IN 1942 a boy found a bear cub near his home in Hamadan, Iran. The bear's mother had been shot, and the boy sold the cub to a young Polish refugee who had escaped following pogroms in her hometown.

When the bear got too big, she gave him to the Polish Army. Less than a year old, the bear was fed with condensed milk from an emptied vodka bottle. He went on to be fed with fruit, honey and beer. He enjoyed wrestling with the soldiers and was taught to salute when greeted.

The bear became the unofficial mascot of the Polish Army, travelling with soldiers to Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Egypt, and became known as Private Wotjeck.

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The festival tells his remarkable story, with an illustrated talk by Jenny Robertson, author of Wojtek War Hero Bear, followed by a docu-drama.

Wotjek was officially drafted into the Polish Army as a Private to get him onto a British transport ship sailing from Egypt, to fight alongside the British army. Listed among the soldiers of the Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps, the bear lived with the men in their tents and during the Battle of Monte Cassino, he helped to transport ammunition. An effigy of a bear carrying an artillery shell became the company's emblem.

When the war ended the bear was transported to Scotland, with soldiers of the II Corps, and stationed at an airfield. He became popular among locals and the press, and was a regular guest on TV's Blue Peter. In 1947 he was given to Edinburgh Zoo where he died in 1963, aged 22.

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The story of Wotjek is part of a strand of children's events spanning various cultures and corners of the world.

The festival's exploration of the Second World War from different angles also includes a book and film event about Noor Inayat Khan, a Muslim woman who became a wartime secret agent and posthumously won the George Cross.

Author Beverley Naidoo and illustrator Piet Grobler bring 10 magical stories from Africa, all featuring animals, drawing from the folklore of countries such as Ethiopia, Ghana and Malawi.

Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand presents Jewish Tales, a collection of stories drawn from the Jewish oral tradition, for youngsters aged five-plus of any faith. The mother-of-three will lovingly re-tell Barefoot Book of Jewish Tales features engaging stories from different times and places in Jewish history.

Youngsters are also invited to a storytime session featuring tales from the Sufi tradition. Learn about the dumb parrot who spoke again because of a bald head. Hear what happened to the mouse and the frog when they tied their legs together.

This comic and gently contemplative book includes stories which have been adapted from the poetry of Rumi, a famous Sufi storyteller, while others are inspired by his spirit.

  • Jewish Tales is at Waterstones on Sunday, May 17 at 10.30am.
  • Sulfi Tales is at Waterstones on Sunday, May 17 at 11.30am.
  • Enemy of the Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan is at the National Media Museum on Monday, May 18 at 10am.
  • Wotjek the Bear is at the National Media Museum on Tuesday, May 19 at 10am.
  • Beverley Naidoo: Who is King is at City Library on Saturday, May 23 at 10am.