BRUNO: The Bear of Split Rock Island

As in Mask: The Door County Coon (1963), the point of view switches back and forth from the animal to its hunters. It's very carefully done and thoughts and reasoning are never attributed to the animal beyond its capacity. The tone throughout is ruggedly straightforward, thoroughly masculine. Bruno was a cub when his mother was killed by hunters. At that time he was sighted by the guide, who thought it would be a good idea to try to catch and tame him to make him easy bait for the next season. The author manages to bring in a lot of information about the development and reactions of the young bear as well as describing what life is like among the big game in a small area. And he pinpoints just as precisely the personality of the guide and his assistant in the project. The chase, the confrontation, the trapping of the bear and its escape makes for reading that is as exciting as it is instructive.