SOLDIER BEAR by Bibi Dumon Tak, Ill. by Philip Hopman



Tak, B. D. (2008). SOLDIER BEAR. Ill. by Philip Hopman. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780802853752.


During World War II, a Polish supply unit serving in Iran encountered a young boy who asked if they would trade food and money for what he was carrying in a squirming burlap bag. They opened the bag to reveal a bear cub, and the soldiers readily agreed to the trade. They named the little bear Voytek and took him into their unit as a mascot. Voytek traveled with them everywhere they went, quickly winning over even the most hardened officers with his amusing antics. He was even officially sworn into the Polish Army as a private. As he grew, the bear not only entertained the soldiers by getting into mischief, he also lifted their spirits and raised morale in the midst of war’s harsh realities. This novel is based on true events.

 

The story of Voytek and his soldier friends has many cultural markers that show  what it was like to be Polish in Europe during WWII. The first obvious marker is the character names. The soldiers’ names Stanislav, Pavel, Janusz, Lolek are all obviously Polish. When they acquired the bear, it was insisted that he have a Polish name because he was part of the group, so they settled on Voytek which means “smiling warrior” in Polish.

Another cultural marker in the story refers to the German food sourcrout. It has a  strong  and distinctive odor. Anytime the characters were close to the front they commented they could smell the sourcrout referring to being in close proximity to the German army.

This story paints a picture of an aspect of WWII that is not well known. It is written in the point of view of a group of young men, who escape from their war-torn occupied country (Poland), to join a military that seems to look down on them at times. (The British)  They are given the job of transporting supplies to the front lines, an obviously dangerous task. The phrase “sitting ducks” comes to mind.

This bear, Voytek was their savior. He and his other animal friends, a monkey, and two dogs, gave the soldiers a reason to go on. Their antics made the soldiers laugh when nothing else did. They traveled from Iran, to Italy, and to Scotland when the war ended. Everywhere the company went, they fought to keep their animal mascots, winning over officers, enlistees and even civilians.

When Stanislav and Peter were finally allowed to go back home to Poland a year after the war ended, they knew they could not take their friend Voytek with them. Poland was torn to pieces, so they were unsure of what awaited them at home. They found a place for him at a zoo in Edinberg, Scotland, where he lived out the rest of his years. Stanislav and Peter were soldiers, and they were leaving one of their own behind. As a reader, you can feel the emotion the two men felt when they left the zoo. It may bring a tear to your eye.



2012 Batchelder winner

Horn Book: “Tak makes a fascinating tale of the wartime progress of the clever animal as he endeared himself to the tight-knit group of five Poles who adopted him (as well as to a series of their skeptical superior officers). Not only were Voytek's antics a reliable morale booster; he also did real work -- most memorably, passing ammunition at Monte Cassino. The men's amusing banter has the appeal of, say, episodes of M.A.S.H., deepened by touches of war's grimmer realities and the sad fate of a mischievous monkey, also a member of this unusual menage. In 1946, when the men finally went home, Voytek ended up as a favorite at the Edinburgh Zoo.”


This story is based on true events. You can read more about Voytek (Wojek) in these books:

Ascherson, Neal & Orr, Aileen. WOJTEK THE BEAR: POLISH WAR HERO. ISBN 1843410656

Robertson, Jenny. WOJTEK: WAR HERO BEAR. Ill. by Tim Archbold. ISBN 1780272278

Orr, Aileen. WOJTEK THE BEAR: POLISH WAR HERO. ISBN 1843410656

Pollock, Alan. THE BEAR WHO WENT TO WAR. ISBN 1910646520

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