Lars, the Little Polar Bear, who is the hero of seven other favorite LITTLE POLAR BEAR stories, appears in a story where the weather in his North Pole home is making trouble for some newfound friends. Following a very long and dark winter, Lars is happy to see some melting snow and warm weather. His parents are not. He can’t understand it as he enjoys a warm bath in melting snow, smelling flowers, and discovers a half submerged sunken sailing ship. It is there he makes a new friend in a cormorant bird named Conrad, but who goes by Conny.
Conny and Lars have some fun with playful beluga whales and even a large gray whale until a scary whaling ship comes along. Lars is clever enough to show his new playmates a place to hide in a small bay where the ship won’t go only to have it blocked by breaking ice from a glacier. Will the whales be trapped? Will Lars be able to save them? As always, a happy ending concludes the Little Polar Bear tale but gives young people reason for many questions that will hopefully lead to discussions about why the North Pole was so warm and why it isn’t good for the creatures that live there including the adorable Lars, the Little Polar Bear.
Hans de Beers creates a beautiful, amusing, and educational tale for youngsters along with his talented watercolor pictures and his heroic character, the Little Polar Bear. The delightful story of friendships will please followers of this series while it will also remind them how fragile nature is and what part we all must play in it to make things better.
Submitted Originally to Curled Up with a Good Kid’s Book by Karen Haney
