This was a lovely book telling the story of a polar bear and her cubs as they arise out of the winter and the cubs see the outside world for the first time. The art work was tremendous! I thank my friend Linda for sending this book to be, she knows how much I love bears! ( )

This is another stunning book by the incredible team of Soundar and Mistry. In this lush book, they turn to the Artic and polar bears.

Mama bear digs into a warm space and gives birth to two bear cubs. As they grew snug in the cave, mama bear says "You''re snug with me!" As they move about the den, they become very curious and once again, mama bear repeats the mantra of safety, telling her babies that the hard snow will enable them to safely walk on the land at the appropriate time.

Mama bear answers their question about what lies beneath the thick ice and snow. She tells them the ocean contains ice from a long time ago. She tells them that as long as the ice remains frozen, they will not go hungry. Teaching them about the need of the dark and the earth dancing when she tilts. Nights get shorter and spring will be back.

The cubs are worrisome babies and ask a lot of questions. The mother always cleverly answers and lists those who will share the land and they are not alone in the world.

First and foremost, this is a book that stressess the importance of taking care of the earth and the delicate balance that keeps everything in place. The need to take care of the earth is importantly stressed, and done so without preaching.

"We should only ever take what we need" is the response to the babies questions. And always, she ends with her comment about not to worry and they are snug with her.

And when spring arrives, the babies can slip and stumble and play while remaining close to mama.

As always, the artistry of Poonam Mistry is breathtaking.

Highly recommended. Five Stars ( )

Source: Booklist
Age Range: 3-7
Evaluation of Quality: The intricate and colorfully patterned illustrations on each page warrant multiple re-reads.
Assessment of potential use: It can be used as a bedtime story due to the repetitive "you're snug with me" refrain.
Assessment of appeal to children: Children will feel comforted by the mother bear's assurances and will love the beautiful designs.

Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry, the author/illustrator team responsible for that lovely bedtime book, You're Safe With Me, return to the form in this second offering, and the result is a triumph. A mother polar bear digs herself a den, gives birth to two cubs, and continually reassures them that they are snug with her, as she explains the larger world to them...

Although You're Snug With Me makes for a lovely reassurance story, it is also an exploration of the natural world of the Arctic, and of issues of environmental stewardship. I appreciated the simple narrative from Soundar, but the stand-out here for me was the gorgeously detailed folk-style artwork from Mistry, which is simply stunning. I have seen this book criticized, because Mistry's style is inspired by various folk arts of India, rather than being native to the Arctic. As someone who has read numerous Arctic stories illustrated with various Western, European-derived styles of illustration (probably the majority of picture-books are illustrated in these styles, in fact), I was not unduly disturbed by the use of an Indian-inspired style. Perhaps I would feel differently if this were a traditional folktale, although it's worth noting that the Inuit-owned Inhabit Media, which publishes exclusively Arctic-related fare, utilizes numerous illustrators who do not work in a traditional Inuit style. Recommended to readers looking for beautifully-illustrated reassurance stories for bedtime and/or stories about polar bears and the Arctic. ( )

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2018/section/picture-books/

A mama bear cares for her two bear cubs in their frozen den, explains winter to them ("It is dark because we are far from the sun during the winter months"), and takes them exploring above ground when spring comes. Even though they are "the biggest and the bravest of all the creatures on the ice," Mama explains, "We should only ever take what we need."

The illustrations are gorgeous an unusual, in a palette of blues and golds, incredibly finely detailed, made up of tiny dots and shapes and lines. Unfortunately it may have been the illustration that turned the 3yo off - she wouldn't get interested in this book even though I brought it out several times - we may try again in a a few more months or next year.

Update later in December: she asked for the book again! Seems to like the words, but still not a fan of the art. ( )