Poe and Lars

by Kashelle Gourley, Skylar Hogan (Illustrator)

Lonely Poe and hangry Lars strike a deal in this humorous picture book about an unlikely friendship!

This is Poe.
She lives alone in the Arctic where it's nice and cold. . . .

Poe is a resourceful and creative girl living in the snowy Arctic. Although she enjoys her life, Poe longs for company. But everything changes one day when Lars, a grumpy and hungry polar bear who is quite the poor hunter, crashes into her home, destroying it. Poe offers to bring him food and, in exchange, Lars must repair her home.

Will Lars deliver on his end of the bargain, or does he see something else on the menu? Kids will love this hilarious and brilliantly illustrated tale about an unconventional friendship!

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Climate Change

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

An odd story about a bold little girl living alone in the Arctic who forms a transactional relationship with a grumpy polar bear who wants to eat her.

It's kind of cute, has nice pictures, and offers some warnings about the dangers of climate change, but something about it just didn't click with me. I think it's mostly that I didn't buy the bear's character arc and was irked by his sudden ability to speak. And the moral seemed to be that bribery works, start paying off your enemies and make them dependent on your largesse.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een lief boek over vriendschap en de noordpool.


Een mooi boek, iets minder vanwege de deprimerende stukken over klimaat (echt we snappen het hoor, maar ga maar zeuren bij de megabedrijven en regeringen veel mensen doen al hun best), maar verder genoten van Noor en Pol (geweldige namen) en hun opbloeiende vriendschap.

Ik heb lekker gelachen en genoten. Ze waren allebei echt een typje. Pol een grote boze beer die uiteindelijk toch een hart van goud had en Noor die een pittige meid was die nergens bang voor was, zelfs niet voor een beer die haar net probeerde op te eten. XD

Ik vond de illustraties echt super, geweldig, mooi, leuk, en ik kan nog wel even door gaan. De cover was ook het eerste dat me opviel en waarom ik het boek ook meenam uit de bieb.

Zoals ik al zei vond ik de namen geweldig, vooral als je het vergelijkt met de originele namen (Lars en Poe). Dit maakt tenminste nog een pun op het feit dat ze wonen op de Noordpool.

Aanrader!

Recensie ook gepost op https://boekeneiland.nl/

[Franky Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich liebes alles daran 😂😂😂

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poe and Lars are two adorable characters who become very unlikely friends to help one another survive the harsh realities of life in the Arctic. Clever illustrations add to the charm, especially Lars’ hilarious expressions. Endnotes include additional information about the Arctic and climate change, the indigenous people who make their home in the region, and polar bears. Unfortunately, this story loses a star by missing an important opportunity to portray Poe as one of the native inhabitants of the region being adversely affected by climate change, who are being forced to abandoned flooded villages and are starving much like Lars.

[James Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is not my normal read, but found it sitting at home when I arrived a few days ago, so how could I not read? And before I continue, I must disclose that I am quite biased as the artist of this book is none other than my esteemed cousin Skylar! Anyway, while I am not normally a reader of children's books, I quite enjoyed this one. A simple and sweet tale that is funny and heart-warming all at the same time. I found myself smiling at the end...and not a bit sad that I didn't have a small child to read this to! Also the art is gorgeous and just drew me right in. I can imagine if I was a kid, I would spend a significant amount of time just staring at the pictures and imagining myself in the Arctic!! A quality children's book, this.

[TheLifeTheFife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Duty!

This adorably hilarious picture book must be your next pick! Perfectly illustrated, this story of a young girl, Poe, and her new friend, Lars the polar bear, made me laugh out loud! Full of humor, this story still has important themes running through it. Depicting the melting ice in the Artic and the difficulties it causes for the animals and people native to the region, this book gives a great look into the real-life effects of climate change.

Climate change can be terrifying, especially for younger generations. POE AND LARS’S giggle-worthy tales is a great way to introduce the problems of climate change without overwhelming even the youngest readers.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story and I LOVED the illustrations 💜 My kiddo loved Lars!

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone loves grumpy guss character who is friends with a chipper one and this story is no different! I liked the backmatter about climate and habitation loss.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to our trusty Goodreads Blurber, this picture book is supposed to be H I L A R I O U S. Well, I'll see whether that's true for this Goodreads Reviewer.

IN THIS STORY

* POE is the human protagonist, a little girl who's bold and gutsy.
* LARS is a bear, a big guy who isn't terribly good as a hunter.
* Both of these characters live alone.

Poe suggests a deal: "I'll get you food if you rebuild my home!"

FIVE STARS for this entertaining introduction to life in the Arctic.

BTW did I find this book the least bit funny? Nope.

[LadyTea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured as the December choice for my read aloud book club of 1st & 2nd graders. Perfectly enjoyable & quirky tale of an alliance forged between an expressive, hungry polar bear & a resourceful girl both living independently in the Arctic.
Beautifully & humorously written & illustrated by author, K. Gourley & illustrator, S. Hogan, Poe and Lars was perfectly engaging & giggle-producing for my young, independent readers.The author’s brief end notes featuring factual information about climate change & polar bears was greatly appreciated by both the children, their parents & myself.

[Karissa Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little book. It is beautifully illustrated and the story is perfect for little readers. My 4 and 7 year old loved it and I (as a mom who reads multiple books to my kids a night) really enjoyed it too. It has a re-readability factor which for this mom is a win! Also I loved the last page. Took me by surprise and made me laugh out loud. A little bit of humor for the adults reading!

[Tiffany S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious tale of a resourceful girl named Poe meets a grumpy hungry polar bear, who is a poor hunter. After he destroys her home, they strike a deal. If Poe catches him something to eat, then Lars the polar bear must repair her home. Who knows if he'll keep his promise but if anything else it makes for a hilarious tale of friendship.

[David W. Cofer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is interesting and educational about helping others and friendship, but unfortunately, the authors had to work in their personal opinions regarding climate change. Children's books should not include such political messages.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming & funny fable. Includes two educational notes. My inner child loves the implausible elements like the sheer size of the bear and the ambiguous age of Poe, so rounding up to four full stars. I'll look for more by the author.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and funny and just everything I love about picture books.

[SamSamSam · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was weird

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story of making friends with such expressive illustrations

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Very cute, great illustrations and I like that it included a non-fiction section in the back about climate change and it's effect on the arctic.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Randomly interjects comments about climate change into a story about friendship. So weird. Feels like two books squished haphazardly into one.

[Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pas un gros hit, la thématique est d'actualité, mais l'approche de l'histoire ne nous a pas accroché (les dessins sont beaux par contre).

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nah, life's still rough." HAHAHAHA!

[Marie-Pier Dodier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deux habitués de la solitude s'entraident pour répondre à leurs besoins et deviennent amis.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute first grader read this to me last night. She nailed it!

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holt-Delhi library Preschool story time 06-20-2023

[Eadrinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Poe encounters Lars, a huge polar bear, the two join together to eek out a living in the harsh arctic. A very relevant story about climate change with cute humor.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations and story of this picture book! I even learned a polar fact I did not know to top it off.

[Alice Cintra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice adorou! Pediu para ler por várias noites seguidas.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun winter time picture book with two unlikely friends and a sly note about climate change.