Susan Fletcher

Dec 22

Although Susan loves to write about long-ago and faraway places, she can’t bring those worlds to life without grounding them in the details of this one. To that end, she has explored lava tubes and sea caves; spent the night in a lighthouse; traveled along the Silk Road in Iran; ridden in a glider, on a camel, and on a donkey; and cut up (already dead!) baby chicks and mice for a gyrfalcon’s dinner. To research Journey of the Pale Bear, she explored the grounds of the Tower of London and went backstage at the Oregon Zoo, where, standing breathtakingly near, she watched polar bears Tasul and Conrad lip grapes from their keepers’ open palms.

Journey of the Pale Bear is Susan’s twelfth book, including the Dragon Chronicles series, Shadow Spinner, and Alphabet of Dreams. Collectively, her books have been translated into seven languages; accolades include the American Library Association’s Notable Books and Best Books for Young Adults, BCCB Blue Ribbon Books, and School Library Journal’s Best Books.

Susan has an M.A. in English from the University of Michigan and taught for many years in the M.F.A. in Writing for Children program at Vermont College. She lives in Bryan, Texas, with her husband, historian R.J.Q. Adams, and their dog, Neville.

A Bear Far From Home

A Booklist Best Book of 2022!

“This picture book draws on history to tell the story of a polar bear gifted to King Henry III for his Tower of London menagerie, asking readers to envision the creature’s experiences and emotions as she voyages from her Norway birthplace to England. “Imagine/ how the world/ must have seemed to her,” prompts the narrative as it traces the bear’s early life, capture by trappers, and subsequent journey to court. “Did she look back/ to search the horizon,/ longing for a glimpse of home?” read empathic musings about the creature’s presumed transport via ship. While it’s unclear whether the bear encountered Henry III (“We’ll never know for sure”), records show she was eventually allowed to fish in the River Thames, where Fletcher questionably suggests she found a new “home” as a captive. Presenting varied human skin tones throughout, Green’s stylized gouache and pencil renderings complement through their use of ornate, medieval-inspired borders and floral flourishes. Together, text and image offer a unique combination of sympathetic speculation and historical grounding.”—Publishers Weekly

“In the thirteenth century, King Haakon of Norway gifted to King Henry III of England a white bear, which Henry added to his menagerie in the Tower of London. Few details outside of this are known, but Fletcher fills in the gaps with logical imaginings, easily distinguished as such, that center on the bear’s experiences, entreating readers to “Imagine / how the world / must have seemed to her.” Fletcher’s gentle storytelling, laced with empathy, takes on the feeling of a fairy tale, into which readers will slip as easily as a polar bear diving into water. Green’s marvelous folk-style illustrations take their cues from medieval artwork, framing scenes with thick, gold borders and flowery flourishes. Cheery blues and whites prevail in the earliest part of the story, during which the bear is still a cub in Norway’s snowy landscape, but a greenish tone washes over the illustrations when the trappers arrive to capture the bear and take her to England. King Henry’s order to let the bear swim and fish in the Thames each day is a slight consolation that, Fletcher supposes, gives the bear a taste of home. Notes from the creators follow the story, offering specifics on how each crafted their part of the book. It is a beautiful package that puts a beating heart into history.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“Building on scanty records of a gift sent from Haakon IV of Norway to Henry III of England in the 13th century, Fletcher focuses less on such specifics as how the bear was captured or kept under control (while, apparently, being allowed to dive at will into the Thames for fish!) and more on how it might have felt to be snatched from the icy waters of her native clime, transported on a ship, and caged among other captive animals in the Tower of London. In compositions that generally echo those of medieval manuscript pages, Green likewise takes an anthropomorphic slant on the tale—skipping fussy realism (the visuals don’t depict, for instance, how the bear was caught) but explaining in a note that she wanted to capture the bear’s feelings at each stage of the journey and depicting her looking angry, confused, and, in a final dive into cold (albeit fresh) waters, smiling in relief from a sense of being home. Is this a story about the mistreatment of animals? Yes, in part…but its evocation of the emotional effects of being displaced and taken across the sea to a “strange and loud and lonely” world may carry more immediate resonance to young audiences encountering similar experiences. The author separates fact from fancy at the end, allowing that the bear’s gender and even species are speculations, and closes with quick histories of the Tower of London and the menagerie. Sweet, artfully conjured, and likely to elicit strong reactions on several levels.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Sometime in the mid-thirteenth century, King Haakon of Norway gifted King Henry of England a polar bear; the animal was housed at the menagerie at the Tower of London and eventually allowed to fish in the river Thames, tethered to a strong cord. Fletcher concedes not much is known of the bear beyond those facts—for all historians know, it could have been a black bear with a genetic mutation—but she invites readers to join her in some educated conjecture about the bear’s experience . . . Green’s acrylic gouache and colored pencil illustrations are steadier, with a static style that recalls medieval art, framing scenes with intricate borders and flattening movement in favor of regal posing. The subject itself is prime elementary grade fare, and the structure could also spur some thoughtful discussion of how we know what we know (and don’t know) when it comes to the history books.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books