In the world of Inuit traditional stories, animals and humans are not such different creatures, and animals often have much to teach humans about the world.
In The Orphan and the Polar Bear, a little orphan who has been abandoned on the sea ice by a group of cruel hunters is discovered and adopted by a polar bear elder. While living in the bear's village, the orphan learns many lessons about survival and his own place in the world.
Retold for contemporary audiences by Inuit storyteller Sakiasi Qaunaq and illustrated by internationally renowned artist Eva Widermann, The Orphan and the Polar Bear makes this beautiful traditional tale widely accessible for the first time.

Sakiasi Qaunaq was born in 1942, at Alangnarjuk, a campsite near Igloolik, but has lived most of his life in the Arctic Bay area. His grandmother told him stories as a child?including The Orphan and the Polar Bear?and fostered in him a love for traditional legends that persists to this day. In his youth the stories were told for entertainment, but today he feels their re-telling is crucial to sustaining Inuit traditions and culture.

Sakiasi Qaunaq's profile page

Eva Widermann est diplômée du programme en design graphique de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts de Munich, en Allemagne. Elle a travaillé pendant plusieurs années dans ce domaine, avant de décider de poursuivre son rêve de devenir une illustratrice indépendante et une artiste conceptuelle. Son art est profondément influencé par un mélange insolite de bande dessinée française et belge, de manga et d’animation japonaise. Eva a travaillé avec Inhabit Media sur de nombreux projets, y compris le portail www.inuitmyths.com, qui vise à faire découvrir à un public contemporain la mythologie des anciens Inuits.

Eva Widermann's profile page

"An evocative story that provides a window into an often-ignored culture."

"This is a great book to introduce people to a culture with which they may not be familiar, and a fantastic way of preserving a story for future generations of the people who belong to it. Highly Recommended."

"[T]he folkloric narrative and lush artwork command attention"