Picture Book Monday: A Bear Far from Home

[osprey_archer]

I haven’t actually read Susan Fletcher’s Journey of the Pale Bear yet, but I’m fairly sure that A Bear Far from Home is a picture book version of the same story. In the 1300s, King Haakon of Norway sent King Henry of England a polar bear as a present, and both books deal with the polar bear’s journey.

A Bear Far from Home focuses on the experience of the bear, who was born in the polar north, is captured by traders, and finds herself living in a cage in the Tower of London, until the king decrees that she will be allowed to fish in the Thames every day. (Were her food bills too high? Or did the king think it might cheer her up? Unanswerable questions at this point.)

I enjoyed the story, but mostly I decided to write about this book because of the enchanting illustrations by Rebecca Green. The first page, which outlines the basic story, is a close approximation of a medieval style. Afterward, the art style becomes more modern, with a touch of perspective here and there (there’s London Town in the distance behind the Thames!), but still with that medieval flavor in the mostly flat stylization and the borders.

The color palette is a pleasure, too: blues and whites for snowy northern Norway, greens and umbers and burgundies for England. Two distinct feelings for two very different places, so the reader can feel a little bit of the polar bear’s disorientation. Just really lovely illustrations all around.

Comments

[anna_wing]

About 12 years ago I was in Berne, and was taken to see the bears' enclosure, which is NOT the pit that it used to be, but a whole section of fenced off riverbank with grass, shrubs, trees, logs etc, sloping down to the river, part of which is fenced off for them to swim in.

[osprey_archer]

Yes, zoo enclosures have improved a lot from what they used to be.

[asakiyume]

That sounds beautiful! I'm going to check it out and see if I can find someone to give it to--my brother's kids, most likely.

I hope it was to cheer her up and that it worked.

[osprey_archer]

I hope you and your brother's kids all enjoy it!

[lokifan]

The color palette is a pleasure, too: blues and whites for snowy northern Norway, greens and umbers and burgundies for England. Two distinct feelings for two very different places, so the reader can feel a little bit of the polar bear’s disorientation.

Oh, lovely. And the art style changing is very cool!

It sounds rather sad, though. Does the bear adjust?

[osprey_archer]

The bear cheers up when she can swim in the river and catch fish again!