Beautifully illuminating the similarities between man and nature, the story of a boy who hunts a polar bear as the bear hunts a walrus and a seal shows the cycle of predator and prey, where only the strongest survives. Ages 6^-8. Nanuk the polar bear roams the Arctic ice searching for food. Spying a seal, he stalks it, kills it, and eats it. Meanwhile, a boy leaves his igloo, harnesses his dogs to a hunting sled, and takes off across the snow toward the bear. Just as Nanuk drags another seal from the water, the hunter becomes the hunted, for the dogs attack the bear, and the boy's harpoon grazes his shoulder. After swimming through miles of icy water to safety, "Nanuk was free. And Nanuk was still Lord of the Ice." There's no sentimentality in this depiction of predators and prey in the Arctic, but a strong sense of nobility is evident. The vivid and dignified text gives rise to a series of powerful, narrative oil paintings notable for their subtle use of light and shadow. The appended author's note comments on the history and future of polar bears in their natural habitat. A dramatic picture book and an effective introduction to life in the Arctic. Carolyn Phelan Used Book in Good Condition