Armadillo magazine
By Saviour Pirotta

 

Mark Haddon’s The Ice Bear’s Cave is a more traditional book affair. It features a bear, not a cute, cuddly one but a massive beast with a growly, grown-up voice. Alice, Jess and Robin find him close to their house while digging in the snow.

 

We’re not told if the bear is a magical creature or not. Indeed, we are never sure if he’s a figment of the children’s imagination or a real animal. Whatever he is, he takes the children on an imaginary journey to the North Pole, his real home, which he misses terribly.

 

 

The bear’s world under the Northern Lights is fantastically illustrated by David Axtell, whose pictures have the rich texture of oil paintings. This superb book is all about the power of imagination , and the spell of great story telling. A fantastic read for bedtime.