Polar bear is a white shape in a white world

Impressionistic, dramatically lit Arctic scenes form an apt backdrop for this brief, strongly worded tribute to the world's largest non-marine predator. Taking an Inuit voice and point of view, Davies explains how polar bears keep warm, hunt, play, raise young and survive in different seasons in their native habitats. Despite some over-design—distracting curvy lines of side commentary in a smaller typeface—and a rather startling close-up of a bear's bloody muzzle after a successful seal hunt, this offers younger fans not yet up to the likes of Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Great Ice Bear (1999), illustrated by Anne Wertheim, both basic bear facts and compelling atmosphere. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-8)

Gr 2-4-Given the number of anthropomorphized polar bears in picture books, it is important to have one that acknowledges the bears' actual relationship with the people who share the Arctic north. There is no plot; pages are filled with tidbits of information in different font sizes about the animals. Texture from the canvas often shows through the color in the oil-and-pencil illustrations. This technique lends an ethereal, painterly quality that is often lovely, and occasionally distracting. Images are very realistic. One close-up shows the bear's face smeared with blood after a seal kill. In the end, the unnamed narrator explains what the Inuit have learned from these animals. A quiet, thoughtful book.-Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.