Little Polar Bear

Lars is a young polar bear who lives in the Arctic and is out hunting with his father. That night, they make piles of snow to protect themselves from the wind. But during the night, the ice begins to crack and Lars's piece breaks off. When he wakes up, he is all alone in the middle of the sea, and as the temperature grows warmer, his piece of ice is melting. He manages to climb on top of a floating barrel; then a storm hits, and he keeps drifting until he comes to a tropical island where he meets a hippopotamus named Henry and an eagle named Marcus. They are nice, but Lars wants to go home. How can Henry and Marcus help Lars? And will the little polar bear ever see his father again? Several years ago we rented for our weekly family video a full-length 2001 animated Warner Brothers movie The Little Polar Bear based on this book written and illustrated by Dutch author Hans de Beer, who was born in 1957. Of course, the film version is a lot different with many more plot features than are contained in the simple children's picture book, which is a lovely story for youngsters about going different places and experiencing new things but desiring to get back with family. It is well told with bits of subtle humor and detailed pastel illustrations. A board book edition (1999) is available for toddlers, but be forewarned that it is severely abridged, a fact that is not clearly indicated on the back of the book. Other "Little Polar Bear Adventures" by de Beer are Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear; Little Polar Bear Finds a Friend; Little Polar Bear and the Brave Little Hare; Little Polar Bear and the Husky Pup; Little Polar Bear and the Big Balloon; Little Polar Bear and the Reindeer; and Little Polar Bear and the Whales.

This is such a sweet little story about a cute little bear. It is great for teaching kids that you don’t have to go it alone. New places don’t have to be scary. And new people become friends. Enjoy!

This is a very special book for all ages from board book to hard cover.The story is as gentle as the illustrations.A wonderful gift for Christmas. I’m giving it with a little polar bear that comes in an igloo.Their cute and soft. This is a book i’ve been giving for years.

I teach 4 and 5 year olds and I use this book during my unit on love and kindness (occurs during MLK Day week). We talk about kindness and how we treat others who might seem different. This book is perfect for this subject. Little Lars the polar bear finds himself in a jungle very far away from home. The animals in the jungle are very kind and do their best to help him. He eventually makes his way home with their help and tries to explain to his father the amazing things he saw.

This is a wonderful story about kindness and a loving world. Despite this, it is not syrupy sweet. The little polar bear gets lost from his dad and floats thousands of miles south. Other animals help him get home. A particularly nice touch: When he gets back to the Arctic, as a thank-you gift, his dad catches a fish to give to the whale who brought the little polar bear back. The artwork and story work well together to create the mood. A great book. Too bad it isn't more well known.

this is such a great book! I can’t wait to read this to my 4th graders!

Very cute little story. Loved it

Awesome little book, touching story my 1st grader loves to read. This was part of a Christmas gift he got along with a stuffed polar bear. He loves it!

Unfortunately this book (which I remember fondly from my own childhood!) has not aged well. Polar bear travels from north to Africa and there are jokes about animals all being white where he comes from and not seeing any white animals in Africa.. maybe not at all intentional but jarring now and definitely cannot gift as a bday present as I had intended.

Prompt delivery and arrived as described. Perfect for reading in school, such a lovely story and beautifully illustrated.

Sweet little book. I remember some of the stories from when I was younger, looking forward to sharing with my toddler (bought as xmas gift)

As I imagined and delivered on time

Wonderful story for introducing the Arctic, polar bears and temperature to children.