Arctic Rescue: Pup and Bear by Kate Banks

In a sudden thaw, a lone wolf pup is separated from his pack alone on an ice floe. As the wind blows him further from the land, he jumps into the sea and swims back to the shore. Freezing and exhausted, he falls asleep in the shelter of a snowbank.

HE WOKE TO THE FEEL OF A COLD NOSE.

."YOU ARE A POLAR BEAR."

YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER." SAID THE LITTLE WOLF.

"NO," SAID THE BEAR, "BUT I CAN CUDDLE YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE."

"POLAR BEARS EAT WOLVES," HE SAID FEARFULLY.

>"NOT THIS ONE!" SHE SAID.

So the little wolf climbed up on the polar bear's wide back and slept warmly with her in her snug den. The next morning she takes him across the tundra and down to the sea to teach him to catch fish and show him the seals, lemmings, the geese and puffins, and a walrus. She washes him clean with her rough tongue and teaches him how to play, rolling head over heels down the snowbanks. Slowly the air grew warmer.

"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER, BUT I KNOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GO."

And with a last nuzzle, the young wolf walks away into the world, where the he finds other wolves and in time becomes the leader of a pack. And then one day, he comes upon a lost little polar bear, shivering and afraid, all alone.

"YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER," SAID THE COWERING CUB.

"I AM NOT...," SAID THE WOLF. "BUT I CAN CUDDLE YOU AND KEEP YOU WARM."

"YOU CAN STAY WITH ME UNTIL YOU ARE BIG ENOUGH TO BE ON YOUR OWN."

One kind deed deserves another, in Kate Banks beautiful story of a kindness that begets yet another, Pup and Bear (Schwartz and Wade). In lovely language, this charming reworking of the famous fable of care for others tells an emotionally moving story, supported by artist Naoko Stoop's beautifully simple illustrations of the snowy northern landscape that plays an important role in this parable of caring. Share this one with Matthew Cordell's 2018 Caldecott Medal winner, Wolf in the Snow. (Read my review here.)

School Library Journal says, "The lyrical writing makes this a wonderful read-aloud. This story of extraordinary kindness may also prompt a discussion of diverse families."