Category: Children Publisher: Nora Ryan Books
ISBN-10: 1530541271
Type: Fiction
Pages: 114
Copyright: 2016
ISBN-13: 9781530541270
Story of a polar bear from his birth on the shores of Hudson Bay to capture and relocation to a zoo in Germany, his life in circuses and his eventual rescue.
Inspired by real life events, Pihoqahiak is the fictional account of one polar bear's life in captivity.
Born wild on the shores of Hudson Bay, Pihoqahiak strays into Churchill, Manitoba in search of food. He quickly becomes a 'nuisance' bear as his activities bring him in contact with humans.
Jordan lives in Churchill with his sister, Raven and biologist father. Carelessness by Jordan during a Halloween outing contribute to the bear's capture. Pihoqahiak becomes part of a relocation program and is sent to a zoo in Germany. When Jordan and Raven discover that the bear has been sold to a traveling circus they embark on a campaign to rescue him.
Suitable for readers: middle years to young adult.
Excerpt
As they got closer to the house they saw people
waving and shouting from the end of the street. They noticed the door of the house was open. Nobody left the door open at this time of year. A cold chill ran down Jordan’s spine.
They were at the steps of the door. They heard crashing, then hissing noises, followed by a loud bang. They turned to run towards the crowd at the end of the street. Derrick was in the lead. Jordan looked over his shoulder and saw a white mass of fur burst through the door. It was heading towards him. He screamed and ran faster than he ever thought he was capable. It was a crazy scene. Two boys being chased by a bear, heading towards a crowd of adults and children who were not sure whether to run or stand their ground to provide protection for the boys.
Then a blaze of light blinded the boys as an emergency
vehicle rounded up Hendry Street from James Avenue. The crowd scattered. The vehicle was racing towards them blaring its horn. Tears of terror streamed down the boys’ cheeks as they sprinted towards the light. They heard a screeching of brakes, the horn still blaring. Two officers got out. One officer half pushed, half lifted the boys into the vehicle. The other had a rifle. He took aim and fired.
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