easily attainable duck eggs, he meets Manitok, an old bear who was once a great hunter but now suffers from a poor sense of smell and missing fangs. The pair quickly bond, and Manitok helps Waluk become a more adroit hunter. However, with food in short supply due to the warming Arctic, the bears find themselves in a garbage dump, where Manitok unwittingly stumbles into a bear trap. Against all odds, young Waluk rallies the other bears to help rescue his imprisoned friend. Miralles' bears are disarmingly adorable, and Ruiz gives them humanlike personalities, making them easy for kids to relate to. Despite the rampant ursine cuddliness, this is not a fluffy, sweet tale; these bears must fight to survive in a changing world, and their struggle viscerally brings home the seemingly faraway effects of climate change. Ruiz's afterword helps tie in many of the main issues and offers readers a smattering of websites for further research. Cute meets socially conscious, leaving an indelible impression upon readers. (afterword) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)

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November 15, 2013
Grades 2-5 Marrying exemplary sequential storytelling, mythology, and science and enhanced through respectful anthropomorphizing, Waluk takes readers into a realistic world of polar bears endangered by climate change. Waluk, a young, motherless cub, joins old and grizzled Manitok, who guides the little bear through an ever-shrinking habitat with dwindling food. It also doesn't hurt that Waluk is a nimbler hunter, if a little more impatient, than Manitok. Miralles' colorful, detailed art covers a wide territory, from the sweet, mismatched companions and their occasionally blood-tinged meals to the garment-bundled humans who pass into their territory; from Waluk's vision of Nanook, the polar-bear deity, in the aurora borealis to the wise bear council that gathers to rescue Manitok from captivity. Meanwhile, Ruiz manages to write a story halfway between fact and fable, with a touching emotional element and meaningful information about global climate change. Like Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad (2006) and Rachel Hope Allison's I'm Not a Plastic Bag (2012), this is a beautifully told tale of the impact humans have on wildlife and the environment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)