A Bear Far from Home
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
This poignant historical nonfiction book, about a polar bear that was gifted to King Henry III, beautifully shows the importance of respecting our natural world and its precious animals.
Long ago, when kings and queens ruled much of the world, the king of Norway gave the king of England a bear.
Imagine a polar bear at ease in her natural arctic world, her only home--until trappers capture her and take her to the king of England.
Imagine a polar bear in her lonely new world, stuck in a cage. This small, enclosed space is her only home--until King Henry III decrees that she be brought to the Thames River every day to swim and fish.
Imagine now this same polar bear dipping a curious paw in the river water, then leaping in with a joyful splash. And it is here, in this unfamiliar, faraway land, in one small way, that she finds home once again.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This picture book draws on history to tell the story of a polar bear gifted to King Henry III for his Tower of London menagerie, asking readers to envision the creature's experiences and emotions as she voyages from her Norway birthplace to England. "Imagine/ how the world/ must have seemed to her," prompts the narrative as it traces the bear's early life, capture by trappers, and subsequent journey to court. "Did she look back/ to search the horizon,/ longing for a glimpse of home?" read empathic musings about the creature's presumed transport via ship. While it's unclear whether the bear encountered Henry III ("We'll never know for sure"), records show she was eventually allowed to fish in the River Thames, where Fletcher questionably suggests she found a new "home" as a captive. Presenting varied human skin tones throughout, Green's stylized gouache and pencil renderings complement through their use of ornate, medieval-inspired borders and floral flourishes. Together, text and image offer a unique combination of sympathetic speculation and historical grounding. Ages 4–8.
