A BEAR FAR FROM HOME

In this reconstruction of a historical incident, a captive polar bear travels from the frozen north to a menagerie on the Thames.

Building on scanty records of a gift sent from Haakon IV of Norway to Henry III of England in the 13th century, Fletcher focuses less on such specifics as how the bear was captured or kept under control (while, apparently, being allowed to dive at will into the Thames for fish!) and more on how it might have felt to be snatched from the icy waters of her native clime, transported on a ship, and caged among other captive animals in the Tower of London. In compositions that generally echo those of medieval manuscript pages, Green likewise takes an anthropomorphic slant on the tale—skipping fussy realism (the visuals don’t depict, for instance, how the bear was caught) but explaining in a note that she wanted to capture the bear’s feelings at each stage of the journey and depicting her looking angry, confused, and, in a final dive into cold (albeit fresh) waters, smiling in relief from a sense of being home. Is this a story about the mistreatment of animals? Yes, in part…but its evocation of the emotional effects of being displaced and taken across the sea to a “strange and loud and lonely” world may carry more immediate resonance to young audiences encountering similar experiences. The author separates fact from fancy at the end, allowing that the bear’s gender and even species are speculations, and closes with quick histories of the Tower of London and the menagerie. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet, artfully conjured, and likely to elicit strong reactions on several levels.