Nurk

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by Ursula Vernon

Though Nurk is a small and somewhat timid soul, he longs to be like his fabulous grandmother Surka, the warrior shrew who had been a fighter, a dishwasher, and a pirate queen.

When an odd message seems to call for action, Nurk overcomes his timid nature and sets off in the wonderful Snailboat on a wild and weird adventure that will eventually lead him to the lair of the fearsome Grizzlemole.

Author Ursula Vernon
Narrator Bill Knowlton
Length 3 hrs and 6 mins
© Copyright 2008 Ursula Vernon
℗ Audio Copyright 2008 Full Cast Audio

Listen to samples from this audiobook:

  1. Nurk 0:58

Reviews:

“The narrator, Bill Knowlton, does an excellent job of presenting the suspenseful moments. An excellent, entertaining listen for classroom use.” — School Library Journal, October, 2009

“This full-cast audio production chronicles how Nurk faces down his many fears and is able to provide help. Bill Knowlton, a tirelessly enthusiastic reader, sets up the cast’s voices well. Everyone’s willingness to enjoy this small story does much to enhance the listener’s pleasure in it.” — Audiofile

“This fanciful animal adventure comes alive in this full-cast production. . . . Musical passages offer transitions and create mood. Sound effects, such as Scatterwings’ snoring and frogs’ bellowing (“like an amphibian pipe organ”), will definitely appeal to young listeners. ” — Booklist, September 15, 2009

Praise for the print version of Nurk:

“Fans of Ursula Vernon’s offbeat comics series Digger should check out her first children’s book, Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures Of A (Somewhat) Brave Shrew (Harcourt). The title doesn’t quite tell it all—it leaves out the uniquely Vernon-esque bizarreries, like the talking- salmon tree—but it sums up most of the story, in which a determined but fearful shrew sets out downriver in a caulked snail shell to answer a vague distress call sent by mail. . . . an enjoyably loopy, brilliantly creative kids’ book full of fun narrative surprises…” — The Onion A.V. Club Comics Panel,  June, 2008

“Nurk shows heart aplenty in taking on a series of eldritch challenges-and he returns home afterward bolstered by a new self-assurance likely to spur him on in sequels to search for his lost grandparent. Nurk’s adventure, and the tone in which it’s related, will remind readers of Stuart Little’s quest.” — Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2008

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