Title: SEA BEAR: A Journey for Survival

Written & illustrated by: Lindsay Moore

Harper Collins/Greenwillow Books, 2019, fiction

For ages: 4-8

Themes/topics: polar bears, journeys, patience, survival, climate change

First spread:

Polar bears are patient beasts,

as patient as glaciers.

We know how to hope and how to wait.

I learned to be patient long ago

From my polar bear mother—

Summary (from the publisher):

Lindsay Moore’s remarkable and beautifully illustrated picture book follows a lone polar bear as she makes her way across sea ice in the Arctic. Sea Bear is a deeply moving and informative story about perseverance, family, nature, and climate change that will resonate with readers of all ages.

A solitary polar bear travels across the sea ice in pursuit of food. As the ice melts and food becomes scarce, she is forced to swim for days. Finally, storm-tossed and exhausted, she finds shelter on land, where she gives birth to cubs and waits for the sea to freeze again.

Informed by the author’s background in marine science, Sea Bear is a vivid and moving page-turner with a vital message about our changing planet. Thisis a gorgeously illustrated book, with the perfect marriage of scientific fact and poetry, that shows the reality of climate change and how it poses a threat to animals of the Arctic. Perfect for family and classroom sharing.

Includes extensive backmatter about Arctic animals, climate change, and sea ice.

Why I recommend this book:

Come for the beautiful blue palette and the exquisitely rendered polar bears. Come for the moving tale of persistence and the compelling first-person narration – the voice of a polar bear, drawing us in and inviting us on the journey. Stay for the lyrical text and the fascinating – and vitally important – back matter regarding sea ice and polar bears. As Moore gently reminds us, the fate of polar bears “is tied to the future of sea ice.” As the sea ice shrinks, so does their habitat.

Read this book with the children in your life and be inspired to do your part to combat the climate crisis and care for our planet.

Please check out this week’s other PPBF posts on Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog: https://susannahill.com/blog/!

(For a colossal collection of picture book reviews, please visit this page on Susanna’s site: http://susannahill.com/for-teachers-and-parents/perfect-picture-books/.)