POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING?

A worthy title that uses polar bears and the melting of the Arctic ice as a springboard for an explanation of global warming pitched well to preschool audiences. Simple language and vivid imagery serve to communicate a difficult subject, effectively making the connection between the burning of fossil fuels and the warming of the atmosphere. Wells’s text flows evenly through his explanations back to the reason why the Arctic ice matters to all of us, not just polar bears. How can readers help? A list of child-accessible solutions concludes the presentation. Clear diagrams and illustrations, with a trio of personable polar bears (a mother and two cubs) accompanying two children around the world, move the text along nicely. Some pack quite a punch: A stack of the 700 million cars in the world, three to a layer, stretches from Earth to the moon. A fine addition to early science collections. (Informational picture book. 6-9)