The polar bear in the garden

So much can happen in the span of a week: "On Monday I found a polar bear in the garden." A single-page illustration features a large, round bear with a friendly demeanor whose white fur and black nose contrast starkly with a bright red background. The following double-page spread provides more context and visual details. This bear is so small it fits in the child narrator's hands, and the child is eager to help: "Are you lost, little bear?" By Tuesday, the bear has grown bigger and is now pocket-sized. The child decides on Wednesday to bring the bear (now in a hat) back to its home, and the two set sail on a journey that takes the rest of the week. By Sunday, the bear is too big for the boat, so the child sits on its back as they approach an icy shore where other polar bears are waiting. The colorful, playful paintings with their soft textures exude a sense of calm, and the shifts in visual perspective from far away to close up to high above boost the sense of adventure. After a final day of play, the child must part with the now enormous bear, but with a hopeful closing, "Goodbye, little bear, goodbye. See you again soon." This gentle separation story subtly weaves in concepts of size comparison and days of the week and should resonate even with young toddlers, who likely will not want to say goodbye to this cuddly-looking bear, either. Julie Roach September/October 2022 p.62(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The tale of an unusual rewilding. On Monday, a child with brown hair and tan skin finds a polar bear so small that the child can hold it in their hands. Each day the bear grows a bit bigger so that by Wednesday, the child decides the time has come to take him home. They raise anchor and set sail in a little brown boat with red sails. Each day the bear grows a bit larger and they grow closer until at last, on Sunday, the bear quite dwarfs the boat and they make it to land. There, child, bear, and the bear's new family romp and play until nighttime arrives and the child must say farewell. With hints of Judith Kerr's The Tiger Who Came to Tea (1968) and a boat that Max from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963) might envy, the book is awash in the best kind of wish fulfillment and sleepy storytelling. What could be better than a small child taking charge of something as large and imposing as a polar bear? Yet readers never for a moment doubt the possibility. Joyous art, celebrating freedom and the beauty of the sea, matches the text in tone and quality. Be ready for children to scour their own gardens in the hopes of finding a tiny bear of their very own. (This book was reviewed digitally.) As satisfying as a warm blanket or a cup of cocoa. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.