The Last Bear

I read this book to be able to recommend to other home educating families and it is absolutely stunning! It tells the story of April, an 11 year old girl, struggling to find herself after the death of her mother. She moves to the Arctic with her dad and discovers a polar bear. Their friendship is simply stunning and the bear helps April to process grief and pulls her out of the loneliness she has been experiencing. The descriptions of the artic landscape is stunning and the relationship between April and Bear had me in tears many times! Hannah Gold is an amazing author! This book is definitely for older children that can manage the themes around death of a parent, loss, grief etc. Great for any children concerned about the environment as this book talks a lot about the melting polar ice caps and how that is affecting polar bears. Perfect for eco warriors! Simply stunning and one of the best children's books I have EVER read.

Wow, I've just finished Hannah Gold's most wonderful book! I'm an adult, I hope with all my heart that this book is being read by adults to children all over the world. The author takes us on a breathtaking journey of a lonely child hoping to rekindle the love between her and her father. The story unfolds with beautiful, vivid descriptions of 'Bear island' including the beaten weather station where her father conducts his very important job of recording the temperatures of the Artic, shedding light on the seriousness of climate change and how it's happening right now. As the story unfolds, we are taken on an adventure in an icy cold world, where April Wood follows her belief and finds a very sad, hungry and injured Polar Bear. Despite objections and lack of faith from her father, and with the help of an old encyclopedia, April learns that the Bear is stuck on the island. Without the ice caps which have melted now he will never return to Svalbard where his kind are congregated. Bear's fate seems sealed but for the power of love, kindness and an enormous bravery of a very small girl. April hatches an amazing plan, which almost sees her demise, to get her best friend home where he belongs. Read to the very end, it was an emotional tale, an inspiring brief glimpse of a young girls strength and humility in the face of enormous adversity to do the right thing for a Polar Bear. Astounding!! May we all learn that no matter how small, the changes we can make in our lifestyles today can and will affect the future of our planet and every living being on it. Thank you.

I knew I would love this book. I was certain of it. It has everything I love in a children's story: a fierce main character, child-animal friendship, wilderness setting, and a very important message. I wasn't expecting to want to bawl my eyes out in the end but hey, this is what happens when a book is nothing short of perfect. I hope many children read this book. I also hope many adults read this book. It is exactly the book the world needs right now, more than ever. It is about the connection between humans and nature, the difference a single voice can make and the need to protect what should be considered the most precious thing we have as humans: the planet. It should be an essential read for all kids and I hope librarians and school teachers add it to their reading lists. I hope booksellers feature it everywhere they can and that it gets hype from all sides. It deserves it. Some books don't, not really, but this one does. It does not just because of what it represents but also because it can perhaps help kids realise what they are capable of doing. They're the future of this planet and they're the ones that will suffer the most if everything stays the same. I think it will inspire many to go on and have careers in sustainability and conservation. It will teach them to love the wild and that it's okay to love animals more than people. I wish this book existed when I was a child and I am just so lucky to have read it as an adult.

My daughter loves this story and hasn't stopped talking about it. She started it at school and was so disappointed that she couldn't finish it. Its going to be a nice suprise for her. Only reason for not giving 5 stars is because the book as arrived damaged

The Last Bear is beautifully written by an author with real passion and understanding. The connection between April and Bear grows as the story develops and drew me in so completely until I felt part of the story too.. I am so looking forward to reading Hannah's next book about Bear, but this time I will have a hankie ready!! Thank you, Hannah, for this beautiful story and for reminding me that we can make a difference when we all do our bit.

Absolutely loved this book. It may be a children’s book, but I always feel that children’s books are for everyone and this adult devoured every page with joy. Such a passionate message of love and hope and the difference we can all make. It made me want to change the world and I found it so wholesome and genuine that it made a shiny place in my life. Thank you Hannah Gold for something remarkable and loving that you have given to the world.

A lovely story, bought for my then 8 year old and she enjoyed reading it. (Her reading age is roughly 11 but I’d say ages 9 and up would be fine with it) It’s well written and flows well and was challenging in a good way (I.e. some new words to learn but not too many to ruin it).

Excellent

great quality, quick shipping!

My nine year old son said this is the best book he's ever read.

La mas preciosa historia que he tenido el placer de compartir. Estará en mi corazón para toda mi vida. ❤️ A propósito, tengo 70años.