A Pair of Polar Bears: Twin Cubs Find a Home at the San Diego Zoo [Hardcover]

Joanne Ryder (Author), World-Famous San Diego Zoo (Photographer)

Book Description

TWIN POLAR BEAR CUBS

Kalluk and Tatqiq were only three months old when they were found orphaned in Alaska. Together they were brought to the World-Famous San Diego Zoo to be cared for.

From the cubs' first tentative months in the zoo's infirmary to their home in the Polar Bear Plunge, this book chronicles the twins' development with exclusive photographs from the zoo and Joanne Ryder's poetic, informative text. Playful and curious, Kalluk and Tatqiq have won the hearts of more than three million people who visit the zoo each year. Whether they're diving into the water, rolling in the dirt, or sliding down a snowdrift, these adorable bears will charm readers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–Orphaned polar bears are the darlings of this engaging book that chronicles their growth and development at the San Diego Zoo. Only three months old when they first arrived there, Kalluk and Tatqiq are shown adjusting to their new home in large, full-color photographs. Playful and inquisitive, they explore the new exhibit by sniffing and investigating. Kalluk, the braver of the two, is quick to act, while his sister thinks before responding. As in Little Panda (S & S, 2001), Ryder provides two lines of text–one for very young children that consists of short exclamatory sentences in large type, and the second for older readers interested in scientific and developmental information, and set in a smaller, italicized font. Valuable for both curriculum support and recreational reading, this book will win the hearts of many children.–Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Like Ryder's Little Panda (2004), this photo-essay introduces children to an engaging, true story from the San Diego Zoo (often cumbersomely referred to here as the "World-Famous San Diego Zoo"). The stars are rescued polar bear twins Tatqiq and Kalluk, who progress through the photo-rich pages from needy, quarantined cubs to fully acclimated adults with mastery over their outdoor habitat. The images, all provided by the zoo and most sharply focused and close-up, will elicit coos from readers as they see the cubs taking their first tentative dip in an indoor pool, or emerging brown as grizzlies from a roll in the dirt. However, fact-hoarding youngsters may feel disappointed by a text that favors impressionistic responses to the photos ("Moving outside, white bears look up, gazing at the sky--so big, so blue") and confines more straightforward information to passages printed in tiny, italicized type. This can't replace more thorough nonfiction explorations of these popular beasts, but the immediate view of a poignant zoo drama offers rewarding browsing for animal enthusiasts. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068985871X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689858710
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 11.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice :), September 12, 2011

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C. Dickson (PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Pair of Polar Bears: Twin Cubs Find a Home at the San Diego Zoo (Hardcover)

I received this book as a donation for a book drive and I thought it was wonderful! I think this is something that a child and parent could enjoy together. I'm 21 and I enjoyed reading it and looking at the pictures, haha. I think this book would be good for kids from 4-9 because it has largely printed simple sentences for young kids, but also more detailed explanations of the pictures and anecdotal stories for older children too. I remember having books like these about animals as a kid and they really sparked my interest in the natural world. I highly recommend this book and others like it to parents!