Hans de Beer

Just leaving a review, although all I've read is the Amazon sample and others' reviews. I was trying to decide whether to order the book. The biggest draw for me is the number of languages it has been published in, including (very exciting for my Italian/Canadian grandchildren) bilingual Italian/English. But after looking into it, I'm wondering why it's so popular. It's a little bit weird to have the *father* polar bear teaching his cub to hunt (instead of, more typically, killing it), but I show more could let that go because positive depictions of fathers in preschool fiction are laudable... right? And the part about drifting to Africa on an ice floe and meeting a hippopotamus is fantasy, and preschoolers can appreciate humorous make-believe. But when we get to trying to believe that the hippo, unlike the polar bear, can swim and the bear, unlike the hippo, can climb trees, my brain feels very very unhappy. Polar bears in general are known for their prodigious swimming abilities, and (I researched to make sure when they learn) it's one of the first lessons their mothers teach them when they venture into the world. And since there are no trees in the Arctic, tree climbing is not a skill that polar bears will ever use; and in fact their feet, being adapted for walking on cold slippery ice, simply cannot bend to grip a tree trunk. So this book lost its place on my wishlist, although I will definitely look for a copy in the library to make sure I'm not doing the book a terrible injustice. show less

Lars the little polar bear returns in this second picture-book adventure, this time finding himself caught in a fishing net and hauled aboard ship. Aided by ship's cat Nemo, Lars accepts his fate, waiting to get to port, where Nemo's feline friends can help him. Once they make land, Lars is disgusted by the dirt of a human city, and overjoyed to be taken aboard another ship, this time arctic-bound. For this little polar bear, there's no place like home...

Originally published in Switzerland show more as Kleiner Eisbär, komm bald wieder! (literally: "Little Polar Bear, come back soon!"), this second of Lars' many adventures parallels the first (Little Polar Bear), in that our ursine hero once again finds himself inadvertently traveling far from home, and struggling to find a way back. The story here is engaging, and the artwork appealing. As a cat lover, I appreciated the fact that this time around it is a group of felines who aid Lars. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first book about this little polar bear's adventures. show less

Swiss publisher North-South presents this anthology containing the ten Little Polar Bear picture-books, from the very first (Little Polar Bear), originally published in 1987, through the tenth and most recent (Little Polar Bear and the Submarine), published in 2011. A celebration of the 30th Anniversary of this little ursine character and his adventures, this anthology also offers an afterword exploring author/illustrator Hans de Beer's life story, artistic training, and method.

Having show more already read the ten stories contained in The Adventures of the Little Polar Bear, reviewed elsewhere on LibraryThing, my primary interest in picking up this anthology was the afterword, which is uncredited. I found it quite informative, and particularly appreciated the story of de Beers' youth, and the description of his artistic process, and some of his influences. My sole disappointment lay in the fact that the original language of the stories is not mentioned. The colophon for each book (and here) mentions that these titles were first published in Switzerland, in the German language. But given that de Beers is Dutch, I would think that they were written first in that language. Were they translated into German from Dutch, or did he write them in German originally? I wish that had been clarified. Leaving aside that one issue, I enjoyed this anthology (which stands to reason, having enjoyed the stories contained therein), and recommend it to fans of de Beers and his little polar bear hero. show less

When Lars the little polar bear ventures too close to an igloo in this sixth picture-book devoted to his adventures, he finds himself being scared away by the sled-dogs outside. A little later he rescues a husky puppy named Floe, and the two set out to return him (Floe) to his family. After some initial misadventures involving a snowstorm, a kayaking trip, and Floe's irrepressible desire to steal sausages, they finally succeed, and the book closes as Lars is restored to his family, having show more made yet another cross-species friend...

Originally published in Switzerland as Kleiner Eisbär lass mich nicht allein! (literally: "Little Polar Bear, Don't Leave Me Alone!"), Little Polar Bear and the Husky Pup pairs a gentle, warmhearted tale with appealing artwork. Young readers and listeners will probably appreciate Floe's impulsive nature, and identify with his inability to control his impulses, while older readers will just appreciate the humorous situations created by that impulsivity. Recommended to fans of the Little Polar Bear books, and to anyone looking for picture-books about unlikely friendships. show less