Ice Bears at Ice Edge

September 15, 2023
Stranded on a broken-off ice floe, a polar bear plunges to the rescue when her cub slips off the edge into the sea. With cold almost tangibly radiating from expanses of ice and dim, hazy skies, even the frisky cub, rolling and tumbling in the feathery March snow, brings barely a hint of warmth to Minor's frozen Arctic seascapes. Meanwhile his mother stands at the edge of the ice and searches the choppy waters for an unwary seal--until with a "CRACK!" both bears suddenly find themselves floating away from safety on a fragment of ice so small that the cub loses his footing. Before he can drown, his mother dives in after and, bearing him on her back, paddles back to shore, where the two nuzzle affectionately and then wearily pad off toward their unseen den. The disquisitions on climate change and on polar bear behavior, diet, and life cycles that Burleigh tacks on afterward are well meant but seem likewise laborious; younger audiences are likely to respond more to the displays of elemental connection between parent and offspring that infuse the episode and its illustrations. Tender, if a bit unwieldy from being so heavily back-loaded with background facts. (author's and artist notes, resource lists) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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October 1, 2023

Gr 1-4-"The land of the ice bears stretches far in all directions. White snow. White ice. White bears." Thus begins a story of a polar bear and her cub who find themselves drifting off to sea on an ice floe as they hunt for food. When the cub tumbles off the floe into the sea, his mother jumps in to save him and begins an arduous swim back to shore as their strength wanes. After reaching shore and cuddling, the mother and cub return to their den as "the ice cannot be trusted," and they must wait another day to hunt. Gorgeous spreads of color sketches in soft blues, yellows, oranges, browns, and white emphasize the spare Arctic surroundings but convey the energy of the cub and the desperation of the mother as she struggles for their survival. The text is lyrical and moving. Some phrases are in big, bold font and all caps, which works to convey the alarm of the moment. Back matter includes facts on the bears, climate change, and both an author's note and artist's note. VERDICT The polar bears' fight for survival is dramatic and touching, and indirectly highlights with the impact of the climate change on wildlife. First purchase.-Tamara Saarinen

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2023
Grades K-3 A polar bear and her cub stand at the ice's edge, watching water flow toward the sea. Suddenly, their patch of ice breaks off from the rest, and they float away on a wet, slippery raft of ice. The cub slides into the frigid water. Hearing his terrified squeal, his mother dives in after him, and they swim together. When his strength fails, she dives beneath him and, rising with him on her back, she swims for shore while he digs his claws into her fur. Safe at last, she nurses him, and the tired bears head for home. The direct, occasionally lyrical narrative tells an adventure story in simple terms. The illustrations, created with watercolor, gouache, and digital elements, portray the bears' actions and emotions with conviction. In separate appended notes, the writer and illustrator comment on their approach to the topic of polar bear habitat loss, and the broader effects of climate change and melting ice, which threaten the bears' habitat and their survival as a species. An engaging picture book for reading aloud.

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