Ice Bear and Little Fox [Hardcover]

Jonathan London (Author), Daniel San Souci (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up

Following the critically acclaimed Red Wolf Country, Jonathan London and Daniel San Souci team up again for another action-packed nature tale. Readers can share the adventures of a young polar bear during the most danger-filled period of his life—his first year away from his mother. And almost everywhere Ice Bear goes, an alert little companion follows, keeping guard over his mammoth friend by warning him when trouble is near. In a brilliant blue palette, San Souci's watercolors exquisitely render the striking, panoramic landscapes of the northern tundra. Young readers will enjoy the unlikely friendship between creatures big and small, while adult readers can appreciate both author's and illustrator's care for authenticity of detail. A must-have tour de force for nature lovers of any age.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seasoned collaborators London and San Souci (Red Wolf Country) head north in this informative account of a polar bear's first year away from his mother. Subtle watercolors conjure a chilly landscape in hues of blue and green, a fitting backdrop for the starring pair of predators?a polar bear and the arctic fox who survives on his leftovers. Generously sprinkling Inuit words into his text (a glossary is provided), London tracks the duo from season to season with lyrical observation?the fox is "white and ghostlike in the low moon"; icebergs "groan and growl and rumble like thunder." London charts the bear's hunting prowess, his summer feasts of berries and lichens on the tundra and his narrow escape from a killer whale attack. As the text deftly describes the cycles of the arctic circle, the animals and environment also spring to vivid life under San Souci's sure brush. A wide-angle vista of a tundra meadow unfurled before snowy mountains gives way to a close-up shot of the bear and his companion; readers join a seal below the water's surface, looking up toward a breathing hole in the ice. While this year-long sojourn lacks the urgency and depth of the story line in Nanuk (Children's Forecasts, Nov. 16), it is nonetheless skillfully wrought. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-When Ice Bear spends his first year away from his mother and hunts for food on his own, an Arctic fox tags along in order to feed on the polar bear's leftovers. After many months of this arrangement, Little Fox is able to repay his huge companion by barking a warning to him that killer whales, one of the bear's few predators, are moving toward him. The story ends with winter approaching and Ice Bear now being followed by two companions, Little Fox and his mate. As in London and San Souci's Red Wolf Country (Dutton, 1996), the watercolor paintings meld well with the low-key narrative. The illustrations crackle with various shades of blue and white, capturing the vast coldness of the environment. A handful of Inuit terms and other words that relate to the region appear in the text and are explained in the glossary. An afterword provides factual information about polar bears and Arctic foxes. This book will be especially appreciated in libraries where Joanne Ryder's White Bear, Ice Bear (Morrow, 1989; o.p.) is popular.
Tom S. Hurlburt, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525459073
• ISBN-13: 978-0525459071
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,707,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan London is a poet and the author of a number of picture books including the Froggy Series. He lives with his wife and two sons in Graton, California. Frank Remkiewicz has illustrated posters, greeting cards, the Animal Crackers box and numerous books for children. He lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and three daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visually Captivating, May 26, 2000

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"mommasbooks" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ice Bear and Little Fox (Hardcover)

The Beautiful illustrations in this book are a wonderful complement to a well written and interesting story about how wild animals rely on each other. My children thoroughly enjoyed this book!