Bianca and the Butterfly by Sergio Ruzzier
Published by Harper ISBN: 0063295881
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads

Bianca the polar bear loves her home – the snow and the cold. One day a beautiful butterfly arrives and she leaps onto a nearby ice floe to take a closer look. The ice floe drifts, eventually stopping at a fascinating world, depicted in vibrant hues of red, yellow, purple, and orange. Initially intrigued, Bianca soon becomes homesick. Using a broken branch, she floats home into the arms of her waiting mother.

Spare text and lovely illustrations that contrast the Arctic and the fantastic world makes this a fun book for preschool children. (I especially enjoyed the contrast of the front and back end pages.) Bianca is a rather comical, prominently hooked-nosed polar bear. I felt this was a familiar story for anyone who has read Hans de Beer Little Polar Bear book. Nevertheless, youngsters will relate to Bianca’s feelings of comfort in the familiar and her curiosity about the rest of the world.

Barb Rehmeyer, Liberty Library