Snow Bear

by Jean Craighead George

Book Overview

When Bessie decides to explore a frozen ice ship one morning, she finds a new playmate -- a baby polar bear. Snow Bear and Bessie are instant friends, but Bessie's brother and Snow Bear's mother are... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439203589
• ISBN13: 9780439203586
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

George takes on the North

I'm a huge fan of Jean Craighead George. However, I was not aware that she was in the business of doing picture books. Granted, these gorgeous paintings were not hers, but the sweet, lovely story about friendship in the Arctic certainly was.In her classic back-to-nature fashion, Ms. George tells the story of innocence in a harsh world that usually does not tolerate innocence. A young girl plays with a polar bear cub even as her old brother hunts down the cub's mother. It's beautiful, sing-song prose that is just as captivating as the marvelous paintings. It's much shorter than George's other novels, but the same spirit remains.

A lovely picture book from the author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES

Jean Craighead George combines her love of Eskimo culture and wildlife in this splendid picture book. The story is of a young Eskimo girl named Bessie who, while out exploring one Arctic evening, meets a polar bear cub named Snow Bear. The two immediately become the best of friends, while Bessie's brother and Snow Bear's mother watch over them like the good caretakers they are. The story wonderfully shows how animal life often reflects the ways of humans--close family bonds, playfulness, and a sense of happiness abound between both species. Wendell Minor's spectacular illustrations light up every page. They are filled with warmth, humor, and excitement, and are breathtakingly beautiful. The quiet elegance of Eskimo life and the powerful magnificence of the polar bear are gloriously depicted. Other George/Minor picture books include the remarkable ARCTIC SON, the story of Ms. George's grandson who lives at the top of the world. More ice, Eskimos, and polar bears can be seen in this radiant story. MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT tells the story of many different animals all over the United States and what they do during the transition from sunrise to sunset. Mr. Minor's illustrations are cozy and cheerful. EVERGLADES is another example of the excellent combination of Ms. George's poetic style and Mr.Minor's lush watercolors. It tells the story of the rise and near-fall of one of the world's greatest and most unique ecosystems, the Florida Everglades. Mr. Minor also did the art for the covers and some of the illustrations for Ms. George's spectacular JULIE OF THE WOLVES books. The fourth in the series, not a chapter book but a picture book entitled NUTIK THE WOLF PUP, is written with the same close view into the relationship between humans and animals as SNOW BEAR, but Mr. Minor did not do the illustrations for this book. Jean Craighead George, author of more than eighty books for children and young adults, will surely inspire and warm the hearts of her audiences with SNOW BEAR.