The Woman and Her Bear Cub

by Dayna B. Griffiths (Illustrator), Jaypeetee Arnakak (Adapter)

When a mother and daughter find a polar bear cub alone on the sea ice, the daughter cannot bear to leave it behind. Finding no mother bear in sight, the two adopt the cub and raise it as the girl’s brother.

The cub and the girl become fast friends―even if the cub’s bear sense of smell always means he wins at hide-and-seek! The cub hunts for the community, and they never want for food. But the cub continues to grow, and eventually he is no longer a fuzzy little cub, but a powerful full-grown bear. Some in the community become fearful of the bear, but the girl and her mother love him just the same.

That is, until one day, the bear returns from a hunt with another bear by his side. The mother soon learns that they need to let the cub go, in order for him to live the happy life they want for him.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Indigenous, Canada, Childrens

36 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

The unlikely story here is of an Inuit woman who agrees to her daughter bringing a foundling polar bear back home. The cub plays with the girl, delights them both, horrifies the neighbours – but hunts very well… What, however, of the real destiny the bear has? As traditional as it might be, this feels like a modern story, and one without the bite of reality. It certainly seemed to me to lack plausibility, and even the romantic aspect of it all, the lovey-dovey, cuddles round the ice hole side of things might not appeal to the savviest of children. And I think that applies both to those in the worldwide audience and to those in the far Canadian north this publisher is primarily working for. Three and a half stars, as it is perfectly pleasant, but it misses the punch of a reality-based moral.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a mother and her daughter find a seemingly lost or abandoned polar bear cub while out hunting for mussels, they decide to bring it home and care for it. The grateful animal grows close to the girl, even bringing back food for the family as he grows bigger and bigger. As some of the villagers urge the mother to send the bear away because they are afraid of him, he finds his mother, and everything is set right again, even though the family will miss him. This warm and comforting Inuit tale of generosity and doing the right thing when it's hard is accompanied by artwork in soft colors, allowing the Arctic terrain, the bear, and his human family to shine.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this traditional Inuit story, a mother and daughter find a polar bear cub alone on the sea ice and finding no mother bear in sight, they adopt the cub and raise it as the girl’s brother. The cub hunts for the community, and they never want for food. As the cub grows, some in the community become fearful, but the girl and her mother love him just the same. Then one day the bear returns from a hunt with his mother by his side.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars for this delightful story about a family that rescues a polar bear cub

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet. Simple but moving illustrations.

[Tera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute and was one of the many great books to read for my polar bear storytime, but I didn't have time to read it. A human mother and daughter take care of a polar bear cub. So cute!

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story! I love the artwork. If I could, I would have a pet bear. 🐻

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This retelling of a traditional story by an Inuit writer is about a mother and daughter who find a very young polar bear seemingly abandoned and alone during the winter. They bring him home with them. The little girl and the bear become close as they fish together and play with the dog until the mother realizes the little bear is troubling their neighbors and getting very big. It turns out the little polar bear’s mother didn’t abandon him. He then brings her back to meet the mother and daughter before they go off into the snow-covered world where they belong.

It’s a lovely story written with beautiful illustrations in a unique color palette that is perfect for detailing the snowy world of Inuit Canada. Blues, browns, and black are the primary colors and enhance the use of white, which dominates the pages.