Ice bear

Narrative non fiction picture book. This is a challenging genre, requiring the writer to convey facts in a coherent narrative package of fewer than 600 words. Davies met this challenge - communicating polar bear biology, the grandeur of their Arctic habitat and the species place in Inuit culture- by using a fictional Inuit narrator, whose voice is represented in blank verse. This innovative method allows the narrator's identity to subtly imply the cultural status of polar bears, and the use of verse allows the text to carry a greater density of information. Polar bears are frequently represented in picture books as 'teddy bears', occupying a snowy fantasy land. Ice Bear offers readers an improved insight by showing them as top predators of a demanding habitat, now vulnerable to global climate change. Ice Bear represents a substantial achievement of methodological precision and rigorous research, as every fact presented is underpinned by reference to current scientific and anthropological research. The text was checked for cultural sensitivity by an Alaskan Inuit, and wholly approved. Winner of the English Association's Award for best Key stage 1 non fiction 2005, has been translated into a number of nordic languages and sells well in Alaska.