This is the story of a young boy of about twelve years old, living in the northern, arctic region of Canada, above the tree line, where in the winter the sun is not seen (the beginning of the story) and where in the summer the sun does not go down. The book clearly, though in a very simple way, brings the Christian message. It is written for younger children, in grade three or four and higher. We read about the experiences and brave deeds of the boy under harsh circumstances. There is, of course, a fight with a polar bear, while Anak catches a seal himself.

The author is well-known among us. Piet Prins is a pseudonym for Mr. Piet Jongeling, the Dutch Reformed politician and author, the man of "Nederlands Dagblad."

Source: Clarion April 13, 1990

Anak is an Eskimo boy who, with his family, lives with the rest of their tribe in the far north. The author describes their day-to-day life as they hunt for seals, caribou and walruses. Anak is being prepared to take up his place as an adult and we learn how he is introduced to the tough way of life needed to survive in the harsh northern climate. We also learn how Anak and his father get into contact with white man’s civilization. We get an inside view of how they react to civilization and to the knowledge of the Christian religion. The story ends with the amazing rescue of Anak who is lost on the polar sea. The rescue is in answer to prayer which the Eskimo family and Anak sent up during their time of need.

This book makes fascinating reading, teaching about the ways of Eskimos, but also of the power of the Gospel. Anyone over eight years old will enjoy this book and learn from it. The print is large and the translation is good.

Living where the sun shines only half the year, seal hunting with his best friend, and travelling overland on sleds with whalebone runners and sleeping in handmade igloos is a way of life depicted in Anak, The Eskimo Boy. Piet Prins’ fictional story opens up a window to the Eskimo culture. Anak’s coming of age means travelling with his father to a white man’s town to trade furs, hunting walruses and caribou with the adult men of his tribe, and figuring out his survival when stranded on an ice floe. Anak’s world consists of snow, ice, seal meat, sled dogs, and ancestral traditions, and through the story he works his way toward an understanding of how he fits into his small Eskimo village. Prins appears to have firsthand knowledge of the Eskimos’ world. His character, Anak, offers glimpses how a boy experiences his frozen world and the people in it. Culture and values are well described, as are family relationships (as viewed from a child’s eyes). Young readers will gain a basic grasp of how the Eskimos’ life differs from his own and how native cultures often value family in a way unlike that of many North Americans. The somewhat rustic black and white drawings illustrate the story occasionally, but add little to the overall impact of the tale. A few references to non-Biblical spirits appears, as does a white missionary who represents the Christian tradition. Anak, The Eskimo Boy, is useful for the study of other cultures and northern geography. It would also make interesting family reading.

Piet Prins was a well-read man with a many-sided entdition and a wide knowledge. This book leads us to the land of the Eskimos in the far north where snow and ice dominate the country and the way of life of the population.

Reading through this book we come in contact with men and women, boys and girls, who are characteristic for that type of people who live far from the more developed society, and whose primitive, isolated circumstances have resulted in a spiritual and cultural life of a unique nature.

The knowledge of the Christian religion has not easily penetrated into that frozen territory with its long, long winters, the absence of sunshine and the sudden turn to sunlight with extended summer evenings. Still, the gospel was not definitely stopped by the borderline between the land of white and green.

Piet Prins describes in which way the young Eskimo boy Anak comes into contact with the true religion and learns to believe and trust in the Lord.

This is a warm book from a cold part of the world.

Highly recommended.

Source: Una Sancta September 15, 1990

The story of Anak gives us a close-up picture of life in the high Arctic region of Canada. The Dutch writer seems to want to teach us how the Eskimos (now called Inuit) live, and he is successful in that. We share the feeling of risk, danger and excitement.

A background motif is the different worldviews that arise from Native spirituality in distinction from Christian faith. The Christian "angle" seems to me to be somewhat awkward and contrived.

These are physically attractive books, enhanced by the cover paintings of Cornelia Van Dasselaar.

Source: Calvanist Contact