The Three Snow Bears
by Jan Brett (Author) Jan Brett (Illustrator)
Aloo-ki glances up from fishing and sees her sled dogs floating off on an ice floe. She races after them and comes upon an igloo. Being a curious girl, she goes inside only to find no one home. That's because the polar bear family who lives there is out walking while their breakfast cools off. Aloo-ki eats some soup, tries on their boots, and finally crawls into the smallest bed for a nap. Meanwhile, Papa, Mama, and Baby Bear see her dogs adrift, swim out to rescue them and return home to find Aloo-ki fast asleep in Baby Bear's bed.
Jan traveled to the far North to meet the Inuit people and see the amazing land where they live. Dramatic illustrations capture the shimmering ice, snow and deep blue seas of the Arctic, and when Jan adds a raven-haired Inuit girl and her appealing huskies, an endearing family of polar bears, and playful Arctic animals in the borders, the result is one of her most beautiful picture books.
The decorative Inuit patterns and clothing Jan uses throughout are sure to attract adult fans and collectors while children will want to listen to and look at this exciting version of a well-loved story over and over again.
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Publishers Weekly
The perennially popular Brett sets this wintry spin on the Goldilocks tale in the Arctic. A polar bear family leaves its igloo for a walk to let Baby Bears soup cool just as Aloo-ki, an Inuit girl, runs past, searching for her team of huskies, which have drifted away on an ice floe. Distracted by the aroma of the soup, Aloo-ki wanders into the igloo, and the rest is (not quite) history. Set against a background rendered as chilly blocks of ice, Bretts trademark border panels unfold the simultaneous story of the bears, who rescue the stranded dog team even as Aloo-ki makes free with their breakfast and home comforts. Kids will enjoy the variations on a nursery room standard, although the main draw is, as usual, Bretts characteristically detailed art. She pays loving attention to folkways, attiring the bears and other animals in furry parkas with geometric Inuit designs and furnishing the igloo with implements crafted in a native style. But between the frigid tones of the icy borders and the minor key of the story, the volume is narrower in its appeal than Bretts ("The Mitten") best. Ages 4-up. ("Sept".)
Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3Filled with the gorgeously detailed watercolor and gouache illustrations that distinguish her work, this Arctic version of a classic tale is pure Brett. In the wintry white world of the far north, Aloo-ki, a young Inuit girl, steps into the role of Goldilocks. Separated from her team of huskies while fishing among ice floes, she stumbles upon the three snow bears' empty igloo. She proceeds to taste their soup, try on their boots, and, as expected, sample each of their beds before falling asleep in Baby Bear's pile of cozy furs. Meanwhile, the polar bears rescue Aloo-ki's dog team and bring them back to the igloo, where they discover evidence of the intruder and quickly locate the sleeping girl. Awakened to find herself face-to-face with three huge bears, Aloo-ki rushes outdoors, gathers her huskies, and waves a thank-you before hurrying away on her sled. The plot remains true to the progression of the traditional tale and the narrative moves swiftly. Side panels depict regional fauna and help convey the action. Aloo-ki and many of the animals wear clothing inspired by Inuit designs, adding splashes of color to the snowy backdrops. This book is sure to be appreciated by the author's fans and those seeking multicultural variations on the Goldilocks story.Piper Nyman, Brookmeade Elementary School, Nashville, TN
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. She says, "I remember the special quiet of rainy days when I felt that I could enter the pages of my beautiful picture books. Now I try to recreate that feeling of believing that the imaginary place I'm drawing really exists. The detail in my work helps to convince me, and I hope others as well, that such places might be real."
As a student at the Boston Museum School, she spent hours in the Museum of Fine Arts. "It was overwhelming to see the room-size landscapes and towering stone sculptures, and then moments later to refocus on delicately embroidered kimonos and ancient porcelain," she says. "I'm delighted and surprised when fragments of these beautiful images come back to me in my painting."
Travel is also a constant inspiration. Together with her husband, Joe Hearne, who is a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Jan visits many different countries where she researches the architecture and costumes that appear in her work. "From cave paintings to Norwegian sleighs, to Japanese gardens, I study the traditions of the many countries I visit and use them as a starting point for my children's books."
JUV030120 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Polar Regions
JUV012040 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | Adaptations
Folklore
Polar bear
