About 'Arctos: a story of respect and responsibility'

 Although there is no order in which you should read Frazer's Fables, Arctos is the second woodland animal fable in the series. R J Frazer began writing the story of respect and responsibility during a time when he was moving from the south of England to the north. 

While developing the story, RJ Frazer ensured that he included the literary devices readers have come to expect from a Frazer’s Fables book: enriched vocabulary, vivid similes, carefully crafted descriptions and a strong narrative structure. However, unlike Orion, which focuses on courage, Arctos explores a different moral. What happens when responsibilities are ignored, and how growth occurs when we learn from our mistakes. This theme connects closely to Frazer’s background as a primary school teacher, where encouraging independence, problem-solving and reflection forms an essential part of the curriculum.

The naming of Arctos began with a familiar starting point in RJ Frazer’s writing process: identifying the animal and the lesson they need to learn. Once again, he looked to the night sky for inspiration. The constellation Ursa Minor provided both a symbolic starting point and a name rooted in language and history. “Ursa” in Latin means bear. As RJ Frazer liked the idea of using language to help name his woodland animals, he looked to Ancient Greek where he translated from the English "bear" into “Arktos”. This was the ideal name for a story grounded in tradition and nature.