A moving depiction including themes of communication, grief and friendship across species. Relationships and emotion are portrayed with creativity and sensitivity from the perspective of a young, introverted child. She and her grieving, scientist father move to a remote and frozen island where she befriends a bear in need of help. Beautifully told and illustrated. ( )

The friendship between April and Bear is as real and beautiful as any friendship between two humans. Lovingly written. Includes a map of Bear Island and an Author's Note. ( )

April lives alone with her Dad, a scientist at a university who is so caught up in his work that April rarely gets to spend tim with him. April doesn't have any friends at school either. But that's ok with April; she prefers animals to humans anyway.

When her Dad announces they're going together to a remote island weather station in the Arctic Circle for 6 months, this is the most exciting news for April... spending time with her Dad, exploring the wilderness. Only Granny Apples isn't very pleased about Dad taking April off into the wilds and freezing temperatures for 6 months, thinking that on 'Bear Island' April might be at risk of being eaten by a bear!

No danger of that though. The ice has been melting and a polar bear hasn't been seen on Bear Island for some years.... until now.

The Last Bear is a beautiful story of a friendship between a girl and bear, of the importance of family, of climate change, and being yourself.

I have one small niggle with the book, which is small but irritated me more than it should have. It's not a plot spoiler - I'm sure it shouldn't be possible to catch a cold on a remote isolated island where you have been living for nearly 6 months, with no visits from outsiders. Hmm.

My petty grievance aside, I loved The Last Bear and would have loved this book as a child and I hope there's more to come from Hannah Gold. ( )