Book Review — The Last Bear

A tale full of heart about a young girl in tune with nature, and a lost polar bear.

Journey to the Arctic with young April. She accompanies her father to an uninhabited island far North. He’s doing research, and she is left to herself.

April’s love of nature and sense of adventure means each day is filled with wild exploring. And when she meets a polar bear in need of help, where some would find a foe, she finds a friend.

I love the heart in this book, the love of nature and the slow-growing trust and friendship between girl and bear. The context of this story is melting arctic ice due to the current climate crisis, and how this affects wildlife such as polar bears. The way human and animal help each other is beautiful, and brings hope into the situation.

April’s relationship with her father also feels very real. He is absorbed in his work to the point of neglecting his daughter. April’s mother has passed away. So she is left to herself. This is treated with honesty in the book, and there is an understanding and bond created between father and daughter once he notices how his drive to disappear into his research affects his family.

A book with much wisdom and heart. I really loved the setting of the wild arctic island.

I’d recommend this book!