Polar Bear Arctic Home Melting: Tears for Nanertak
Author and artist Skip Hofstrand asks his young readers “What happens
when your home disappears?” to teach them about global warming and the plight of
the polar bears now losing their Arctic homes.
Saginaw, MN – Professional water color artist and author Skip Hofstrand announces the
release of Tears for Nanertak. With its exquisite illustrations and poignant text
Hofstrand’s new juvenile fiction tells the tale of a polar bear mother and cub fleeing their melting homeland and directs his young readers’ attention on the sad
effects of global warming.
It’s hard for most people to imagine their home vanishing, but for Nanertak, a young
polar cub, the melting of the Arctic cap means she and her mother will have no place to live. Hofstrand’s brilliant illustrations and well honed text dramatically present the two bears’ sad exodus from their native land in search of another home.
Nanertak and her mother are forced to escape by iceberg, a dangerous trek and the
beginning of their incredible journey of survival. Other Arctic creatures join them along the way and share the tears they shed on their trip, but at the end there is
an unexpected hope revealed for their future.
There is also a solution presented to Hofstrand’s young readers for the problem of their disappearing homeland.
Remarkably, the artists’ watercolor illustrations were painted with water taken from the melting Greenland Ice Cap and collected by Will Steger, polar explorer and winner of National Geographic’s prestigious John Oliver LaGorce award for exploration, science, and public service.
More information on Hofstrand’s remarkable watercolor style is available at
www.skiphofstrandartist.com. A percentage of the royalties from the sale of
Tears for Nanertak will be donated to the Will Steger Foundation,
which educates children about global warming.
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2081-2
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Date of publish: October 2012
Pages: 31
About Author
Skip Hofstrand has been a professional watercolor artist for twenty-six years. This is his first children’s picture book. Skip has served as medical director for all of explorer Will Steger’s polar expeditions.
My Thoughts
The constant drip of the melting polar ice was Earth's tears for all the Arctic animals that were having to find new places to live because of something called global warming. Glogal warming was destroying their homeland.
Then there was the drip, drip of tears from Nanuck the mother of Nanertak, the Polar bear cub. Her sorrow was heavy on her heart because they had to leave the only home they had ever known.
Why was this happening? Where would they go? How would they travel if everything was melting? Nanertak and his mother Nanuck did find help along the way.
Many were sad and cried many tears along with Nanertak and Nanuck!
The author explains in a way that our children can understand the meaning of global warming and the effects it has on the planet Earth and it's inhabitants. I found the story very heartwarming and inspirational.
The illustration done in watercolors depicted the sorrow of Nanertak and Nanuck along with their perilous journey to a find another home.
I find this book to be a keeper! Not just because of the wonderful message wrote for our children but because of the exquisite artwork that is shared in this story.
I highly recommend this book.
I rated this book a 5 out of 5.
Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from the author and Bostick Communications for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.
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