A majestic polar bear heads out on a mysterious walk in a dazzling, playful collaboration from an exciting pair of picture-book creators.
Follow a magnificent polar bear through a fantastic world of snow and shockingly blue sea. Over the ice, through the water, past Arctic animals and even a human . . . where is he going? What does he want? Acclaimed author Mac Barnett’s narration deftly balances suspense and emotion, as well as poignant, subtle themes, compelling us to follow the bear with each page turn.
Artist Shawn Harris’s striking torn-paper illustrations layer white-on-white hues, with bolts of blue and an interplay of shadow and light, for a gorgeous view of a stark yet beautiful landscape. Simple and thought-provoking, illuminating and intriguing, this engaging picture book will have readers pondering the answer to its final question long after the polar bear has continued on his way.----from the publisher
40 pages 978-1536203967 Ages 3-7
Keywords: polar bear, Arctic, understanding others, 3 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, polar regions, environment
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“Polar bears will be wiped out by the end of the century unless more is done to tackle climate change.”
-- bbc.com (7/20/20)
“Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me”
-- Three Dog Night (1971)
“There is a polar bear in the snow.
Where is he going?”
A POLAR BEAR IN THE SNOW is a blizzard of joy! The beginning is a real grabber. We are told that there is a polar bear in the snow, but we cannot see him. All we see is white. Then, with a page turn, we see his black nose and muzzle. Another turn and he really begins to come into focus.
Spare text accompanied by cut-paper-and-ink collages depict this polar bear cruising across the tundra, summiting mountains, and arriving at the water’s edge. After studying his reflection in the water, he dives in and cavorts.
“And when he is done playing,
and he climbs back onto the snow,
where will he go then?”
For three-year-olds, this will be a book of wonder. For the fours and fives, the opportunities to guess where the bear is going next will give them a chance to seriously hypothesize (or an occasion to come up with the goofiest answers possible). The cavorting will readily serve as inspiration for gross motor music and movement activities.
I can imagine kids then sitting down and having a lot of fun creating their own snowy collages.
The interdependence of life on Earth necessitates our caring about the fate of the 30,000 polar bears left on the planet. A POLAR BEAR IN THE SNOW is a joyful tale that could well endear these intelligent and threatened creatures to the youngest generation.
Recommended by; Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
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