Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I was excited go read this after seeing a preview online. I liked the art, and the story was in my wheelhouse, but I was early unable go read the ARC in my devices. I an going to get this one though.

This was an odd one, going back and forth from realism to SF to myth, from cartoon portrayals of humans and animals to realistic ecological destruction, from well crafted dialog to strange plot choices. I liked the art, which mirrored and balanced all of these dualities, but the plot felt off kilter a bit as if there were pieces of the story missing or if the writer couldn't decide if they were telling a parable or a realistic story. That said, the polar bear characters and other animals (especially the dogs) were engaging and the environmental message was pretty horrifying.

This book has good intentions, but is not well written. I liked how it had the intention of explaining climate change to kids, but I do not think it did a good job. I think it would be confusing to children, unless they have an understanding of indigenous culture.

Waluk is a young polar bear who, after losing his mother, travels through the Arctic with old Eskimo, learning about life. The bears get into all sorts of adventures that give the authors an excuse to teach us about all kinds of things, from simple moral lessons to the lives of polar bears or the urgency of climate change.

The art is exquisite, with the vast expanse of the Arctic region shining through. In fact, though the story itself is alright, it is the drawings and the beautiful colours that make the reading worthwhile.

It is an interesting read for all ages, but the dialogues are a bit forced, with the preachy tone most commonly used in children's books. It is probably better suited for middle-schoolers, either to read by themselves or by their parents before bedtime.

Global warming's impact is something I think about daily. I still dwell on those painful, heartbreaking articles of polar bears unable to find ice to run/hunt on and they just have to keep swimming until they can find somewhere to rest still haunt me. So, knowing that, I still started this graphic novel figuring it would make me sad. And it does. But the bond of the bears is really lovely, the art is great, and these are important topics.

I really enjoyed this book which is a couple of stories put in to one compilation.

The illustrations were wonderful and really brought the book to life.
I started and finished it in the same evening to tonight and really enjoyed it.

The books well on many levels, the fight for survival, the impact of global warming, pollution to name a few - a lot was covered and these are only a few of the areas that could allow a book like this to be read at school and used as there would be plenty of discussion points.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - well written and enjoyable too - highly recommended!

'Waluk: The Great Journey' by Ana Maralles and Emilio Ruiz continues the journey of polar bears Waluk and his mentor Eskimo.

Young Waluk and old Eskimo are on the hunt for food, but the icebergs are melting and the seals seem to be getting scarce. They find a beached whale and a mother bear and her two cubs and they convince her to let them eat. They also find a pack of sled dogs that need their help and different kinds of humans, both dangerous and curious.

I didn't read the first volume, but didn't feel like I was lost. The animals have different and unique personalities, which I liked. The message is not lost, but I also didn't feel beat over the head with it. The art is nice too.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors / Magnetic Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

*Please note that this review was delayed due to a period of health complications

I'm not entirely sure how to review "Waluk: The Great Journey." I'm assuming that it is a sequel to Mirallès' previous work, "Waluk," but as I haven't read that I can't confirm how similar in style the two graphic novels are. It felt like I was missing the main story and was instead reading some spin-off mini comics, sort of like how Disney's "Cinderella II" was just a collection of short movies that were based around characters from the first film. The art style was really nice and I can't say that I found the story entirely disinteresting, but I think lacking context from the first book diminished my experience of its sequel.

The target audience for this book also seems somewhat narrow; I'd say that kids between the ages of 8 and 11 would probably find some enjoyment from W:TGJ, especially if they are already interested in animals and/or the environment, but the depiction of guns, modern piracy, and animal cruelty may be a deterrent for some parents.

I am interestered in eventually reading "Waluk" to see the story that lead to this sequel. If it is presented as one straight narrative, my appreciation for W:TGJ may actually grow. On the other hand, if "Waluk" is broken up into sections like this was, there's a good chance that these books aren't my style.

My thanks to Diamond Magnetic Press for making available a temporary digital review copy of ‘Waluk: the Great Journey’, illustrated by Ana Miralles with script by Emilio Ruiz. It was translated from the Spanish by Mike Kennedy and is intended for Middle Grade readers, approximately 9-12 years of age.

From Publishers: ‘Young Waluk and old Eskimo are two polar bears helping each other get by in the modern tundra. But food is growing scarce and their world is changing thanks to global warming and the human strangers who carelessly roam through their territory.

But these bears are optimistic and head out to find fertile hunting grounds, making friends and avoiding dangers along the way. There, Eskimo hopes to groom Waluk to be the worthy successor to the legendary Nanook.’

This was a delightful tale that includes two interconnected stories. The first, ‘The Great Journey’, has Waluk and Eskimo meet up with a protective mother polar bear and her two cubs. When she goes on a hunt she entrusts the older bears to look after the cubs. The second, ‘The Path of the Great Dog’ has them encounter Loki, an unusual AI, as well as a pack of sled dogs that are unaware of their master’s sinister plans for them.

I adored the charming art work by Ana Miralles, which beautifully captured the bears and their environment so well. It was quite whimsical and a few panels had me in tears with laughter, especially the adventure with the cubs and the shipping container (no spoilers) and Waluk’s enthusiastic playfulness with Loki, the AI that had been trying to record the bears.

Basically I loved this book, especially its artwork, and feel certain that it will delight young readers as well as their parents. It also is a volume that I can see being of interest to educators and librarians as its environmental message is presented in an accessible way with elements of folklore woven into the narrative.

Highly recommended.

While the art in this middle grade comic book is great, I found the storyline not very cohesive. I feel that the plot is quite random and there isn't a point that hits home. I think that if the storyline is refined more it would be able to convey stronger messages.

I'm sorry but I wasn't able to review this title as it never appeared on the NetGalley shelf app, there were technical problems it just kept crashing the app. I finally went to download the protected copy but it was too late and it was archived before I had the chance, sorry. However it hurts my feedback score if I don't leave a review so I hope you can understand why I've left a neutral 3 stars. I liked the concept and the illustrations.

A story of two polar bears and their adventures in the arctic. Waluk and Eskimo, are a young and old bear pair, who encounter a mother bear and her cubs, some husky dogs, a wise owl and humans on their adventures in the arctic. I loved the art style and some of the full pages spreads were amazing. It shows the greed of humans and the effects of climate change on the ice and the lives of the animals in the arctic. It was touching and beautiful. I recommend it.

I thank Netgalley and Magnetic Press for the digital ARC.

**Special thanks to Diamond Book Distributors for the gifted arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.**

“There are no dirty ships, just a sea full of secrets!”

If you know me, you know I have a thing for illustrated/animated animals. When I came across the advanced reader copy of Waluk from Diamond Book Distributors and Magnetic Press I could not resist and instantly put in my request. There is a backstory to Waluk set in another graphic novel that I did not read before this one. Even though this does well as a standalone, I think readers can gather a better appreciation of Waluk by reading this after.

Waluk is an adorable adventure between the young polar bear, Waluk. and the older polar bear, Eskimo. With themes of global warming, pollution, human interference, animal brutality and a sprinkle of human research with artificial intelligence (AI). There are a few different stories as this duo goes in search of new hunting grounds as resources get scarce.

The illustrations are adorable and show the playful side of Waluk and his companion. I especially liked the scene where they come in contact with the AI sent to gather data on the polar bear population and Waluk finds a new toy/friend. This portion was slightly sci-fi in nature compared to the tone of the graphic novel overall, but I really enjoyed the artistic creativity. Hands down my favorite aspect is the astrological story surrounding the Great Bear, Nanook, and the Great Dog, Tuhis. This unique plot is incorporated as the scenes progress and has a touching story about animal neglect and abuse. The level of reading is almost middle-grade in nature and very easy to follow. At times dialogue seems clipped or the transition is slightly rocky. I’m sure you can tell I loved the illustrations and expressive aspects of the polar bears and sled dogs.

I enjoyed Waluk’s world and his friends and look forward to checking out the original graphic novel of his origins in the future. I’d recommend this read to those who enjoy cute narratives with adorably rendered illustrations.

That is not at all what I was expecting.

It's basically just a comic book -- or a graphic novel -- without any real plot or meaning to convey. It's a story of a couple polar bears doing polar bear stuff.

There isn't much to say about it. Or rather, there isn't much good to say about it. The casual banter was awkwardly written.

You win some, you lose some.

Waluk is a graphic novel about the friendship between a young polar bear and an old polar bear. It’s a funny book that shows the antics the 2 friends get into while on an adventure and the characters they meet along the way. It’s a great book for readers that are ready for larger words but may still be apprehensive to read long books.

The illustrations are beautiful, but the story is lacking in a few parts. Even though Wakuk has a good premise and the themes explored in it are very important, the storytelling wasn't captivating enough for me nor I felt a deeper connection with the characters to want to follow their journey. The dialogue also felt a bit wordy for a comic book and the second half showcased some fantasy elements that weren't present in the first, which confused me a bit.

Waluk: The Great Journey is a middle grade graphic novel about a young orphaned polar bear, Waluk and his elder polar bear friend, Eskimo. The two polar bear friends encounter many Arctic animals on their journey in search of food which grows more sparse every year due to global warming. There are discussions amongst the animals about pollution, climate change, animal cruelty, and the evilness of humanity.

The illustrations are adorable throughout this graphic novel and the story had intentions to raise awareness of the devastating change humans have created on this planet. However, I would have liked to see the other side of humanity represented in this story, the side that is good-natured and does care about the planet and it’s inhabitants to set an example for children. I thought there could have been more evidence of how pollution and global warming jeopardizes more than the polar bears in search of food.

My main concern with this book was the opportunity missed with the scene of the discarded cargo container left behind and no consequences of that human error were mentioned when it plunged into the sea. It was just forgotten about and that’s a key moment to raise awareness that our actions as humans have an ecological impact on this planet instead of moving along in the story, especially when you’re trying to educate children about this very issue.

The ending felt…odd. It was neatly wrapped up like all is well without really addressing any of the issues brought up. Overall, it was visually pleasing, a good story about friendship and survivalism amongst the animals. The book needed to be more focused on the solutions to climate change for this book to be worth reading. Middle grade kids are already familiar with climate change, how can your story engage them to be part of the solution?

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Waluk: The Great Journey by Ana Miralles & Emilio Ruiz
Publishing on: March 9, 2021
Rating 2/5

This is a fanciful story of an orphaned polar bear cub who ends up being taught how to survive from a curmudgeonly old male polar bear. Toss in some cute sled dogs and evil men destroying the environment, and you have the plot of this story. While the illustrations in this book are wonderful, the story is dark. Some sensitive children might find the humans in this polar bear story distressing not to mention any male polar bear would view an orphaned cub as an easy meal.

Incredibly cute illustrations that make you want to hug every bear and dog in the book. I really enjoyed this one.

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley from Magnetic Press / Diamond Book Distributors. This two part graphic novel follows a young orphan polar bear named Waluk and an older bear named Eskimo. The artwork and the social commentary on climate change, pollution, and human interference was well done. However, the story felt clunky. While all the animal characters were endearing, all the humans were despicable. The owl mentions that most humans are good and I wanted to see a likable human character bring a little balance to all the idiocy. The ending was a bit odd for me and overall if the stories were more refined it would have conveyed the important messages better.