The Last Bear
- Downloads：9410
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-12 07:52:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Hannah Gold
- ISBN：000841131X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this instant literary classic about friendship， forging your own path， and doing what’s right， debut author Hannah Gold inspires fans of Pax and A Wolf Called Wander to make a difference in any way they can。
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island。 At least， that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost。
But one night， April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon。 A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry， lonely and a long way from home。
Fusing environmental awareness with a touching story of kindness， The Last Bear will include full-page black-and-white illustrations as well as a note from the author with facts about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears。
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island。 At least， that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to a faraway Arctic outpost。
But one night， April catches a glimpse of something distinctly bear shaped loping across the horizon。 A polar bear who shouldn’t be there—who is hungry， lonely and a long way from home。
Fusing environmental awareness with a touching story of kindness， The Last Bear will include full-page black-and-white illustrations as well as a note from the author with facts about the real Bear Island and the plight of the polar bears。
Reviews
Von
，
Such a lovely book and sweet story would definitely recommend for adults and children
Winter
，
4，5
Caroline Lancaster
，
Great book！
peppersocks
，
Reflections and lessons learned: “Perhaps that is why I am here too – to find something I lost a long time ago”Humans; nanimals; books… these are definitely my top things to spend time with （outside of screens and audio）， and the ranking order changes constantly。 Despite being a mostly people person， humans are not always at the top of the shops though， and the thought of a total escape to， and an adventure in， has always appealed。 Do we hone our communication skills with other humans through an Reflections and lessons learned: “Perhaps that is why I am here too – to find something I lost a long time ago”Humans; nanimals; books… these are definitely my top things to spend time with （outside of screens and audio）， and the ranking order changes constantly。 Despite being a mostly people person， humans are not always at the top of the shops though， and the thought of a total escape to， and an adventure in， has always appealed。 Do we hone our communication skills with other humans through animals？ Is it the ultimate empathy？ Is I just that there are less animal assholes than human ones？ Everything about this book appealed and touched my heart - the family element， the overcoming fear， the curiosity and the trust; the story， the characters， the illustrations - I totally adored it and look forward to sharing it with the family in years to come 。。。more
Tori
，
This was gorgeous。 I have the illustrated edition and LEvi Pinfold's work is incredible。 I also listened to some of it on audio， and it only added to the wonder。 Can't wait to see what other mischief April gets up to in the sequel that comes out in March。 This was gorgeous。 I have the illustrated edition and LEvi Pinfold's work is incredible。 I also listened to some of it on audio， and it only added to the wonder。 Can't wait to see what other mischief April gets up to in the sequel that comes out in March。 。。。more
Stéphanie Kok
，
This was an absolute impulsive cover buy because the cover is absolutely beautiful！ Also I expected to read about the unbreakable bond between a girl and a bear and it was just that。 Even though I loved it （for a children's book） I hoped to read about a more detailed， deeper connection and I think there could have been done more to deepen the story。 Nevertheless the message is clear: no matter how small or young， you can still make an incredible impact on the world， you just have to have your he This was an absolute impulsive cover buy because the cover is absolutely beautiful！ Also I expected to read about the unbreakable bond between a girl and a bear and it was just that。 Even though I loved it （for a children's book） I hoped to read about a more detailed， deeper connection and I think there could have been done more to deepen the story。 Nevertheless the message is clear: no matter how small or young， you can still make an incredible impact on the world， you just have to have your heart in it。So overall I think this was a lovely story with a strong message about climate change， loss and wanting to be heard and loved。 。。。more
Ulvi
，
Love polar bears， so of course this book was for me！ Illustrations are quite amazing。
Emma
，
Reading a children’s book as an adult has its challenges， however， it wasn’t lost on me that to read this or have this read to me as a child would have given me so much wonder。 I love how innocently the view of climate change is presented also， and it reminds you that children often have the most effective and simple solutions to the biggest problems。
Penelope
，
Themes:The polar environment and its melting ice caps， single-parent families， parental neglect， grief， scientific research， friendship and connection to an animal， saving this animal， living in remote placesOh， how lovely this book is！ April and her father travel to remote Bear Island， Norwegian territory within the Arctic Circle。 Her father is a meteorologist， still grieving for his wife， killed in a car crash seven years before when April was a little girl。 Now ten， April joins her preoccupie Themes:The polar environment and its melting ice caps， single-parent families， parental neglect， grief， scientific research， friendship and connection to an animal， saving this animal， living in remote placesOh， how lovely this book is！ April and her father travel to remote Bear Island， Norwegian territory within the Arctic Circle。 Her father is a meteorologist， still grieving for his wife， killed in a car crash seven years before when April was a little girl。 Now ten， April joins her preoccupied， unintentionally neglectful father on a six-month stay， where they are the only two humans on the island。 April has more than enough hours of the long Arctic summer days to fill， as her father allows her self-taught ‘home schooling’ to amount to reading from a volume of an encyclopaedia every day。 Even this falls away， when April encounters - and is mesmerised by - a sad， injured polar bear。 April removes the rubbish that has wrapped and entangled itself around a paw， and brings the bear’s wound back to health。 Her father is so absorbed in his weather record-keeping that he doesn’t realise that April has befriended the bear and spends her days roaming Bear Island with ‘Bear’， riding on his back， exploring the bays， mountains， plains etc of the place。 April’s quest to feed Bear， who has no access to seals since the ice flows have melted， means she raids the family’s just adequate rations （for their six month stay） repeatedly。 With food supplies diminishing， April finally confronts her father and tells him about Bear’s existence - and his plight， but her father doesn’t believe her。 Bear needs to reunite with his kind to survive。 What happens next is poignantly gripping。This is a very special and beautiful book， with the young protagonist’s voice ringing true and strong。It is suitable for children aged 10 upwards， and adults will relish it too。 。。。more
Annemarie Griffiths
，
This book is about a 11 year old little girl called April Wood。 She moves to the Artic circle with her dad for his job（they stay there for 6 months）。 The island was called Bear island， when April went exploring for bears， she did not know that they no longer lived on bear island。 Except one night April look out her window and saw something truly magnificent。 The following day she went to find this magnificent creature。 But all was not as it seemed on bear island。 This is a beautiful book about t This book is about a 11 year old little girl called April Wood。 She moves to the Artic circle with her dad for his job（they stay there for 6 months）。 The island was called Bear island， when April went exploring for bears， she did not know that they no longer lived on bear island。 Except one night April look out her window and saw something truly magnificent。 The following day she went to find this magnificent creature。 But all was not as it seemed on bear island。 This is a beautiful book about the bond between a little girl and a polar bear， they both start to trust each other with the help of peanut butter and crackers。 April has the summer of her life until she needs to save the polar bear called bear。 。。。more
Ruth Reid
，
I read this children’s story over night and would highly recommend for anyone with children。 A beautiful book showing lots of imagination。 Touches on climate change， loyalty of animals。
Lucía Cafeína
，
Conmovedora y necesaria， con un claro mensaje de cuidado de la naturaleza y de los animales <3
stillme
，
Perfect for readers， grades 3-5， who are interested in environmentalism/climate change， or who love an animal bond like Alex and The Black Stallion。
Faye Bertenshaw
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 / 4 *An incredible heart-felt debut with a very important message。 This is a beautifully written story that follows April and her scientist Father on their 6 month escapade to Bear Island。 Whilst April is pretty much left to her own devices she discovers and befriends the only Polar Bear left on the island 🐻❄ This is a story packed full with adventure and emotion， whilst delivering the very important message of climate issues， plastic pollution and animal endangerment。 This only fell short 3。5 / 4 *An incredible heart-felt debut with a very important message。 This is a beautifully written story that follows April and her scientist Father on their 6 month escapade to Bear Island。 Whilst April is pretty much left to her own devices she discovers and befriends the only Polar Bear left on the island 🐻❄ This is a story packed full with adventure and emotion， whilst delivering the very important message of climate issues， plastic pollution and animal endangerment。 This only fell short from being a 5 star read for me as although it was portrayed to be grief， I personally found April's Father to be down right neglectful。 Maybe that's just the parent in me but I just couldn't get past it 🙈 。。。more
Izzie
，
Brilliant 😊
Lisa
，
If i could give this 6 stars， i would。 Never would i have thought that the book i would cry the most at， would be a childrens book about polar bears （although they are my favourite animal）。 But everything about this was magnificent， the writing the story， the confrontation， and most of all。。。 the way i want this to happen to me， i want a polar bear friend too。。。
Amanda McKendrey
，
A truly endearing story of one girl’s search for a polar bear and the relationship they forge。 Beautiful words and illustrations to tell this beautiful， powerful story of courage， love and determination。
Myriam
，
Un magnifique conte， récit initiatique sur la relation entre l'homme et l'animal， doublé d'une prise de conscience écologique à lire d'urgence， quel que soit son âge。Coup de ♡ Un magnifique conte， récit initiatique sur la relation entre l'homme et l'animal， doublé d'une prise de conscience écologique à lire d'urgence， quel que soit son âge。Coup de ♡ 。。。more
Mrs Walsh
，
OMG I have totally fell in love with this book。 The underlying themes and tough issues， paired with a beautiful friendship is just perfection。 I cried through the last bit but just couldn’t put it down！
Frøya
，
A Gallerie of flat characters， pompous writing where the theme and message goes before actually putting work into the characters and storytelling， and a bear who's starved， but somehow also acts like a dog around small delicious humans。 And did this author get a single Nordic reader to comment before publishing？？ It is a small， insignificant detail， but Jesus， any person living in even a remotely cold climate could tell you at first glanse， you。 Do。 Not。 Wear。 Wellies。 When。 Cold。 And。 Icy。 So e A Gallerie of flat characters， pompous writing where the theme and message goes before actually putting work into the characters and storytelling， and a bear who's starved， but somehow also acts like a dog around small delicious humans。 And did this author get a single Nordic reader to comment before publishing？？ It is a small， insignificant detail， but Jesus， any person living in even a remotely cold climate could tell you at first glanse， you。 Do。 Not。 Wear。 Wellies。 When。 Cold。 And。 Icy。 So either it's cold， like she describes， and her toes would fall off， or it's summer and obviously not that cold and above freezing and she won't need all those very warm clothes she talkes about。I was so looking forward to this， and it shot me straight down in less than an hour。 Read the good bear instead， it does not insult the intelligence of children readers。 This does not in any way deserve to be compared to the Pax series， unless all you're looking for is that they're both about environmentalism and animals。 。。。more
Karen
，
I am writing this with tears rolling down my cheeks。 Wow！ This is the best children's book I have read in a long time。 I loved this simple， beautiful story of a girl and a polar bear。 I would recommend this book to anyone with children， or even know any children and I am going now to buy it for my grandbabies。 Climate change has got a lot to answer for and this is an enchanting story which deals with this cataclysmic subject。 Five stars （and more if I could give more than five！） I am writing this with tears rolling down my cheeks。 Wow！ This is the best children's book I have read in a long time。 I loved this simple， beautiful story of a girl and a polar bear。 I would recommend this book to anyone with children， or even know any children and I am going now to buy it for my grandbabies。 Climate change has got a lot to answer for and this is an enchanting story which deals with this cataclysmic subject。 Five stars （and more if I could give more than five！） 。。。more
Bob
，
Sad and inspiring but unbelievable。Before I read this book， I thought the hardest part would be suspending disbelief that a girl could make friends with an adult polar bear。 It is still incredible， but the author makes it less so by describing the girl April as one who knows how to relate to animals， who feeds the bear （although if the bear is so hungry， wouldn't it see her as a tasty treat？）。 But there are aspects of the story I found even more incredible:What kind of institute staffs a remote Sad and inspiring but unbelievable。Before I read this book， I thought the hardest part would be suspending disbelief that a girl could make friends with an adult polar bear。 It is still incredible， but the author makes it less so by describing the girl April as one who knows how to relate to animals， who feeds the bear （although if the bear is so hungry， wouldn't it see her as a tasty treat？）。 But there are aspects of the story I found even more incredible:What kind of institute staffs a remote station for 6 months with a father with an eleven year old， especially when the father doesn't seem to have all the essential skills？ What kind of father lets his eleven year old wander around a 69 square mile island alone without a way to track her or at least communicate with her？ What kind of 11 year old would set out on a 235km trip in a small boat， let alone with a polar bear， even if she is desperate to return her bear to the company of other bears？ How could anyone survive after falling into the Arctic Ocean long enough to be rescued， and how did the rescue ship find her？I would have found it more inspiring and believable if April's father and/or someone else had trained her to help him and accompanied April around the island。。。 。。。more
Jessica Bonanni
，
When I tell you this book had be SOBBING。 😭😭😭I genuinely did not expect to be in my feelings after finishing this but after the day I’ve had， that tracks。 This was such a wonderful middle grade filled with so many important themes and messages that all children and adults alike can benefit from！The writing was so gentle and fast-paced and kept me engaged the whole time。 The relationship between April and Bear was so beautiful to read about and I loved that Bear never actually talked。All in all， When I tell you this book had be SOBBING。 😭😭😭I genuinely did not expect to be in my feelings after finishing this but after the day I’ve had， that tracks。 This was such a wonderful middle grade filled with so many important themes and messages that all children and adults alike can benefit from！The writing was so gentle and fast-paced and kept me engaged the whole time。 The relationship between April and Bear was so beautiful to read about and I loved that Bear never actually talked。All in all， this story is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming and just an all-around important story that needs to be told。 。。。more
Denise
，
This is a sweet， refreshing book that tackles issues such as grief and coping with the death of a family member all the way up to climate change and the threatened polar bear population。 It is a refreshing change from murder mysteries and dark subject matter， yet still an intriguing read。 I would recommend it。 ，
Sian McQuillan
，
The Last Bear was so wonderful and heartfelt that I just couldn’t put it down。 While it’s written for children， I think it’s a really touching， poignant， and educational read for adults， too。The Last Bear tells the story of 11 year old April who moves to Bear Island in Norway with her father as he gets a new job。 April’s mother died when she was four and the loss is still clearly felt in their lives everyday。 April hopes that escaping to Bear Island with her father will mean that they’ll spend m The Last Bear was so wonderful and heartfelt that I just couldn’t put it down。 While it’s written for children， I think it’s a really touching， poignant， and educational read for adults， too。The Last Bear tells the story of 11 year old April who moves to Bear Island in Norway with her father as he gets a new job。 April’s mother died when she was four and the loss is still clearly felt in their lives everyday。 April hopes that escaping to Bear Island with her father will mean that they’ll spend more time together as she won’t have to go to school and he’ll be working from home。 Unfortunately she’s wrong as her father is so busy with his work， and when he’s not working， he’s still struggling with the loss of April’s mother， often lashing out at April when he feels under a lot of stress。 So， April goes out to explore Bear Island alone where she meets a new and unexpected friend。 I won’t say too much more about the plot so I don’t spoil it for anyone who wants to read it。 This was a beautiful story of a relationship between a father and daughter， coming to terms with loss and grief， the importance of the natural world and living species， and the crisis of climate change。 Not just a great story， this is also a fantastic educational resource for children （and adults， too – I learned some things I didn’t know about the planet and climate change as well！）， making for the perfect way to introduce young kids to the state of the planet。 Such a beautiful read with some stunning illustrations and I would highly recommend for anyone 🤍 。。。more
Savannah （forest_reader）
，
I love polar bears and icy winter settings。 But those were basically the biggest strengths of the book。 The plot didn’t hold enough tension for me， and this book kinda teetered between contemporary and magical realism， but there was no magic whatsoever other than a starving polar bear not eating a vulnerable， scrumptious girl。 So while it was sorta cute， it was mostly unrealistic and uneventful。
Millie
，
The Last Bear by is a novel that masterfully balances grief and love， both for the planet， animals， and for people。 🐻❄We follow April， a sweet young girl emotionally in touch with animals， when her father's job takes them to an Arctic outpost for six months。 While there， she meets， helps， and bonds with a lost polar bear - the very last one on the island。April is a wonderful character who strives for change: for the world and for her strained relationship with her grieving father after the loss The Last Bear by is a novel that masterfully balances grief and love， both for the planet， animals， and for people。 🐻❄We follow April， a sweet young girl emotionally in touch with animals， when her father's job takes them to an Arctic outpost for six months。 While there， she meets， helps， and bonds with a lost polar bear - the very last one on the island。April is a wonderful character who strives for change: for the world and for her strained relationship with her grieving father after the loss of her 'rainbow' mother。 Her father buries himself in work with little time left for his daughter， and is often short-tempered。 This is difficult for April， and she's honest about that。 She finds purpose and solace in her polar bear， Bear， and grows in confidence as their relationship strengthens。 They needed each other， no doubt。This book is perfect for introducing children to the effects and dangers of climate change， which are explained patiently and optimistically。 Children will be truly inspired to help make a change for the planet after reading。At times like these， books like this are unbelievably important。 。。。more
Michelle
，
I have complicated feelings about this one。 I love April's love of animals and our planet。 I love the conservation message。 I think that message will really appeal to my 5th graders。 I also loved the way the story unfolded。 It really captured my curiosity。 However， there were some things that bothered me。 April's dad was downright neglectful in my eyes。 The ending addressed this slightly， but it left me feeling uneasy。 April has a lot of determination， but she did whatever she wanted and made so I have complicated feelings about this one。 I love April's love of animals and our planet。 I love the conservation message。 I think that message will really appeal to my 5th graders。 I also loved the way the story unfolded。 It really captured my curiosity。 However， there were some things that bothered me。 April's dad was downright neglectful in my eyes。 The ending addressed this slightly， but it left me feeling uneasy。 April has a lot of determination， but she did whatever she wanted and made some really risky decisions。 I am just not sure if this a good message for my students。 。。。more
Emily Stopp
，
Nicht nur einmal hat mich die berührende Geschichte dieser besonderen Freundschaft zum Weinen gebracht。 Hannah Gold erzählt von April， einem mutigen Mädchen， das stets das Abenteuer sucht und in diesem Jahr ein ganz besonderes erlebt - mit ihrem Bären。 Das Buch erzählt von Freundschaft， Liebe und davon， wie wichtig es ist， an sich selbst zu glauben。 Ich habe es unendlich gern gelesen
MoMo BookDiary
，
The Last Bear is well written and beautiful adventure story of friendship， nature， animals， and an important message on climate change。 It’s never too early to be showing children how much care our planet requires。 I loved the descriptive way in which the author told of April’s adventures on Bear Island。 I was intrigued by the location， Svalbard and it is a place I would love to visit although health wise， I’d never cope with the extreme weather！ The story， is beautiful and with its extremely im The Last Bear is well written and beautiful adventure story of friendship， nature， animals， and an important message on climate change。 It’s never too early to be showing children how much care our planet requires。 I loved the descriptive way in which the author told of April’s adventures on Bear Island。 I was intrigued by the location， Svalbard and it is a place I would love to visit although health wise， I’d never cope with the extreme weather！ The story， is beautiful and with its extremely important message had me in tears at a few points。 It is such a lovely story and I have recommended this to everyone。 I listened to the audiobook of The Last Bear， read by Helen Phillips and published by Harper Collins Childrens Books。 I borrowed this from my local library using the Borrow Box app。 I enjoy listening to audiobooks while crafting and it is brilliant that the libraries now have the ability to use an app to borrow audiobooks。 I highly recommend anyone who enjoys audiobooks to check out which app their local library uses。This should be an essential read for all children and I hope it can be added to reading lists。 Come on， booksellers give this book all the hype it deserves and get this book into every household。 After listening to the audiobook I purchased a signed edition of the book for my ‘keepsakes’ bookshelf so I could enjoy reading the story again and again。 However， it didn’t even make it to the bookshelf before it was borrowed by my niece！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Bear
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Bear&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Bear&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0