This deeply emotional read-aloud about a lost wolf pup who is raised by a loving polar bear is sure to resonate with families - particularly non-traditional ones. You are not my mother, said the wolf pup. I am not your mother, said the polar bear, but I can cuddle you and keep you safe. Here is a picture book that celebrates differences and promotes kindness, sure to resonate with the many fans of the beloved classic, Mama Do You Love Me? During the ice melt that follows an Arctic winter, a wolf cub finds himself spinning out to sea on a sheet of ice. He awakes lost and alone to an unfamiliar smell: a polar bear. And while the polar bear is not the wolf’s mother, she takes him on her back to her den, where she feeds him, keeps him warm, and does everything a mother would do. Time passes, the cub grows into a wolf, and soon it’s time for him to venture out into the wide world alone. Years later, the now grown wolf comes upon a tiny lost polar bear cub–and the cycle begins again. With poetic prose this beautiful picture book about the love and kindness of a stranger is sure to touch a deep chord, particularly with parents and children who have found each other in unexpected ways.

What Kind of Book is Pup and Bear

Topics

being lost moms adoption non-traditional families bears wolves baby animals arctic and antarctic animals parental behavior mother and child polar bears family

Genres

fiction

Reviews

B is for Bookworm

4.75

The Goodfather

5.00

Book Lists That Include Pup and Bear

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Books about being lost

Books about moms

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor

Books about adoption

The Creatives Behind the Book

Author

Kate Banks

When I am asked what I do for a job, I am often tempted to say that I don’t work. That’s because I am lucky enough to do something I love for a living. For me my writing has been a place where head meets heart and that is the place I wish to take my readers—whether it be an outer journey or an inner journey. Because that’s the place of realization where anything is possible. When I’m not writing or practicing therapy, I love playing the piano, doing pottery, puttering around outdoors, and cooking. I especially like making birthday cakes, but I hate cleaning up. And I love being with children. I love watching them and listening to them as much as I love writing for them. I am a huge fan of the Boston Red sox, the brain and what it can do, and imagination—all of which have limitless potential and can accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Illustrator

Naoko Stoop

Naoko Stoop’s love of drawing began when she was a young child growing up in Japan. Naoko now lives and creates in Brooklyn, New York. She uses found materials including plywood and brown paper bags as her canvas. She has shown her work in a variety of galleries and stores throughout the world, hopes that, through her artwork, she can inspire the child within everyone. Her debut picture book “Red Knit Cap Girl” was named one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book 2012.