We haven’t had any snow (yet) this year, but that won’t stop us from enjoying some polar bear fun in the library! After all, February 27 is International Polar Bear Day and these animals need our help. Polar bears happen to be one of my all-time favorite animals, thanks in part to the amazing polar bear exhibit we used to have at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. There was an underwater viewing window in their habitat where I would gaze completely enthralled at the playful bears, just longing to swim with them. That exhibit closed long ago, so now I have to settle for tuning into a polar bear zoo cam. (I’ve included links to a few at the end of this post.)
In the meantime, I can enjoy sharing polar bear books like these with my students:
The Bear Report – written and Illustrated by Thyra Heder
Sophie seems a little bored by the polar bears she’s supposed to be reporting on, but when one (named Olafur) appears and takes her on a tour of his home she becomes a big fan. Includes an author’s note about her trip to Iceland. And may I say, I really love these light-infused illustrations!
It’s obvious that this book makes a great introduction to a unit on researching and writing about animals, and the idea of Sophie taking a tour of a polar bear habitat provides a natural introduction to using videos as information sources in addition to using print resources. Along with presenting facts (in narrative style) about polar bears, this book also touches on whales, seals, arctic foxes, and glacier mice as well, which makes it a good segue story into other polar animals. And there’s also a mention of the northern lights, which would make a perfect prompt for a watercolor project.
You can also share a video school visit presentation by the author.
You’re Snug With Me – written by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Poonam Mistry
A mother bear has given birth to two cubs, and as they snuggle cozily together she shares a lyrical description of what the world is like beyond their warm den. Try to use a document camera or ebook version of this story when sharing with students, because the dazzlingly intricate illustrations deserve close-up examination.
As someone who enjoys zentangle and mandala drawing myself, I was immediately inspired to pick up a pen and create some drawings of my own, so I searched out some line-drawing clip art of polar animals to give my students so they could try some patterns themselves. If your kids don’t have time to draw their own patterns, Teaching Books has some coloring sheets available for download. The author also provides some activities on her website.
Note there are two other gorgeous books in this series: You’re Safe with Me about a mama elephant, and You’re Strong with Me about a mother giraffe.
Hush Little Polar Bear – written and illustrated by Jeff Mack
Follow a little polar bear through his dreams to places anyone would love to visit: the beach, the farm, a waterfall, the jungle, and more until finally he drifts into the home of a sleeping girl who dreaming of polar bear travels herself.
The rhyme scheme of this book totally lends itself to singing the words (to the tune of Hush Little Baby), although it’s a bit long for a performance. Naturally it makes a wonderful bedtime book to send home with your younger students, and it would make a sweet bedtime song. You can find instrumental versions of the song on YouTube.
I like to use this book as the basis for an art exercise, where I read the words to the students but I don’t show them the pictures. Students then either activate prior knowledge about the locations in the story or use their research skills to find out about them. They then create their own illustrations to share with the class.
The Three Snow Bears – written and illustrated by Jan Brett
A retelling of the Goldilocks story substituting polar bears for woodland bears, Brett incorporates elements of the Inuit lifestyle into this entertaining story. As we enjoy the tale of Aloo-ki investigating the bears’ igloo and then getting caught by them, we also follow the story of the bears’ day out as well as the adventure her own huskies have when they float out to see on a loose patch of ice.
This is another book that students will want to get a good look at, as the drawings in the margins are rather small, so a document camera or a small-group setting would be best.
Brett always scrupulously researches clothing when she’s drawing characters from other cultures, and the designs she used in this book can be compared to the Indian patterns in You’re Snug With Me. For this book she traveled to Iqualuit, capital of the Nunavut Territory in northern Canada, to meet and learn about the Inuit people. Read her newsletter to learn more about how she prepared to write this book.
This makes a great addition to a fairy tale comparison unit, but it’s also a fun stand-alone story. You could also compare it to similar books by Brett, such as Trouble With Trolls (inspired by a trip to Norway), and The Mitten which has a Ukrainian influence. Or you could contrast it with her Three Little Dassies which features bold African printed clothing, and the Persian folktale The Tale of the Tiger Slippers.
Tomorrow I’ll share some of my favorite nonfiction Polar Bear books. In the meantime, please share your favorite polar bear books and resources in the comments, and here are the links to the Polar Bear Cams I promised you:
