“By now, April was used to grown-ups looking at her in surprise and how they often underestimated how much someone so little could achieve. It was especially annoying when grown-ups always overestimated how much they could achieve.” Finding Bear...
“By now, April was used to grown-ups looking at her in surprise and how they often underestimated how much someone so little could achieve. It was especially annoying when grown-ups always overestimated how much they could achieve.”
Finding Bear is a sequel to The Last Bear. It opens seventeen months after the young protagonist, April Wood, returned from Bear Island. She and her father have moved to the seaside, close to where Granny Apples lives. April has not settled at her new school, still struggling to make friends. Dad now has a lady friend and, while April is happy for him and likes Maria, she misses the times when it was just the two of them. She also misses the Arctic, especially Bear.
A highlight of April’s new life are the monthly emails she receives from Tör, her friend in Svalbard. It therefore comes as a terrible shock when he reports that a polar bear has been shot near the port in Longyearbyen, and he thinks it could be Bear. Distraught, April persuades her father to take her back to the Arctic. She needs to know what has happened and is convinced she can help.
The remainder of the story is set in Svalbard. It is winter here which introduces its own challenges. Arriving without much of a plan, April and her father find help in unlikely places. They face deadly perils, not least due to the myriad impacts of climate change. The new characters introduced help educate on contemporary life in this inhospitable outpost. Readers will also learn how polar bears adapted to survive the harsh environment.
This is a book written for children and much is explained for their benefit. This does not detract from the tension when dangers must be faced. April displays much bravery but also foolishness in some of her actions. Nevertheless, what she accomplishes is laudable even if achieved through luck more than judgement.
April and Bear are depicted as able to communicate. I pondered if this could be because animals are so much more intelligent and empathetic than humans give them credit for. Certainly, the way humans are wilfully damaging the planet, as if it weren’t their life support system too, demonstrates their stupidity. If animals do not always act as humans think they should perhaps it is because they know this would not be best for them long term.
The plight of polar bears is movingly rendered. There are still good people trying to help these creatures. April may be little but her determination to make a difference is a clarion call to other young people. Her experiences may be far fetched but, like the best children’s stories, they ignite imagination.
Another lovely tale from the author, beautifully produced with illustrations throughout by the talented Levi Pinfold. This is a story with heart that carries an important message. An adventure sure to appeal to children who care.
Finding Bear is published by Harper Collins.
