Andy Bear: A Polar Cub Grows Up at the Zoo

by Ginny Johnston, Judy Cutchins

Describes the first year of life of a polar bear born in captivity at the Atlanta Zoo

Genres: Picture Books

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am shook. I have spent my whole life thinking that Andy Bear was a boy polar bear. Apparently, Andy turned out to be a GIRL! Or so says the very sad newspaper articles which published her obituary in 2010, after SHE succumbed to liver failure and was humanely euthanized. The book refers to Andy as a HE throughout. The bear's middle name is Nicholas after all (for having been born on Christmas). (The Andy part comes from the fact that Atlanta's mayor at the time was named Andrew.) I get not knowing the sex of a polar bear at the very beginning, but Andy Bear outlines the first year of the bear cub's life. Did no one check in an entire year as to whether this was a girl or boy bear? Honestly, I feel a little lied to, like finding out your childhood hero has feet of clay. But anyway, I absolutely loved this book as a kid, and getting a chance to reread it as an adult for a reading challenge was fun. The one thing I did notice was how far zoo husbandry has come since the mid-80s. I cringed every time Andy's enclosure was (rightfully) referred to as a "cage." I'm so glad we've learned to do better nowadays.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember ordering this book from one of those Weekly Reader book order things at school back in fifth grade. For some reason, when the book finally came in I recall being bitterly disappointed by it. It was a non-fiction book about a polar bear named Andy, who gradually became accustomed to zoo life over the course of the text. There were plenty of pictures of Andy grooming himself and regarding bowls of food with vague curiosity. I wish I could remember exactly why I felt this book to be such a letdown. The description in the book order leaflet said it was a book about a baby polar bear, and that's exactly what I got. It's not like they said "send us four bucks and we'll send you a hundred bucks" and then sent me a book about a baby polar bear. The deal went down exactly as described. My fifth grade self wants me to give it one star, but good God, it was a book about a baby polar bear! How bad could it have been? I'm such a whiner sometimes.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fav in first and second grade. I always fought with one particular girl over checking this out on library day - the pictures were so damn cute!