There are simple maps throughout the story to help the reader understand the path the soldiers are taking on their journey. I think this book is able to explain some of the hardships of war but keeps it upbeat through Voytek and his adventures. This story is based on true events and has photographs at the end of the book of the real Voytek. The story uses historical elements to tell the point of view of the soldiers that were traveling for battle in World War II. He is then enlisted as a soldier and helps catch a spy and carry ammunition. Voytek, as they name him, is always getting into trouble but serves as entertainment for the soldiers.

The bear soon becomes a mascot for the company and helps the soldiers keep their minds off of the war taking place around them.

The story takes place during World War II and is about a group of Polish soldiers who decide to take in a Syrian brown bear cub they find in Iran. This book was the 2012 winner of the Batchelder Award. I found this book through the ALSC Website. What an intriguing aspect of unknown-to me!-WWII history! The ravages of war lurk just around the next page in this book, but readers also have a chance to smile and laugh at the idea of grown men trying to keep a hungry bear away from the peaches reserved for the men's dessert. Middle grade readers will find this gentle story appealing, describing so vividly how one animal really did make a difference in the lives of those he met.

The book includes photographs of Voytek, and a brief afterword explains what happened to him after the war had ended. But there's something comforting about having him around, and the five men who spend so much time with him-as well as the 120 soldiers in the company-were able to forget the horrors of war briefly as the result of having him around as well as draw courage from his example. Of course, the mischievous bear causes lots of trouble-after all, he's a bear-but he also regards himself as one of the troops, even carrying bombs for the company and flushing out a spy. Private Voytek, as the bear comes to be known, even sleeps in the bed with one of the soldiers, Peter, and goes with the men to Egypt, Scotland, and Italy. As the cub grows to become more than six feet tall, he and the other animals that accompany the troops, two dogs and a monkey, provide entertainment, affection, and distraction from the relentless war.

Based on actual events that occurred during WWII, this story describes how a group of Polish soldiers stationed in Iran adopt a Syrian brown bear cub who becomes the mascot and symbol of the transport company of the 2nd Polish Corps. Many writers have made it clear just how hellish war is, and how hard it is to hold onto the shreds of humanity that exist in the hearts of soldiers during conflict.

Soldier Bear by Bibi Dumon Tak