From the very beginning the bear’s stories interested me. I couldn’t stop reading. I was so interested in the journeys. All three bears suffered losses in the family. They all had some difficulty obtaining food. They were all being threatened by man and they elements. But in the end, even thou they were different types of bears, they all had the same goals.

I started this because I love bears, but I had to quit because it is too sad. No spoilers, but there are many sad things in the first six chapters, so I skipped to the end and there were even more sad things! So I quit. I don't need so many sad bears in my life. ( )

I found the varied cultures of the bears quite interesting. Typically when you read a book about animals having a culture of their own all of the animals of the same species believe the same thing. What was fascinating here was watching the three bears (Polar, Black and Brown) have similar and yet different ways of looking at the stars, seeing death and even being grateful for their food. I can’t help but wonder what will happen as they start to encounter each other on their journey. Though the shape shifting cub seemed odd or out of place to me, I very much enjoyed the book, which reminded me quite a bit of books I’ve read by David Clement-Davies, only without the prophecies involved. ( )

A polar bear, grizzly bear and a black bear journey into the wild in their quest for survival and adventure. Kallik is a young polar bear who travels with her family across the arctic ice before it melts. However, tragedy unfolds that leaves Kallik on her own as she struggles to survive. Violence is prevalent in the story as well as bloodshed and heartache. Toklo, the grizzly bear cub strives to win his mother’s attention from his brother cub Tobi, but when Tobi falls ill, together they must persevere. Written in alternating bear voices, the story provides an honest view of the hardships bears face in the wild. Lastly we meet, Lusa who is living in the ‘Bear Bowl’ of a zoo but longs for life in the forest. When opportunity arises for her to fulfill her dream, reality is not as sweet as she imagined. Small black and white drawings sit above each chapter heading and provide a good lead in to whose adventures we will encounter next. The Quest Begins is the first book of the Seekers series. Due to the graphic content, I would recommend this book for middle school readers, but not much younger. ( )

It is a great book if you like bears. ( )