About the Holiday
International Polar Bear Day was established as a day for people to learn more about these majestic animals and conservation efforts to protect them and their environment. You can celebrate by discovering ways to lessen global warming, which is believed to be a factor in the loss of polar bears’ natural habitats.
Hush Little Polar Bear
By Jeff Mack
A baby polar bear listens to the voice that tells him to “Hush, little polar bear. Sleep in the snow, and dream of the places where sleeping bears go.” The adorable polar bear, with its eyes shut tight, then dreams of sailing the seas while riding on the back of a whale, following a crab onto the beach, wading through a meadow and chasing butterflies, bounding after cows in a field, and having adventure after adventure. But who is the little girl on a sailboat, hiding behind a sandcastle, near the tree, and always popping up where the polar bear explores?
At the end of the book as the polar bear drifts through a window, kids discover that the traveling polar bear has been heeding the wishes of that mysterious little girl. As the bear takes its place cuddled up beside the young sleeper, readers may wonder—who is really dreaming, the girl or the little polar bear?
Jeff Mack has created a warm, fuzzy lullaby of a picture book, perfect for bedtime or any snuggle time. The lyrical text invites listeners to float along in the polar bear’s wake as it romps, swings, crawls, and flies through each two-page spread that presents the bear’s and the little girl’s dreamscapes as vividly as the best remembered dreams.
Ages 2 – 6
Roaring Brook Press, New York, 2008 | ISBN 978-1596433687
Discover more about Jeff Mack and his books on his website!
Polar Bear Day Activity
Polar Bear Scarf or Banner
Polar bears aren’t cold in the winter—and neither should you be! Here are directions and printable templates for making a cute scarf to keep you warm, or—if you’d rather—a banner to warm up your room.
- Printable Polar Bear and Igloo Template
- 1 Strip of blue fleece 4 ½ feet long x 7 inches wide for the scarf
- 1 Piece of blue scrapbooking paper for a banner
- Pieces of white, black, blue, and purple fleece or scrapbooking paper to make the polar bear, igloo, snowflakes, and ice floes.
- String or twine for banner
- Fabric or paper glue
Directions for Scarf
To make the fringe at each end of the scarf:
- Make 7 cuts about 4 inches long
- Tie a knot at the top of each fringe section
To make the pieces for the scarf or banner:
- Trace the polar bear and igloo sections from the Printable Template onto white fleece and cut out
- Trace the two ice floes onto blue fleece and cut out
- Trace the door of the igloo onto blue fleece and cut out
- Trace the polar bear’s scarf onto purple (or any color) fleece and cut out
- Cut out round snowflakes
- Cut out a small circle from black fleece for the Polar Bear’s nose
On one end of the scarf:
- Glue the smaller ice floe on one end of the scarf
- Tie the bear’s scarf around its neck before gluing the bear to the scarf
- Glue the polar bear onto the scarf with its feet on the ice floe
- Glue on the polar bear’s nose
- Make a small dot for the polar bear’s eye with a marker
- Glue snowflakes above polar bear
On the other end of the scarf:
- Glue the bigger ice floe to the scarf
- Glue the three pieces of the large igloo to the scarf, leaving a little space between sections
- Glue the small white door of the igloo on top of the last two igloo sections
- Glue the small blue door onto the white door
- Glue snowflakes above the igloo
Directions for Banner
- Cut a point at the bottom of your banner
- Follow the directions above to trace the pieces of the polar bear and igloo from the printable template onto scrapbooking paper
- Follow the directions above to glue the pieces of the polar bear and igloo to your banner
- Attach string or twine to back of banner to make a hanger
Picture Book Review