Bianca and the Butterfly

After “up early” polar bear cub Bianca leaves the snuggly embrace of her sleeping mother, she considers their familiar landscape: “Bianca loves the things she knows.” But today, “something new” appears, too: an extravagantly patterned butterfly perched on an ice floe. The vibrantly rendered insect appears in marked contrast to the pale washes of color that make up Bianca’s beloved habitat, and the intrigued bear hops onto the floe to investigate. The move finds the duo drifting to a tropical paradise filled with giant flowering plants and tasty fruits—a locale that seems more suited to butterfly than polar bear. After night falls, the vegetation suddenly feels much more threatening, and Bianca flees, catching a floating log back to her mother’s embrace. Final pages show that the cub is no worse for the adventure—in fact, a glint in her eye seems to imply she’s all the stronger for having encountered new things. As images of melting ice and frightening flora suggest how scary change can be, this story from Ruzzier (The Real Story) offers a transportive portrait of loving both the familiar and the yet-unknown. Ages 4–8. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Jan.)