Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear

One minute Lars, the little polar bear, is happily floating in the sea enjoying snowy landscapes, the next he's trapped in a gigantic net crammed full of fish and emptied onto a ship's deck, bound for a distant port. On board he meets Nemo, the ship's friendly cat, who, once the vessel docks, introduces him to another ship's cat. The boat's destination is the North Pole. The story itself is rather mundane but Hans de Beer's enchanting illustrations lift it above the ordinary; the expressions of Lars and his feline friends are beguiling.