  | Ice bears at ice edge Author: Burleigh, Robert | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
A mother polar bear and her cub are busy searching for food when suddenly, the ice they stand on breaks away-crack! Cut adrift, her cub is out of reach as the treacherous sea beings carry him away. In she dives! Can they return to land safely?
| Illustrator: | Minor, Wendell |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (09/15/23)
School Library Journal (10/01/23)
Booklist (10/15/23)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 10/01/2023 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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 10/15/2023 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. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.
