Poe and Lars

PreS-Gr 1--Poe is a small, brown-skinned girl in a parka, living in an arctic setting where she occasionally yells at the glaciers to stop melting. She is eaten up one day by a "hangry" polar bear named Lars, but from the inside she pries his jaws open and makes a deal--if he will help rebuild her ruined home, she'll feed him. True to her word, she quickly stockpiles fish, and although Lars briefly considers taking advantage of her generosity when she is pulled into the icy water, he remembers how lonely, and hungry, life was before Poe, and he saves her. Watercolor-like scenes of the cozy home they build together follow, along with a rainbow array of fish, scenes of Lars and Poe drying off by the fire, and a conversation about the climate's effects on their surroundings. Back matter is the real source of information about the climate, tipped in for those just learning about global warming. VERDICT With cheerful illustrations, Hogan's tone matches the lighthearted banter of the storytelling, making this a sure hit among preschoolers.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

Poe is a little girl who lives in the frozen Arctic, all by herself. Although she loves her home and can entertain herself with her big imagination, she still gets lonely. One day, the roof of her home--an A-frame made of ice blocks--collapses in on itself. The culprit is a polar bear named Lars who suffers from constant hunger. Lars loves to eat, but, unfortunately, he is a terrible hunter. Thinking that she's easy prey, Lars tries to eat Poe. Feisty Poe escapes Lars' jaws and makes a deal. She says that she'll find Lars food if he repairs her house. Lars--who at this point is starving--quickly agrees. Although Lars is not great at repairing roofs, it turns out that Poe is a talented angler. But when Poe is in danger, Lars must decide what is more important to him: a net full of juicy fish or Poe's potentially life-changing friendship. The author expertly balances humor, suspense, and whimsy, fleshing out complex characters in just a few pages. The illustrations employ a gorgeous color palette that perfectly reflects the pastel hues of the Arctic, backgrounding the slapstick. Lars is comically unibrowed; Poe has brown skin and wears a yellow knit cap with red pompom. The author's note mentions climate change, which plays a clear if minor role in the story, and Indigenous people, which are absent. A lighthearted friendship tale. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.