Little Bear

On Monday, a boy finds a polar bear in his garden. A bear so small he will sit in the palm of the boy’s hand. And in the picture we see this bear, quite enormously huge, filling the whole of the glowing red page. Turn over, and we see the boy and bear in reality, the boy small, the bear tiny. ‘Are you lost, little bear? Can I help you?’ asks the boy. By Tuesday, the bear is too big to fit on his hand, so the boy pops him in his pocket. Together they play, all afternoon. When Wednesday reveals the bear was too big for his pocket, the boy plops him into his hat, and decides it is time to take the bear home. Down at the coast, where we see a small boat; small boy, small hat plus bear and a bag (of supplies?) ‘Raise the anchor! Set the sail! Away we go!’ But by Thursday the bear is too big for the bag, so curls up warm and safe on the bag. On and on they sail, through the night, the boy clutching the bag close. Come Friday and Saturday the boat looks in imminent danger of sinking as the bear is now enormous. On Sunday the small boy climbs onto the back of the huge bear, and shouts, ‘Land ahoy, little bear!’ Turning the page slowly we find a wordless page. Two huge, grinning polar bears greet each other, nose to nose, with three small bears, boy-size, bounding below their legs. Fun and games all day long for the family and the boy until the skies grow dark and the silver stars shine. The little boy wants to stay there for ever. The next picture is quite wonderful. The little boy stands centre page, holding in one hand the boat’s mooring rope, whilst in its mouth a young polar bear holds the other end, the boy between them looking, longingly.  The tug is measurable. For it is time to go home. A fond goodbye is said, and the final page shows back views of the bears watching the tiny boat way out on the ocean. (Take a magnifying glass to the image of the boat and one can see the boy has both arms raised in farewell…) The illustrations are soft throughout and provide an intimacy and belief in the growing friendship, as the simple text and the days of the week furnish each page.   A touching book about friendship, and saying fond goodbyes.