Sister Bear

K-Gr 3—In this fanciful reworking of "The Cat on the Dovrefell," Yolen retains the jocular nugget of the story in which a nasty band of trolls invades a man's home each Christmas Eve until the year they are scared away by a white bear they believe is a giant cat. Here, however, the joke is not so sharply drawn as the newly extended tale greatly elaborates on the relationship between the bear and her owner. Yolen tells more about the girl who finds a white bear cub and raises her as a faithful companion. As she grows, the bear hunts for Halva's family and even learns to dance. The girl decides to show off the remarkable beast to the King of Denmark. When they stop at the Gustersons' cottage en route, they learn of his problem with the trolls and quickly dispatch them. While the trolls are a good bit of the adventure, both text and pictures create cozy scenes of domesticity. In lovely pastel and watercolor views, Graves clothes the many characters in garments rich in folk design. Only the trolls are suitably ugly, scruffy in dress, and even tattooed. In the end, Halva's family, along with Sister Bear, has a lovely time each Christmas feasting with the Gustersons. A satisfying tale for young readers favoring animals and a bit of adventure.—Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston