Kingdom of the ice bear: a portrait of the Arctic

Many books which document any television programme or series are often lacking an important ingredient if the reader failed to see what was broadcast prior to reading the resultant book. Not so in this case. Whilst the book will undoubtedly leave the reader wishing they "had" seen the programme, this book stands well on it's own as a most readable and enjoyable tome. Kingdom of the Ice Bear is - as the title perfectly suggests, a book about that area of the earth which is inhabited by Polar Bears. For those who are not aware, Penguins are found in Antarctica and elsewhere in the southern hemisphere only. Polar Bear are found in Arctic climes only. And, if I may just put the size of the Polar Bear into context, when standing upright on it's hind legs, a fully gown male Polar Bear will reach a height of over 12 feet (very nearly 4m!). As the reader will expect, the central theme to the book returns to the Polar Bar time and again - but only because it has digressed in order to include just about everything there is to include in such a barren and yet beautiful landscape; The Inuit, Musk Oxen, Arctic Fox, Snowy Owl, Beluga Whale, Harp Seal (to name but some!) are all covered and their lifestyles reported alongside the flora and fauna which somehow seem to make the region far less desolate already. This is a book about a region where the Polar Bear lives. It is an excellent book and comes highly recommended. NM