Arctic Spring

As winter ends, arctic animals emerge from their lairs, the seal surfaces from under the ice, and the polar bear guards her cubs, in an illustrated evocation of the excitement of spring in the far North.

PreSchool-Grade 2-More a descriptive piece than a story, this picture book focuses on the changes brought by spring to an Arctic landscape. A polar bear awakens and climbs out of her den. A friendly faced seal, a flock of sea birds, a narwhal, and other wildlife are also stirred by the sunshine. As the animals hunt for food and the earth begins to bloom, the bear remains close to her den, resolutely protecting her two cubs. Combining shades of yellow, gray, and pale green, the paintings vividly depict a cold, barren environment thawing out to warmer hues as the sun penetrates. One dramatic scene shows the bear with muscles tensed and eyes clenched shut, shivering in the icy wind. For the most part, the animals are realistically and clearly portrayed. Unfortunately, drawings of the narwhal, a creature with which most children are not familiar, are small and difficult to make out. The text, though clearly written, might give the impression that many Arctic animals sleep through the entire winter. The short appendix, featuring a map of the region and sketches of the various species, provides some useful information but does not clarify that issue.
Joy Fleishhacker, New York Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Several animals (arctic hare, arctic fox, ringed seals, narwhal, some unidentified birds) begin their spring cycles of activity. The focus is on a polar bear, first seen emerging from a den dug into a snowbank on the drifting pack ice; two cubs push their way out into the intensifying sunshine at the very end. The first pictures are awash in cold blues; pale yellows and greens creep in, to become stronger and brighter with each page turn. Close-up paintings of the animals' faces are especially appealing. An appendix adds a few facts about the animals and a map of the Arctic. One quibble: the text refers to the polar bear, hare, and fox as being ``awake'' because the winter darkness has ended, implying that they have been hibernating; but, while the polar bear undergoes a period of relative dormancy, none of these animals actually hibernates. Interesting to pair with Dunphy's Here Is the Arctic Winter (p. 454), which shows most of the same animals against a darker, harsher backdrop and with a much stronger sense of their predator/prey relationships. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.