Great Ice Bear: The Polar Bear and the Eskimo [Library Binding]

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (Author), Anne Wertheim (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1999 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Incorporating the latest scientific findings and her own experiences in Manitoba, Dorothy Patent discusses this powerful and intelligent animal's life cycle, imperiled status, and special relationship with humans. Anne Wertheim's expressive artwork captures the splendor of the polar bear and the beauty of its ice-covered world.

Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies 2000, National Council for SS & Child. Book Council

Incorporating the latest scientific findings and her own experiences in Manitoba, Dorothy Patent discusses this powerful and intelligent animal's life cycle, imperiled status, and special relationship with humans. Anne Wertheim's expressive artwork captures the splendor of the polar bear and the beauty of its ice-covered world.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-8-Of the recent titles on the great arctic bear, this book distinguishes itself by focusing on the interaction of the animals and their human neighbors, particularly the Inuit/Inupiat of Canada and Alaska. (Patent provides an introduction that explains her use of the less-favored term, Eskimo.) Aimed at an older audience than Debbie S. Miller's A Polar Bear Journey (Little, Brown, 1997) or Lesley DuTemple's Polar Bears (Lerner, 1997), this attractively designed explanation of the life cycle and environment of polar bears includes descriptions of their practical and spiritual uses to humans that have developed over time. An overview of the bears' global prospects includes a brief explanation of their protected status in the five polar bear nations as well as current environmental threats to their habitat. Wertheim's acrylic illustrations range from vignettes showing bears in the wild or in ivory effigy to double-page spreads depicting arctic landscapes. A well-designed map shows the range of the bears, the seasonal variations of pack ice, and the political boundaries. Although the scenes of humans hunting bears are limited to the traditional, the text makes it clear that, though protected, polar bears continue to be hunted. Contemporary scenes show tourists observing them in the wild near Churchill, Manitoba, and the animals that venture too close to the town being caught in modern nonlethal traps and relocated. Students and even their parents will find something here to pique their curiosity about these powerful creatures.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Anne Wertheim graduated from the Technical College of Visual Communication in Hamburg, Germany, with a degree in illustration, and has exhibited her meticulously detailed artwork in Bologna, Italy, and Bratislava, Slovakia. Among the children's books she has illustrated is Cruesh, the Barn Owl, which she also coauthored. She lives in Haiku, Maui.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688137687
• ISBN-13: 978-0688137687
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,985,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Every since I was a child I've loved nature and animals. I spent my time out of doors, picking flowers and scooping tadpoles out of ponds. So it's no wonder I studied biology and became an author myself of a favorite gift when I was young, a book about nature. I've expanded into other fascinating areas of nonfiction, too, especially historical topics of the American west, such as Lewis and Clark and Native Americans.
My work has given me the gift of travel to all sorts of fascinating places such as the Galapagos Island, the Costa Rican Rain Forest, and the famous cave at Lascaux, France, full of amazing ancient art that is no longer open to visitors.

To learn more about me and my books, visit my website, www.dorothyhinshawpatent.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and up-to-date, January 11, 2001

By 

Kelley Drisko (Augusta, Maine United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Ice Bear: The Polar Bear and the Eskimo (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who needs up-to-date information on polar bears. It is divided into short chapters that deal with all aspects of this topic - from physiology to interaction with humans. An index is provided which greatly facilitates the retrieval of information. The superb illustrations also add to the overall appeal of this title.