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English Titles

		Payuk and the Polar Bears Vita Rordam Ottawa: Borealis Press, 2000. 63 p. ISBN 0888878559 2nd edition Ages 10 to 12
Payuk and the Polar Bears Source

It is spring along the shores of Hudson Bay. Kinok, Meyonak, their two sons Payuk and Neshoo, and grandmother Nokoom prepare to make the journey back up the Weenusk River. Kinok decides to search for more food, while the rest of the family travels upriver. When Kinok does not return, Payuk sets out to look for him. Fate plays with events as the two pass each other without knowing and Kinok returns alone.

Payuk falls through the ice and is carried far out into Hudson Bay on an ice floe. He remains lost to his family for more than a season, and they finally give up looking. Payuk never gives up; he learns to live on his own; he meets polar bears who fish for him; and he befriends a wild dog he names Atim. With the help of the dog and the enigmatic creature Peshew, Payuk is returned to his family.

Payuk and the Polar Bears is told as if it were a Cree legend: the protagonists are presented with obstacles they must overcome and their choices reveal the lessons they learn about themselves and the world. The chapters alternate between Payuk's tale and that of his family. The author's simple line drawings reflect Payuk's young perspective, and her use of Cree words throughout the text adds to the authenticity of the story.

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