A Bear Far from Home

This poignant historical nonfiction book, about a polar bear that was gifted to King Henry III, beautifully shows the importance of respecting our natural world and its precious animals.

Long ago, when kings and queens ruled much of the world, the king of Norway gave the king of England a bear.

Imagine a polar bear at ease in her natural arctic world, her only home–until trappers capture her and take her to the king of England.

Imagine a polar bear in her lonely new world, stuck in a cage. This small, enclosed space is her only home–until King Henry III decrees that she be brought to the Thames River every day to swim and fish.

Imagine now this same polar bear dipping a curious paw in the river water, then leaping in with a joyful splash. And it is here, in this unfamiliar, faraway land, in one small way, that she finds home once again.