THE BEAR ON THE MOON

The author of several books about children who experience being animals in the wild (e.g., White Bear, Ice Bear, 1989) takes an even more imaginative approach to the bears' world with a polar bears' creation myth: In the beginning, the bears live in the sea. Just one bear is curious enough to try to plumb its depths and to wonder about the moon. One night she climbs the Northern Lights; once on the moon, she throws down rock and ice until just a sliver of moon is left—while the bears now have snowy islands where they can rest. As the ice in the sea melts, the moon grows again; but, each time, the bear climbs back to the moon to throw down more. Ryder develops her pleasing idea with intelligence, in graceful cadences well suited for reading aloud. In a fine picture book debut, Lacey (an experienced wildlife illustrator) provides glorious watercolors depicting sea and sky in impressionistic splendor. In action or repose, her bears are beautifully observed—including the rich array of tones in their fur, a more accurate representation than the white monochrome we imagine. Grand story, beguiling bears, lovely book. (Picture book. 5-10)