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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars for this book, although I acknowledge that the target audience of young children would likely rate it higher.
The whole situation with Bear is pure fantasy and I can definitely see the appeal to a child reading this. April is able to care for and provide for her new friend in the way she wishes her Dad would do for her.
The illustrations by Levi Pinfold are gorgeous, although sometimes the way they obscure the text makes it difficult to read.
A good book for animal lovers.
Spoiler
I think I found it too difficult to suspend my disbelief in the situation April and her father find themselves in. April is a neglected child yet no one seems to have picked up on this in the seven years since her Mum has died. Despite the mentions to her smelling of fox poo and cutting her own hair with garden scissors which make it clear there were visible signs of the neglect. Then her Dad is picked to monitor temperature readings in the Arctic for six months and is allowed to bring April too, with no one else on the island. There isn't even a handover with the last set of scientists, let alone any training for the pair. The neglectful parent is a neccessary plot device but in this book I felt it was too extreme and my concern for April distracted me from the main story.The whole situation with Bear is pure fantasy and I can definitely see the appeal to a child reading this. April is able to care for and provide for her new friend in the way she wishes her Dad would do for her.
The illustrations by Levi Pinfold are gorgeous, although sometimes the way they obscure the text makes it difficult to read.
A good book for animal lovers.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Zo mooi! Het verhaal, de personages, alles is prachtig. De schrijfstijl is filmisch, poëtisch, het verhaal knus en liefdevol. Vooral een aanrader voor dierenliefhebbers. Het boek behandelt ook het thema klimaatverandering en speelt in op het gevoel en de goedheid van mensen. Goed boek om aan de hand ervan een gesprek hierover te voeren.
adventurous
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A couple of chapters in I added the rest of the authors works onto my tbr. I loved how magical the adventures with Bear felt and I thought the writing was beautiful, unfortunately for me I found the ending fell a little flat and ruined my overall rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail
As an adult reader there is the feeling of child endangerment/neglectful parenting. The child mc does dangerously enter water towards the end of the book but everyone is safe in the end. You do also see an animal suffering from hunger/injury
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was this year’s choice for One Book, an initiative run by city libraries involving a few schools and libraries in Cork City. We read it with our 4th class and I think it was positively received by everyone. I loved it.
When April’s scientist father announces that he accepted a job in Bear Island, an Arctic post, he and April pack up their life to undertake this new adventure. April, who was used to spending time alone, would now know an aloneness that was almost boundless. With an increasingly distant father as the only companion for April on the Island, she begins to feel lonely. When she encounters a bear, on an island with supposedly no more bears, she is drawn to him. Little by little she builds his trust and soon they have a friendship that is life-giving for both April and Bear.
This was a gorgeous read. At its heart is a simple story of friendship between a girl and a bear, but it is so much more than that. Dealing with loneliness, growing up without a parent, following one’s path in life, climate change, sustainability and the need for relationship, this book is beautifully ambitious in its breadth and full of heart. As well as immersing the reader in April’s story, Hannah Gold gives lots of detail about Bear Island and the Arctic, and we learn, through journeying with April, the very real effects of global warming. April doesn’t shy away from what she feels she is called to, and is really inspiring for young readers who often feel helpless about what difference one person can make for our planet.
A gorgeous book, unanimously enjoyed. A strong recommend.
When April’s scientist father announces that he accepted a job in Bear Island, an Arctic post, he and April pack up their life to undertake this new adventure. April, who was used to spending time alone, would now know an aloneness that was almost boundless. With an increasingly distant father as the only companion for April on the Island, she begins to feel lonely. When she encounters a bear, on an island with supposedly no more bears, she is drawn to him. Little by little she builds his trust and soon they have a friendship that is life-giving for both April and Bear.
This was a gorgeous read. At its heart is a simple story of friendship between a girl and a bear, but it is so much more than that. Dealing with loneliness, growing up without a parent, following one’s path in life, climate change, sustainability and the need for relationship, this book is beautifully ambitious in its breadth and full of heart. As well as immersing the reader in April’s story, Hannah Gold gives lots of detail about Bear Island and the Arctic, and we learn, through journeying with April, the very real effects of global warming. April doesn’t shy away from what she feels she is called to, and is really inspiring for young readers who often feel helpless about what difference one person can make for our planet.
A gorgeous book, unanimously enjoyed. A strong recommend.
Where was this when I was a kiddo??
This book almost makes me want to procreate just so I can share this book with my child.
Reading it as an adult was heartening, entertaining and healing. Would recommend it to any adult, too. I definitely didn't cry at all.
This book almost makes me want to procreate just so I can share this book with my child.
Reading it as an adult was heartening, entertaining and healing. Would recommend it to any adult, too. I definitely didn't cry at all.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes