cover image The Polar Bear Wish

The Polar Bear Wish

Lori Evert, photos by Per Breiehagen. Random House, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-5247-6566-8

In an addition to the Wish series, Evert delivers another magical tale featuring talking animals in an enchanting natural world. Anja%E2%80%94a girl who lives in a snow-covered Nordic land%E2%80%94takes a journey with her cousin Erik, in a dogsled led by huskies Birki and Bria. Evert and Breiehagen, a married team, feature Breiehagen's photographs of Anja (their daughter) and Erik, both clothed in traditional red and blue knits. After becoming lost in a snowstorm, they meet a lost polar bear named Tiny. Traveling across icy fjords in search of Tiny's mother, they encounter another polar bear friend, who leads them to a "shimmering ice castle." If it seems dreamlike, it's a safe bet ("Early Christmas morning, Anja was lying in bed thinking about her remarkable dream")%E2%80%94or is it? Ages 3%E2%80%937. (Sept.)