Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?: Eric Carle

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This fantasy text revolves the personification of animals. One day, a new animal that the other animals have never seen before moves to the forest, arriving on a sheet of ice. They refer to him the entire book as “the creature” and “the beast.” The animals begin calling him “leaf” because of the weird habit that he has of always eating leaves and because they want him to “leave.” They argue about different ways to get him to leave the forest, but they can not come to a consensus. Eventually, they agree that because he looks so sad and lonely, they will listen to his story. This act changes their entire outlook towards the “creature.”

Polar Bears– Here is information about how polar bears swim and hunt, how they keep warm and dry, and the many other ways they adapt to their environment. The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own. Set in the wild wood, the animals who call this rugged land their home are surprised and a little wary when a new animal arrives. He is big, white, and has lots of teeth. But stranger still is his habit of collecting leaves. So they name him Leaf. But as the animals watch Leaf they finally become brave enough to ask him his story. Leaf is a pleasure to read aloud. There not too many words to detract from the images and emphasis and call outs are added to make this a simple but very powerful book.One day, a polar bear washes up on the edge of the wild wood. Never seen such an animal, all the other animals of the wild wood run away from him. Eventually, the animals named the polar bear Leaf, because they want him to leave. Polar bears rely heavily on sea ice for traveling, hunting, resting, mating and, in some areas, maternal dens. But because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change–the primary threat to polar bears Arctic-wide–polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008. As their sea ice habitat recedes earlier in the spring and forms later in the fall, polar bears are increasingly spending longer periods on land, where they are often attracted to areas where humans live. 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. 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. What a beautiful sequence of story and visuals as the other animals are deciding whether or not to care, whether or not to help.

You know a book has you hooked when your heart is in your throat and you are really, really hoping it doesn't have a sad ending. At its heart Leaf has a number of simple but key messages to draw out - reaching out to outsiders, loneliness, and protecting the environment. Leaf collects leaves to make wings so that he can fly home to his family from whom he was separated because of the melting ice. And that's all it says. There is no lecturing or overt nagging, just a simple message conveyed through the eyes of a lonely polar bear. It provokes key discussion and questions about why the ice has melted, how Leaf might have become separated from his family, what the animals did to help, and what else could be done to help. 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. Polar bears are such a popular animal for kids! Whether your young reader is obsessed with polar bears or you are preparing for a unit of learning, this list of polar bear books for kids will help you find the perfect next read for your little reader. Lars, a little polar bear, becomes drifts far from home on accident while on a hunting trip with his father. Will his new warm-weather friends help him find his way home? This book has a great story and even better…it’s part of a series! Polar Bear Island by Lindsay BonillaThe crows saw him first, drifting toward the shore one moonlit night on a raft of rapidly melting ice. He took shelter in the old empty cave that the other animals steered clear of, and the whispers started soon after. He looked so different from the other animals, and even from the lush and colorful land around them, this great white bear. And he acted so strangely, wandering the forest every day and collecting leaves. The other animals called him Leaf, not because of his odd habit, because they wanted him to LEAVE. Too loud, too different – the other animals were so sure he didn’t belong, and felt threatened by his presence. But as the crows argue for compassion, Leaf does something entirely unexpected that just may encourage the animals to consider changing their point of view.

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. Can penguins move to Polar Bear Island? This title gently teaches little ones to appreciate differences and find space for everyone while offering funny phrases and great graphics! The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale by Lydia Dabcovich The Lonely Polar Bear– A little polar bear wakes up alone after a furious storm and finds himself all alone. With his mother nowhere in sight, he makes friends with a mysterious little girl and other animal friends such as puffins, elks, wolves, whales, and more. Nonfiction Books About Polar Bears We support research on climate change effects, and show the way forward by funding research and analysis on alternative energy. I genuinely can't stop thinking of the utterly vibrant illustrations in here. Like, I tried to close my eyes after reading and all I could see were the lively colors springing up in my mind over and over. Here's a handful of examples of said occurrence:Can you believe that this little book about a very big polar bear can introduce young readers to addition and fractions? This polar bear can’t understand why he is so much bigger than the other animals around him and he learns how many sardines or walruses it would take to reach his height. Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle Below, I’ve featured just a handful of polar bear books that will help kids of all ages learn more about these Arctic animals.

Follow along as this mama bear raises her babies in their den and as they take their first adventures into the Arctic. This book will bring the polar bears’ world to life. This would be a great launching point for students to create their own stories about what the bears will do next! Nonfiction Polar Bear Books for Kids This tale of acceptance gently highlighting the plight of polar bears in today's changing climate had me enraptured from start to finish. In this retelling of a traditional Inuit tale, an old woman adopts a polar cub. The villagers don’t like this arrangement and threaten the bear, who finally leaves to live his own life. Kids will be drawn into this story and it’s a great one to include in a folktales unit! The Polar Bear Wish by Lori Evert Where Do Polar Bears Live?– The Arctic might be a bit too chilly for humans to live there, but it is the perfect home for polar bears. But the earth is getting warmer and the ice is melting. Where will the polar bears live? How can we help protect their home?

Arctic Adaptations

When a polar bear arrives unexpectedly in the woods, the animals fear and avoid him, suspecting him to be dangerous - and his habit of collecting leaves only adds to their distrust. Then one day, they watch as he attempts to fly over the water with wings made of colorful leaves...just trying to go home. I was looking for something comforting and light to read when I couldn't fall asleep in the middle of the night, and then I see the completely stunning cover of this picture book and was instantly enchanted... When a strange white bear comes ashore and takes up residence in the local cave, all of the woodland residents thereabouts are disturbed. Frightened of this solitary newcomer, at first they see only the danger he represents, and are blind to the distress he is clearly demonstrating, through his odd behavior. It falls to the crows, who had been advocating talking to the stranger, to bring the polar bear and the woodland residents together, leading to better understanding and compassion, when the latter discover that their ursine guest was transplanted unwillingly from his home, and is missing his family...