Polar Bears
The Polar bear has become a symbol for global warming. They are one of the first species to be directly and severely impacted by climate change, so it seems inevitable that any discussion or study of Polar bears will lead to a discussion about global warming.
Melting polar ice is threatening Polar bears. The disappearing sea ice and loss of snow are reducing the polar bears essential habitat--they are entirely dependent on ice as a platform for hunting marine mammals such as seals, and they use the soft snow for dens to keep cubs warm.
The Polar bear, scientific name Ursus maritimus, is a marine bear found in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway. Polar bears range from eight to ten feet high, weigh between 200 to 1700 pounds, and can live twenty to twenty-five years. Their thick fur and a layer of blubber provide the buoyancy and insulation they need to survive in their icy habitat. They are generally solitary as adults, except when mating and rearing cubs.
Staying warm is a primary focus for the warm-blooded Polar bear. They have black skin to help them soak up heat from the sun, and their round and stocky body shape also helps. Polar bears try to weigh as much as possible because large objects lose heat slowly--the heavier polar bear stays warmer longer. Half of the food they eat is used to keep them warm. Seal blubber is best for staying fat and keeping warm. The Polar bear’s sense of smell can lead them to a dead animal over twenty miles away, or a live seal one meter underneath the ice.
Polar Bears are the largest land carnivores in the world; their only predator is us. The largest threat to their survival is climate change.
For more information and activities for kids visit the following sites:
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/polar_bear.php
http://kids.discovery.com/fansites/serious/polarbears.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/Polar-bear
To learn about Polar Bear Conservation visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/polarbear/polarbear.html
Contributor: Emily Griffin
Reviews
Baby Polar
Yannick Murphy
Illustrated by Kristen Balouch
With snow flakes falling on every page, the icy polar climate could almost penetrate ones bones; but the warmth of the love between Mama Polar and her cub keeps the reader in a zone of snuggly comfort. The title page close-up-look at Baby Polar bear sets the tone for the rest of the book—simple, but filled with personality. Mama Polar bear stands with her cub beneath her protective body and Baby Polar imagines it is like being in a cave. Mama Polar’s cave is not “made of stone or rock, but of her thick fur and warm body.” Baby Polar could even hear her heart beating. Having been alerted by the illustration on the dedication page that Mama Polar often serves as a mountain of snow for Baby to slide down, readers may already guess that Mama will have to become part of the landscape later on in the book. After warning her cub that a big snow storm is coming, Mama lets the little one go exploring in the beautiful world of falling “crystals.” Baby Polar tastes the snow, frolics about, and makes trails in the ever deepening snow. Young listeners will feel Baby Polar’s dismay when he calls for his mother after having become lost in the wild, blowing storm. When he finally finds a mound of snow, he digs into the “hill” and realizes it is “warm, like a cave.” “And he could hear the beating of his mother’s heart.” The reunion is a joyous one and both Polars are delighted to be together to share the beauty of the snow. The last page replays the opening one with the same sentiment that mama’s beating heart provides warmth and love. The icy blues and greens of the art with the swirling patterns and driving snow are a perfect match for the text. This is a charming book to read at bedtime, snuggling warmly with a little one. 2009, Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Ages 1 to 4, $16.00. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children’s Literature).
Baby Polar Bear
Aubrey Lang
Photographs by Wayne Lynch
The young polar bear’s journey starts with the mother bear. The mother bear hunts for food on the cold ice and in the waters of the Arctic Ocean. Her feet help her to swim, while her thick skin and fur help her to stay warm. In the springtime, the female bear is tracked by a male bear following the footprints she has left in the snow. After several miles and days, the male bear will find her and mate. Then, he will leave. The female polar bear will hunt for food to help her grow and produce milk for the babies when they are born. She will eat and hunt seals as much as she can until the winter months, when she builds a den where her babies will be born. The mother bear teaches the babies what they will need to know to survive. The babies will not be left on their own until they are two-and-a-half years old. Lang provides enough details for the reader to understand the whole process with ease. The vocabulary and use of comparisons throughout the book work well with the factual information. The photographs are a tremendous complement to the text. They are clear and vivid. The author and photographer explain at the beginning how they learned about polar bears and acquired such pictures. There are also facts about polar bears at the end of the book to help the reader learn more. This picture book would be a great asset to a curriculum about habitats or the Arctic region. This is part of the “Nature Babies” series. 2008, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, $15.95. Ages 5 to 1. Reviewer: Rachel Miller (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781554551019
ISBN: 9781554551026
ISBN: 1554551013
ISBN: 1554551021
Because I love You So Much: A Pop-up Book!
Guido van Genechten
This is an irresistible pop-up book for presentation to a new mother and baby, or as a birthday gift for a toddler. It is big (9” by 9”) and has just the right colors: blue, white, and pink, with a touch of yellow. The characters are a large but gentle mother polar bear and her enthusiastic baby polar bear, named Snowy. They fish. They play in the snow. They lie down together on the snow and look up at the moon, and they talk about where the snow comes from and why it is white. Baby bear wonders why polar bears are white, too, and his mother tells him “Because white is the brightest, prettiest, sweetest, most beautiful color for a polar bear.” Snowy wonders if his mommy would think he was beautiful if he were another color. “Of course,” she replies, “Because I love you so much!” The drawings are just right for young children, gentle and affectionate; and the pop-ups are perfectly matched in style and spirit. To see it is to want to share it. 2006, Tiger Tales, $15.95. Ages 1 to 3. Reviewer: Eleanor Heldrich (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781589257948
ISBN: 1589257944
Dancing Larry
Daniel Pinkwater
Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
Larry the Polar Bear from the Far North is back! Well, he never actually left his adopted home of Bayonne, New Jersey. And why should he, cosseted as he is at the Hotel Larry by his bear-loving patrons, the Frobishers. When he is not performing lifeguard duties at the hotel pool, or visiting his brother Roy at the Bayonne Zoo, or eating blueberry muffins, Larry keeps an eye on young Mildred Frobisher. It is in the course of these chaperoning services--suitably disguised in long coat, hat, and sunglasses not unlike a certain giant Hoboken chicken--that Larry observes Mildred’s dance class and is smitten. Was not dance in his very fur and sinews? Dance mistress Madame Swoboda, however, is not impressed. Evicted from class, Larry decides to create and perform his own ballet, one for polar bears. And therein lies the story. Daniel Pinkwater’s furry tale is as tongue-in-cheek as usual, and Jill Pinkwater’s bright and bold pen-and-ink and colored-marker illustrations swoosh across the pages with choreographic aplomb. Having assayed the arts of music (Bongo Larry) and dance, one can only guess what this multi-talented polar bear will next address. 2006, Marshall Cavendish, $16.95. Ages 3 up. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780761452201
ISBN: 0761452206
Face to Face with Polar Bears
Norbert Rosing with Elizabeth Carne
If you have been reading the newspapers lately, you would be aware that polar bears may be greatly endangered by global warming. Their habitat is changing and changing much faster than they can adapt. The author and his wife were on an expedition to photograph polar bears and they ventured to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada, which is sometimes referred to as the “polar bear capital of the world.” These bears are big and powerful. The book opens with their frightening encounter with a bear who had a tooth ache and seemed determined to break into their camp. After that experience, Rosing tells about his ventures to the Arctic to photograph wildlife and how he became fascinated by polar bears. His pictures are amazing--a bear eating a walrus, a mother snuggling with her cub, bears swimming in icy cold waters, and young males at play (but this play acting will help them later when they actually will fight over a female). The final pages address how readers can help fight global warming to protect the bears’ habitat, and also how one can become a budding animal photographer. If a young reader is working on a report, the facts-at-a-glance, glossary and find-out-more sections will be particularly helpful. The latter includes printed materials as well as web sites. An excellent book for school, public library, and home use. Look for other titles in the “Face to Face” series. 2007, National Geographic, $16.95. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781426301391
ISBN: 1426301391
ISBN: 1426301405
ISBN: 9781426301407
Hush Little Polar Bear
Jeff Mack
Charming, lush illustrations carry this touching bedtime picture book through the rhyming text without becoming tedious or boring. The young child narrating the story describes wonderful, adventurous places to see and things to do and explore through the eyes of her cuddly toy polar bear. She tells of the baby bear riding on the back of a whale, following a trail on a sandy beach, traveling through a marsh where tall grasses grow and butterflies flutter. There are many wonderful places to see on each page, from cows to caves to jungles and deserts, all the way into the sky where hawks and eagles fly. The story ends beautifully with the bear returning home to sleep peacefully in bed with the child. A lovely aspect of the story is the child appearing in the background of most of the illustrations without being intrusive as she travels along with her toy bear. A lovely bedtime read for any child. 2009, Roaring Brook Press, $16.95. Ages 2 to 6. Reviewer: Joan Elste (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781596433687
ISBN: 159643368X
Ice Bear: In the Steps of the Polar Bear
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Gary Blythe
Using two font sizes and wrapping the smaller one around the curves of the illustrations allows the author to pack even more information about polar bears into this detailed look at the life of the huge white bears of the far north. The main text is rich but spare, almost poetic, and tells about the life of the polar bear also known by other names such as “white bear, ice bear, sea bear,” and to the Inuit people as “Nanuk.” The second text gives more scientific details. The illustrations are striking in their realism but they have been rendered with such skill as to retain an artful quality that seems reminiscent of Inuit carvings. The Arctic may, at first glance, seem to be an all white landscape but the eye soon discerns the many hues embedded in the ice and snow and the reflections of the blues of the sky and ocean and from the sun itself. Blythe has done a remarkable job in capturing all of the vastness of the scenery and the brilliance of the colors. His depiction of summer and winter, juxtaposed horizontally across a double spread, is masterful and glorious—giving even young readers a real feel for the environment in which the Inuit and polar bear live. A “read-along” CD which includes music and facts is packaged with this paperback version. I would have wished to have had the facts read in the exact order that they occur in the book to provide a second “read-along” experience. Elementary school students will find this an excellent resource for a research project and report. Back matter includes an index and notes. Anyone interested in these huge, stately bears will find this an inspiring read and a visual treat. 2005, Candlewick Press, Ages 4 to 10, $8.99. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children’s Literature).
ISBN: 9780763638788
ISBN: 9780763627591
Ice Bears
Brenda Z. Guiberson
Illustrated by Ilya Spirin
As winter descends on the Arctic, a polar bear gives birth in her den to two cubs. She nurses them through the winter, but by March she must eat if all are to survive. She teaches them how to walk on the frozen ground and struggles with them to reach the sea safely. She manages to catch enough seals to produce milk. By June, she and the cubs must accumulate enough fat to last through the seasons. The short summer arrives; the ice begins to crack. They go ashore and keep eating, plagued by mosquitoes. When the sea finally freezes, the bears return to the ice to hunt again. The double-page scenes focus on the bears and their efforts to survive, with some additional information about the environment on land and sea and of course the snow. Spirin creates naturalistic watercolor paintings of scenes visualized to enhance the story-telling qualities and evoke emotion more than photographs. The informative text and illustrations stimulate our curiosity while stressing the importance of the environment to the lives of the bears. Endnotes are warnings and alerts to the danger of the loss of the ice from global warming. Be sure to take off the jacket to enjoy the bears and seals across the cover. 2008, Henry Holt and Company/Macmillan, $16.95. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780805076073
ISBN: 0805076077
Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World
Craig Hatkoff, Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich
The best selling father/daughters team who brought us Owen and Mzee have turned to a polar bear cub in Berlin to further promote their message about environmental responsibility. Photographs and clearly worded text follow the story of how the zookeeper Thomas Dorflein became the full-time substitute parent for the cub who was rejected by its mother shortly after birth. This is a solid informational book, with a very clear political agenda. As was true with the hippo Owen, the Hatkoffs assure us that Thomas and the polar bear cub’s relationship cannot and should not extend past Knut’s first year, since to do so would not respect the laws of nature--and one of the motivations for this book on what has been hailed as “The Cutest Animal Ever” is to alert the world to the danger of the extinction of polar bears, due to global warning. Interestingly, there is a brief allusion but no real exploration of quite a different issue about man’s interference with nature. A zoo visitor created a stir when he pointed out that, by definition, zoos can be seen as interfering with the laws of nature, for in the wild, Knut would not have been rescued, or survived, after being rejected by his mother. 2007, Scholastic Press, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780545047166
ISBN: 0545047161
ISBN: 9780545047173
ISBN: 054504717X
The Last Polar Bears
Harry Horse
After seeing a desolate polar bear at the zoo, Grandfather and his dog Roo decide to go on an adventure to the North Pole to find the last polar bears. The travelers leave in the middle of the night and head to Great Bear Ridge, where they feel certain that they will find the polar bears. Along the way, they run into many different obstacles and conflicts, such as a crazy captain on their ship and a blizzard that forces them to take refuge in an igloo and wait there, with no food, for several days. Harry Horse wrote the book as an epistolary novel, and the series of letters gives readers a firsthand synopsis of all the events of the journey. Children will enjoy Grandfather’s letters to his grandson in this delightful story of friendship and survival as Grandfather risks everything to find something about which he feels passionately. 2007, Peachtree Publishers, $12.95. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Kimberly Ballington (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781561453795
ISBN: 156145379X
My Little Polar Bear
Claudia Rueda
As a small cub leaves his snowy cave, he asks his mother, “Am I a polar bear?” Not content with his mother’s affirmative answer, he questions how she knows. Thus begins this simple story of what makes a polar bear a polar bear: living in the Arctic, white fur, large padded feet, and skills such as smelling seals. The cub’s confidence waivers during a snowstorm but his mother quickly reassures him that she will stay with him and teach him what he needs to know. In the end, the cub is secure in the knowledge he is loved. Colombian author-illustrator Claudia Rueda provides a basic lesson in polar bear characteristics while conveying the deeper message that a parent is the companion, teacher, and protector the child needs as he grows toward independence. This gentle message is reinforced by the cool palette used throughout the book. However, Rueda balances the monotony of the icy landscape by changing visual perspective for some illustrations, such as a spread featuring an overhead view of the bears’ walk among leafless trees or the view of the bears swimming from underneath. Classroom teachers can incorporate this book into studies about animals and environments, while parents will enjoy reading this quiet book before bedtime. 2009, Scholastic, Ages 3 to 6, $16.99. Reviewer: Keri Collins Lewis (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780545146005
ISBN: 0545146003
Nanuk Flies Home
Christa Holtei
Illustrated by Astrid Vohwinkel
Nanuk, a frisky young polar bear, is bored and hungry. His mother takes him to the human settlement, where he encounters busy streets and humans for the first time. He gets very excited when they enter a food market, but then wakes up in a cage. An older bear tells him that when caught stealing food, you get a tranquilizer shot and end up in “Polar Bear Jail.” He explains to Nanuk that humans find them dangerous, and will fly them back to their home on the icy plain. Nanuk has always wanted to fly like the birds, but his mother calls that nonsense. Still, they are taken up in a helicopter and back home. Nanuk has found flying exciting but is glad to be back where he belongs. The fictional tale incorporates facts about the bears and their yearly gathering in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Naturalistic watercolors effectively depict the scenes while creating a pair of bears we relate to. Nanuk is a curious youngster, sticking his nose into both garbage dump and supermarket bins. The story itself is peaceful, without any reference to more aggressive animal behavior. A map is included, along with additional facts about polar bears and the yearly gathering in Manitoba. 2008, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, $16.00. Ages 5 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780802853424
ISBN: 0802853420
Panda & Polar Bear
Matthew J. B
A panda bear and a polar bear lived “in a place where spring met winter.” They never met, because a steep cliff separated them; but when the curious polar bear gets too close to the edge of the cliff, he slips down into some mud and cannot climb back up. He encounters “a strange, splotchy bear” who asks him to play. It is the panda, who looks amazingly like the mud-spattered polar bear as they frolic together. When the polar bear sees himself in some water, he is surprised at his appearance. He falls in, catches a fish, and surprises the panda by being all white. He wonders if they can they still be friends. The panda, however, interested to see the snow the homesick bear discusses, helps him build a ladder. Now the friends can discover much more together. The jacket/cover introduces the duo of cuddly youngsters and their contrasting environments. Transparent watercolors emphasize their emotions, natural curiosity, and spirited play with minimal contexts: bamboo plants, swirling clouds, and a double-page scene of underwater fishing. A final double-page bird’s-eye-view seems to show that the encounter could be at a zoo. 2009, Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Young Readers Group, $16.99. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780803733596
ISBN: 0803733593
Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting?
Robert E. Wells
Why are polar bears in trouble? Why is the Arctic Ocean becoming warmer? The Arctic Ocean is very cold and covered with floating ice, but it is just the right temperature for polar bears who live on the ice and hunt seals. Every year, the Arctic temperature slowly rises, and more and more ice melts. It is harder for Polar bears to survive and thrive with ice floes few and far in between. In order to be a healthy planet, the earth must maintain equilibrium; the average temperature must stay around 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and the main greenhouse gases must stay at a healthy level. At this point in time, there are too many greenhouse gases in the air, and the air is becoming too warm. Most of the carbon dioxide comes from factories and machines that burn fossil fuels like coal and oil. People are using more and more electricity, causing carbon dioxide to go into the air. Every day millions of people use oil when they drive cars, fly planes, and sail in ships. So how important is Arctic ice, and why does it matter that we work to save it? Arctic ice helps regulate weather all over the world. In this fun book, children can see the link between ice floes, the greenhouse effect, and a myriad of problems that could have long-lasting consequences. The author provides examples of what parents and children can do on a regular basis to conserve energy (and save the Arctic ice) so that Polar bears will be around for many years to come. 2008, Albert Whitman & Company, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780807565988
ISBN: 0807565989
ISBN: 9780807565995
ISBN: 0807565997
Our Three Bears
Ron Hirschi
Photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen
North America is home to three types of bears--the black bear, grizzly bear, and polar bear. The black bear is nocturnal, and in the colder climates, they hibernate in winter. A mother may give birth to as many as four cubs. The black bear is a good climber and can run at a top speed of 30 miles per hour so you cannot outrun this bear. As with the other sections of the book, there is a fact box titled “The Bear Facts.” This particular bear is widespread, and estimates place about 800,000 in North America. The next section presents the awesome grizzly bear, which is the most powerful and dangerous of all the bears. It is even a threat to black bears and smaller grizzlies. Some of these animals may weigh up to 1,700 pounds and stand up to a height of ten feet. A mother grizzly teaches her cubs to swim and catch fish. The “Bear Facts” inset relates that, during hibernation, these bears do not eat, drink, urinate, and so forth, and their body temperatures and heartbeats slow down. Grizzlies are sleepy bears and may spend 10 years of their lives sleeping (they often live thirty years). Polar bears live in the Arctic, and their favorite food is seal. Only the female hibernates, and that is when she gives birth to one or two cubs. Like other bears, the mother spends time raising her cubs. These bears are as comfortable in the water as they are on ice. The “Bear Facts” box describes the polar bear’s fur, which is transparent, and it is the reflection of light that makes it appear white. The photographs of these bears in their various habitats are excellent, and some pages may have one large picture, several smaller ones, or even a picture that covers two thirds of a spread. The text is informative and easy for younger children to read. The author ends with a personal note about his experience watching bears, information to help readers observe bears, and a plea to take actions so that we do not destroy the habitats of these magnificent creatures. 2008, Boyds Mills Press, $16.95. Ages 7 to 9. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9781590780152
ISBN: 1590780159
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2008
Added/Updated 12/28/09
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