Ida, Always

This spare, beautiful and heartbreaking picture book was inspired by two real life polar bears, Ida and Gus, who lived at Central Park Zoo. The book imagines the grieving process for the two bears as Ida gets sick and dies. Gus finds comfort in remembering his friend. This could be a helpful book for children who are dealing with the grief, but be warned that any adult who reads this will likely cry.

Gus was a polar bear who lived in a park in the midst of a big city. He spent his days with Ida, another polar bear in his enclosure. Every morning, Ida was there. She was there to play ball. She was there to splash and swim with him. She was there to run and chase. Ida was always there... until the day she became ill. As both Gus and Ida adjust to the idea that they will soon be parted, they confront the mystery of death - where will Ida be, once she is gone? - and the reality of loss. Gus's desolation, once Ida is indeed gone, is eventually tempered by the realization that in some ways, Ida is still with him - that she will always be with him.

Although somewhat anthropomorphized - there is a scene in which zoo-keeper Sonya explains show more Ida's illness to Gus - Ida, Always is essentially a true story, based on the lives of two real polar bears, who lived in New York City's Central Park Zoo. Gus, famous in real life for being the 'neurotic' bear for whom zoo-keeper brought in an animal psychologist, did indeed lose his close companion, Ida. But even without the added sense of authenticity that this real-life back-story provides, this is still an immensely moving tale of friendship and loss. I found myself tearing up, as I read Caron Levis' narrative, and thought that Charles Santoso's artwork captured Gus's changing emotions quite well. A lovely book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for a gentle narrative addressing the loss of a loved one. show less

Easy to be cynical about the anthropomorphism and the pulling of the heart-strings, but I can't. I just adore the characters and the writing style and the gorgeous art... and the fact that it's true... too much to be other than enraptured. Highly recommended to animal lovers and anyone with a heart.

I do not recommend it as bibliotherapy in the immediate conjunction of a child's loss; it's too much, too intense. However, it'd be a great read at any other time, to be remembered as need arises.

This is the story of two best friends, Gus and Ida, who are polar bears in the zoo of a big city, and who played together every day. Then one day Ida didn’t come out of her cave, and the zookeeper told Gus Ida was very sick.

Gus rushed to Ida and growled: “ ‘Don’t go,’ he growled. ‘Don’t go, don’t go . . . DON’T!’ ” Ida growled back, and they laughed together, but Ida continued to grow sicker. “There were growling days and laughing days and days that mixed them up.”

So they helped each other cope, telling each other how much they will miss the other, while occasionally needing time alone. But mostly, they pass the time together:

“They would cuddle until the sky grew dark
and the lamps of the city clicked on.
They show more would wave good night a thousand times.
Then wave a few times more.”

Then one day Ida died.

Sometimes Gus forgets she is gone, and looks for her. But mostly he remembers her, and her words that you don’t have to see something to feel it. So Gus knows “Ida is right there. Always.”

Illustrator Charles Santoso has created lovely but simple paintings that show an impressive range of emotions on the faces of the bears. The last picture, in which Gus sees the form of Ida in the shape of a cloud above him, is especially poignant.

In an Author’s Note, we learn that this story was inspired by two real polar bears named Ida and Gus who lived together in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. They were constant companions. Ida died in 2011, and Gus two years later.

Evaluation: This book showing the emotional journey taken when a loved one becomes sick is meant to be uplifting and help children cope with death. It is a lovely portrait of friendship and loss and how best to deal with it. I know I was helped with a loss of my own by being told the many ways in which that person would still be with me, and it is comforting to learn that. show less

Okay, third picture book on my list this year. I don't usually count picture books, but it IS getting close to the end of the year and I DID specify a number of books in my challenge (hope to exceed it, and with grown-up titles!). Also, the few picture books I chose to read this year (not much call for that now that my son is 17 and I'm not a Children's Librarian anymore) were so good that they deserve to be counted! I saw this one on a best children's books of the year list, and it did not disappoint. So beautifully illustrated. So much affection for Manhattan. And, most important, such a lovely, sweet, and sad, but reassuring, story. I'm not sure how an actual child would take this and parents would have to gauge their own child's show more readiness, but I loved it. show less

A book that is sweet and touching. A great book to share with someone who is dealing with the loss or illness of a loved one. I did cry, but the story was beautifully done.

Gus and Ida are best friends, they do everything together. They play with one another and give each other new perspectives and outlooks on the world around them. When Ida gets sick Gus has to find a way to accept and cope with the news. This book had me in tears. It takes the reader on an emotional journey on dealing with loss and grief and learning to find the beauty and be thankful for the time and life shared with one another. I loved this book and feel it identifies a lot of the emotions and feelings that young children experience when dealing with the loss of a loved one.