In the dark days of war, a group of soldiers far from home come across an orphaned bear cub. They adopt him and hide him in their tents, feeding him with their rations - until he is too big to ignore! When they are told he cannot travel with them, they grant him an officer's commission. Private Wojtek finds himself helping to carry armaments at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the war, unable to return to their homeland, the soldiers arrive in Scotland. Peter, Wojtek's substitute parent, has lost track of his own family, now homeless through war. There is a happy ending, however, as Peter is reunited with his family in Scotland - and Wojtek finds a new home in Edinburgh zoo. A statue of Wojtek stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh in memory of the brave bear and his fellow soldiers.
Kids will love this hilarious fairy tale adventure packed with clever twists, familiar characters and page-turning fun.
The second book in a fabulous new magical, middle-grade series filled with adventure, wonder and wildness,
Alan Pollock is a playwright, best known for One Night in November, about the Coventry blitz. He came across the story of Wojtek while researching amongst Polish refugees in Coventry. The youth of the soldiers involved in the Battle of Monte Cassino moved him to write for children for the first time. Bryony Thomson's self-authored debut picture book, The War
More about Alan PollockBryony Thomson completed a BA in Fine Art at Wimbledon School of Art and spent four years working as an insurance underwriter before being drawn back into the creative world and graduating with distinction from the M.A. course in Children's Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize and shortlisted for the Br
More about Bryony Thomson
