Red Knit Cap Girl (2012) is back in this imaginative story of a polar bear rescue. The girl and her forest friends are busy playing when they spot something (through Red Knit Cap Girl's homemade telescope) out on the water: it's a polar bear cub, and he's far from home. The girl and her pals ask the wise moon for help, and he instructs them to take the bear "to the North, where there is ice and snow and it is cold all year round." So they construct a paper boat, and bear, girl, and bunny set sail, following the light of the moon, all the way to a different land. Once again, what shines here, quite literally, is Stoop's artwork, rendered in a glorious palette of greens and blues, oranges and yellows. Using acrylic, ink, and pencil on plywood, as well as found materials, each illustration is richly textured, yet soft and warm, highlighting the round-bodied huggable characters. Share this at storytimes about friendship but also as an introduction to the importance of animals living in their natural habitats.

In this follow-up to Red Knit Cap Girl, the heroine responds to an SOS from a polar bear cub that has floated away from its family on an ice floe. The shimmery illustrations, which were created on plywood, are lovely, but without very much tension along the way, the success of her mission to bring the cub home feels too inevitable.

PreS-Gr 1 A lushly illustrated story of a little girl's fantastical journey to rescue a stranded polar bear. While Red Knit Cap Girl and her forest friends are immersed in crafting imaginary playthings out of newsprint, she and White Bunny peer through their telescopes, spotting a distress signal out at sea. They fashion a paper hang glider to rescue a baby polar bear. Perched atop a tree branch, the friends seek advice from the Moon, and then Red Knit Cap Girl, her trusty bunny, and the homesick polar bear set sail for the Arctic. Along the way they are guided by an owl, a pair of orcas, and the aurora borealis before finally arriving at a "land made of snow and ice." Polar Bear Cub is reunited with a very happy Mama and they both bid the rescuers good-bye. The story is printed on uncoated paper, and the heavy pages, coupled with the paint-on-plywood technique, give it both movement and gravity from the very first spread. The novelty of this tale lies in the stunning illustrations and the character's imaginative use of origami as a vehicle for adventure. Parents and children alike will want to share Stoop's gentle adventure just before sailing off into a richly colored dream world of their own. Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, OH

Red Knit Cap Girl (2012) returns with ingenuity and pluck to save a lost animal in another atmospheric offering from Stoop. In the forest, Red Knit Cap Girl plays with her animal friends, creating handmade items of interest. A kite, boat and telescope made from recycled paper are their entertainment, until the hooded heroine spots a polar bear, stranded on an iceberg at sea. She saves the lost bear and embarks on a journey to reunite the cub with his family. Each challenge along the way is met with a quiet determination, and the rescue mission soon becomes an adventure as the folded-paper sailboat weathers a storm, glides with orcas and follows the Moon's light to safe harbor. Done in acrylic, pencil and ink on plywood, the artwork has a dreamy, ethereal quality. While the drawing style is simple, Stoop graphically enhances the images in a sophisticated way that elevates the work. Often, the wood pattern radiates out to highlight the composition, adding depth and texture. With this technique, the artist gently illuminates the rhythms of the sea, the currents of the wind and the wonder of the aurora borealis. Readers will want to glide with this resourceful red-capped girl, across the sea and sky, to also speak with the moon. Quietly perceptive and deeply appreciative of nature, its beauty and delicacy, and the individual's power to protect it. (Picture book. 3-6)