Waiting for Ice

Gr 1–3—Orphaned and hungry, a cub searches for food along with the many adult polar bears stranded by warming waters on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean. Unable to find ice floes large enough to carry them to better hunting grounds, the starving bears vie with one another for the meager bits they can find. It looks hopeless for the little bear, but she is resilient and resourceful, and when the ice pack finally arrives, she leaves the island for an uncertain future. A postscript tells readers that this picture book is based on a true story: the cub did manage to survive, but the increasing effects of global warming threaten the existence of all polar bears. Watercolor illustrations in blues and grays convey both the coldness of the Arctic and the sadness of the bears' experience. The book is best used as a read aloud with accompanying explanations of the causes and effects of global warming on the world around us, and with mention of the happier ending provided by the note.—Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY