The Polar Bear (Volume 2)

by Jenni Desmond

A gorgeously illustrated nonfiction book about the polar bear, this is a factually accurate as well as a poetic exploration of polar bear bodies, habits, and habitats. Working in a painterly, expressive way, Jenni Desmond creates landscapes and creatures that are marked by atmosphere and emotion, telling a story about bears that engages the reader's interest in amazing facts as well as their deep sense of wonder.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Nature, Childrens, Environment

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 24, 2016

About the author

Jenni Desmond graduated from a Masters Degree in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art (UK) with distinction and her debut book won the Cambridgeshire Read it Again! Award in 2012. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages since, and in 2015 Desmond was named Best Emerging Talent (Illustrator) at the Junior Design Awards (UK). In 2016 she was made a Maurice Sendak Fellow and her book 'The Polar Bear' became a 'New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book' of the year.

Her work is admired for its narrative and visual depth, being at once complex and simple. Jenni Desmond lives in East London UK. When she's not in her studio, you'll find her cooking, cycling and looking for adventure.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will remind you just how beautiful and majestic polar bears are. We picked it up thinking it would just be a simple picture book. It's so much more than that.

The Polar Bear discusses how vulnerable and threatened the species is and how the largest threat is global warming. Children will also learn many other facts about polar bears and why they're important. Some of the questions covered are: what do they eat? how long do they live? how do they hunt? and do they hibernate?

Another element we loved was how the author incorporated a child into the story as if she were reading and experiencing everything in the book as the story is being read. Also, the illustrations are so artistic and appealing.

5*****

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious, colorful, exuberant picture book. One of the best I have ever seen.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason Goodreads does not have this listed under the author of The Blue Whale, but it is her. This is the next book in the endangered animals collection picture books for wee ones, and I really liked The Blue Whale so picked this one up.

Just as in the first book, the art in this one is beautiful. The text however, while factual and informative, does not have the flow of Whale. It's almost like the author couldn't decide whether to keep this a picture book, or make it more interesting to older (8-12 years) readers, and in doing so, some of the magic is lost. Still, it's worth getting a copy for little readers to see how they feel. They will certainly learn some cool things about Polar bears with this beautiful book. I certainly did.

[André · Rating 4 out of 5]

Citaat : Net als ijsberen rollen ook mensen zich graag op een prettig plekje op. Misschien wel om bij hun lievelingsboek in slaap te vallen en te dromen...
Review :
Jenni Desmond studeerde Engels en kunstgeschiedenis, en behaalde vervolgens haar master in kinderboekillustratie aan de Cambridge School of Art. Met haar debuut Red Cat, Blue Cat won ze in 2013 de Cambridgeshire Picture Book Award. Ze illustreert inmiddels voor uitgevers in Engeland en Duitsland tot in Korea en Japan. Een van haar opdrachtgevers is de Londense National Portrait Gallery. Zoevende Zebra is haar debuut bij Lemniscaat.
De auteur wil ook in haat non-fictie een scheutje fictie mixen want anders voelt alles soms zo droog en ingewikkeld aan. Zij wil ergens een duidelijk onderscheid maken tussen feiten en fictie door bijvoorbeeld een jongetje of meisje een boek vast te
laten houden en te lezen.

En dat gebeurt ook in haar nieuwste boek De ijsbeer.Op een dag pakte een meisje een boek van een plank en begon te lezen…Met het openslaan van het boek wordt het meisje de wereld van de ijsbeer ingetrokken. Ze sjokt kilometers met hem over de ijsvlakte, op zoek naar eten. Ze komt erachter hoe handig de poten van een ijsbeer zijn, en hoe hij op zijn buik begint te kruipen als het ijs onder zijn gewicht begint te buigen. Een ijsbeer is zo lang als twee zevenjarige kinderen boven op elkaar en het mannetje weegt net zoveel als wel twintig zevenjarigen! Alles wordt knap met een snufje humor verteld en samen met het meisje leert de lezer alles over de ijsbeer – uit de tekst, maar ook uit de schitterende, soms bijna sprookjesachtige sneeuwillustraties. Een boek dat uitnodigt tot prikkelen van de zinnen en de fantasie, discussies, opzoeken van youtubeesfilmpjes werkstukken, spreekbeurten. Dank zij de knappe vertaling van Jesse Goossens komen wij een heel stuk dichter bij het leven van de witte keizer van de dierenwereld.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really educational but SOOOO long. Not for younger children.

[Stormy Summer]

Hi guys! This is an rp of good and evil! There is a queen to both, and many, many princesses and princes.
Choose your side!

Good~
Queen: Queen Marie( : Sunsetsong : )
King: (Arthur)
Princesses:
Angelina( : Sunsetsong : )
Juliet ( : Sunsetsong : )
Frost( : Songwhisper : )
Princes:
None

Evil~
Queen: Burn ( : Songwhisper : )
King:
Princesses:
Ghost ( : Sunsetsong : )

Princes:

Rules! ---
No swearing/cussing
No bullying
Only 1 queen or king is aloud for each person. After a month, you have to give your queen duty to a princess or prince, and they can not be owned by yourself.
Unlimited about of princes and princesses

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover

Recensie volgt later.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical frame story about a little girl who likes to read about polar bears is wrapped around somewhat dense text that lacks a distinctive voice. This picture book’s strongest features are its interesting illustrations and the wealth of facts about polar bears.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a reread that has been read over and over by my young readers.

Just as she did in The Blue Whale, Jenni Desmond begins this book with a young girl sporting a red crown pulling a book from a shelf, and who then curls up on a couch with her favorite stuffies and begins reading The Polar Bear. And so do we...

In this meta-fiction picture book, readers learn all about the polar bear, its anatomy, its habitat, what it hunts and likes to eat. Polar bears, also called sea bears, spend most of their life in the frozen Arctic regions of the world, and have a body that has adapted to the harsh conditions there. Two layers of fur, a tough hide and a thick layer of fat really helps, as do their very big paws, each about the size of a dinner plate, that help them hunt, dig, swim, and make pretty good snow shoes. They are large animals, though not nearly as large as a blue whale, but, Desmond writes, more like the length of two seven year-old kids.

Polar bears need to eat a lot, but don't have to eat every day. Their main food sources are seals, walrus', narwhals, and beluga whales and a polar bear will walk long distances in search of food. They usually eat about 40 seals a year. Interestingly, polar bears get their water from the seals fat, because sea water is too salty to drink. Unlike other bears, polar bears don't hibernate, but can sleep for long periods of time, especially in summer when ice melts and food is hard to find.

These are just some of the interesting facts that Desmond shares with readers about the life of polar bears. And just as she did with The Blue Whale, Desmond lets the illustrations tell half the story. The mixed-media illustrations are done in combination of paint, crayon, color pencil, in a palette that is more versions of mainly icy blues and winter whites than I would have imagined possible.

Be sure to read the Author's Note at the beginning of this book to learn about the dangers faced by polar bears from the environment and from man. These beautiful bears are a very vulnerable and threatened species.

Both The Blue Whale and The Polar Bear are imaginative and informative at the same time. Each book succeeds in two ways - they celebrate reading nonfiction and they educate readers about an threatened creature. The presence of the young readers in places where they would not ever be found adds a fanciful note to these otherwise factual narratives, carrying a lovely message about how you can get lost in a good book. And these are two books that my young readers got very lost in.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a bit on the borderline with this particular book since although it was given in a wonderful nonfiction format there were parts that I didn't like such as the note that polar bears have bad breath (why do we need to know this or who would want to know this?) and although it was creative I don't know if I was a fan of the protagonist who is reading the book actually showing up in the book.

The information although lengthy was well-presented and in a sense that didn't leave the reader struggling with big words. Instead it was clear, well-written and was supplemented mostly by the illustrations that were used in the book. Read straight through the reader wasn't left trying to find out their place in the back but followed a timeline of the reading.

Otherwise with the exception of the book's reader showing up in the illustrations the illustrations were breathtaking done and presented the reader with a good picture of polar bears in their various stages of life, in the body parts presented and even with the food sources they have although one listed animal was missing.

And as much as I don't like the reader being in the book and showing up on the same page that she is reading I do have to give the illustrator being creative in putting the character in the book. Instead my favorite addition to the stories and one that shows how well the illustrator knows about polar bears is the fact the reader has an Arctic fox stuffie that occasionally comes to life to follow the polar bear, which is a lot more natural.

All in all it is a great book to read to children who may be interested in learning more about the Great White Bear of the North although the youngest readers may lose attention. Older readers, especially those who can read on their own, shouldn't have any problems at all in following along or reading to someone else for practice.

[IBK Akindele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable book due to its orientation. Although it is an informational children's book, it is told in the form of a narrative story. This book offers plenty of information on the topic at hand, polar bears, in a very creative way. The book offers extra information from what is included in the main text, in what I would describe as a "post-it note" format. Lastly, the b0ok is illustrated beautifully. The illustrations in this book look incredibly detailed and accurate.

[Amanda up North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations. The right amount of facts and information, well delivered. Filled with wonder. And just enough subtle, honest, environmental tone to make a lasting impression.
I'm doing an art program involving polar bears at our children's library later today.. this is the prefect book to share. The best (of many!) I've found and read.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously illustrated non-fiction book, but presented in such a way as to draw children inside. Lots of information and facts, but the premise is that we are joining a small girl, who is reading her favourite book about polar bears. This adds an additional level of charm and connection.

[Jeimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning and informative

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful illustrations! Realistic with a bit of whimsy. Loved how packed with facts the book was while still being enchanting. It got across more understandable and relatable facts than most of the more encyclopedia-like books we looked at.

Super relatable for an early elementary student: describing size by how many average seven-year-olds would equal the same weight or length, talking about the size of paws by comparing to a dinner plate, texture of pads to the pebbly surface of a basketball, etc.

[Albina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las íslensku þýðinguna fyrir Víði. Mjög fallegar myndir en textinn er ekki mjög lifandi og eiginlega bara of þurr fróðleikur til þess að mín börn hafi haft sérstaklega gaman af þessir bók.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction with a lovely narrative twist. Loads of great information.

Most interesting takeaway: polar bears mate in the spring, but the female doesn't become pregnant until autumn, and then only if she is fat enough to sustain a pregnancy. That's fascinating and also kind of gross.

[Stacy Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very informative book and a good read.

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like Jenni Desmond's first nonfiction picture book The Blue Whale, The Polar Bear is a completely fascinating account of an endangered species. Beautifully told as a story within a story, readers learn just how intelligent and just like humans these animals are. Again, there's the hope that we will begin/continue to take care of them instead of destroying their/our environment. Gorgeous playful illustrations.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author also wrote The Blue Whale, with the same little girl reading the book we're reading and demonstrating within the illustrations how she's making connections and thinking about the information.

I'm tagging this literary nonfiction -- lots of polar bear facts, and when you understand their dependence on ice for survival, much sadness about climate change and the loss of polar ice.

Can't wait for the next book -- about Elephants.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative information about polar bears with beautiful illustrations. The book included some lesser know facts (for me, at least), like how females though mating in the spring won't become pregnant until fall and only if she has eaten enough to support a pregnancy.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book.

[Claire Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond is about a girl who picked up a book from the bookshelf and read about the life cycle of a polar bear. She learns about their habitat, life cycle, body structure, their keen sense of smell, their diet, and more. The story she is reading ends with the polar bear falling asleep, which is also when the girl ends up falling asleep.

The theme of The Polar Bear is not only educational with an abundance of facts, but it stresses the theme of empathy for animals. For example, throughout the book it relates the polar bear’s life to a human’s life, and it shows kids how much in common we have with animals.

Personally, the book was very eye opening. I learned a lot of new things about polar bears and their life styles. Also, being aware of climate change today and its negative effects on polar bears and their environment has made me more sympathetic to environmental issues. That being said, this book really opened my eyes to what polar bears have to go through on a daily basis to survive and the resources they need to survive.

I would definitely recommend this book. I think it is important for children to have empathy towards animals, especially endangered ones, because that will help create awareness to their lives and the negative effects that climate change brings to it even if it is not explicitly talking about climate change. I also think that this book does a good job presenting many different educational facts but keeping it relatable to young kids.

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Polar Bear, by Jenni Desmond, is a nicely produced book, but slightly odd. The majority of the book is reference material, citing interesting facts about the polar bear, but there are a few sentences about a little girl who likes polar bears at the very beginning and the very end that frame all those details. Combined with all that well-researched info, are some fantastic illustrations of polar bears, some of which include images of the little girl, dressed in her fur collared coat and crown. (Someone from PETA needs to instruct her about the inclusion of fur in our garments.) It's actually somewhat fun to see where the little girl might turn up. Near the middle is a delightful illustration of many, many children, including the little girl, enjoying polar bears in books, as stuffed animals, or perhaps as an image on their hats or sweaters. Despite being an enjoyable book, this rather feels like two ideas sandwiched between the covers - best suited for a classroom's reading shelf or a school library, rather than among a child's bookcase of favorites.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are almost like photographs; the dust jacket says that Jenni Desmond created them "using watercolor, acrylic, pencil, crayons, and the printmaking techniques of carborundum and drypoint." All I can say is that they are realistic and stunning. The book itself is not fiction, but there is a little genre-blending because a little girl who is reading about polar bears ends up following the bears through "their" story - i.e., this book, so we see her in various illustrations, reading about or fishing, sledding, and snuggling with the bears. Lots of facts that will be fascinating to a young audience; for example, I didn't know that a cub is the size of a guinea pig when it's born, or that polar bears are fussy about cleanliness and "wash" in snow and ice after feeding. Lovely & informative writing and illustrating on the part of Ms. Desmond, a Maurice Sendak Fellow in 2016. This book was on the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book list for 2016.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenni Desmond certainly has a great flair for presenting factual information in an easy flowing style with beautiful illustrations such as a picture book has. I love the technique of showing the child reaching for a book to learn about a particular animal, in this case the polar bear. I did indeed learn many facts about polar bears. . .they have an extra layer in their eyes that functions like sunglasses; they need to eat a minimum of about 40 ringed seals per year and can go eleven days without eating; the water they consume comes from the seals as the ocean water is too salty for them to drink. Polar bears mate in the spring, but don't actually become pregnant till the end of summer if they have enough weight to support the pregnancy. Fascinating information in a beautiful book.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is truly a thing of beauty. Desmond cleverly bookends this very straightforward information book about polar bears with delightful narrative about a little girl reading the book within the book. Young and old readers will be drawn in by this clever device and, no doubt, kept engaged by Desmond's illustrations. Each page of The Polar Bear is gifted with realistic yet magical illustrations of the polar bear in it's habitat. Young readers will be delighted to follow along with the inclusion of the little girl in most of the illustrations, allowing them to live closer within the information.

[Madalyn Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of the book shows a polar bear. This book shows the life of polar bears, where they are from, and what it's like living in the cold. This book is a factually accurate as well as a poetic exploration of polar bear bodies, habits, and habitats. Working in a painterly, expressive way, Jenni Desmond creates landscapes and creatures that are marked by atmosphere and emotion, telling a story about bears that engages the reader's interest in amazing facts as well as their deep sense of wonder. I gave this book a 4 out 5 of because it had really good infomation about polar bears. It makes me sad to see these animals going extinct to global warming.

[Nicole Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked everything about this book. The different forms of illustrations were stunning. I expected to find facts about polar bears but when we read this one we got so much more! The kids were so wrapped up in the dangers polar bears face. I love how it brought concern to them. If I was to use this in the classroom I honestly would probably just get the kids excited about it and leave it in a science center... I'm not sure I would be doing a unit concerning polar bears... maybe in a unit on the arctic?

[Jennifer Eckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book, but it's set within the small story of a little girl reading a book about polar bears. The information contained in the book about polar bears is great, but what really sets this book apart are the illustrations. They're simply gorgeous, and every now and then the little girl reading the book about polar bears shows up in the illustrations, as if she's entered the world of the book she's reading. It takes what could be a dry nonfiction book to a sublime place.