Little Polar Bear Board Book

After now knowing Lars the little Polar Bear for more than 10 years in Germany, was I more than delighted to find also an English translationg to give to my cousins 2 year old daughter in CA.What wonderful stories these are, about nature, friendship and courage.The coloring is extraodinary, like each book from the north south publishing company. Each edition a treasure.A great book to share a new story with your children.Though sadly enough the new movie starring Lars the Polar Bear seems to be not available in the US.

.Is there anything more adorable than a little white bear?Our little friend in this book is called Lars and lives at the North Pole. One night the patch of ice, on which he sleeps, breaks away and he starts drifting south on the ocean. Luckily Lars finds a barrel on which to float and after a long time he finds himself on a tropical beach. In this new land everything is green when compared to the whiteness of the North Pole.Lars meets Henry the hippo and they soon become good friends. Despite the wonders of this new land Lars becomes homesick and wants to find his way back home. Henry suggests Marcus the eagle could help since he has travelled all over the world. Marcus arranges for Samson the whale to take Lars back to the North Pole.Riding on Samson's back across the oceans Lars eventually is reunited with his father, who is so pleased to see Lars, he catches Samson a nice big fish.This is a delightful story and is universally acclaimed as a Classic having been published in many languages. The Swiss author Hans De Beer has done both the story and the superb illustrations. The English translation is by Rosemary Lanning. The clarity and crisp attractive style of this book perhaps reflects its Swiss origins.There is a subtle message to the young readers of this book. The contrast between the all white world of the North Pole and the colorful Tropics could not be stronger. It will give children an awareness and appreciation of the diversities we experience when we travel. .

My daughter first discover Lars when someone gave her the video of the little polar bear (in german). For weeks/ months afterwards every second word was "Lars" (she was one at the time). Now on a recent trip to Germany I bought some of the books, so every night she wants to hear about Lars' adventures. Even though she has seen the video and heard the stories hundreds of time, she wants to hear them over and over again. And even though I have read them to her lots of times I'm still not bored with "Lars, the Little Polar Bear" and wont be for a very long time. The books are just that wonderful.

The little polar bear created by Han de Beer is very cuddly. The plots are simple but interesting. The pop-ups are carefully designed so they won't be too easily torn by children. My daughter especially loves the one that makes Lar falling down!

All these polar bear books have a very happy ending. The drawings are beautiful, there is no violence or blood. The bear seems to get into trouble, but there are always other kind animals that bail him out.