In the late 1800's in the Pacific Northwest, the champion of the wilderness was a towering silverback grizzly bear named Wahb. Orphaned as a cub by a hunter, who killed Wahb's family, Wahb must find his way in unforgiving world learning by trial and error what his mother would have taught him. The story follows Wahb as he grows to an enormous size, conquering rival bears and man-made traps as he goes.
The novel relates the bear's trials and tribulations with an uncompromising narrative. Wahb is hunted by man, challenged by rivals and deals with each with brutal efficiency. But Seton creates a sad and tragic side to the great bear. Almost in exchange for his great size and strength, Wahb lives a solitary life, never taking a mate, always on the lookout for challengers, and as he ages, the battles and bullets he's absorbed over the years take their toll. It makes him a compelling, sympathetic figure, the original anti-hero, and when the end comes for Wahb, the scene rivals anything in Old Yeller.
King Of The Grizzlies was turned into a Walt Disney film, but the picture didn't do the novel justice. It softened the message, and the story suffered. The strength of the book is its candor. It's a terrific read for anyone who likes stories about animals, but appreciates the honesty of nature. The writing is sharp and the descriptions are vivid, so the prose is suitable for read-aloud scenarios.
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