Winter of the White Bear by Martin Chatterton

 

The cover of this book belies the very deep issues that are explored in this text. Themes of murder, power, slavery, forced labour, attempted suicide and justice. The power differential is evident right from the front cover where we see a tiny brown bear overshadowed by an enormous angry-faced white bear. This is not a book for a young child - this is a picture book for older readers aged 13+.

Little Bear has a happy life with his father in the forest which is filled with bright colours. The opening double page spread is almost a visual shock after seeing the snow filled cover and ice shards on the end papers. Little bear loves to catch fish with her father and her delight is echoed in the way the fish glitter like falling stars. Following a horrific battle between the father bear and the White Bear, Little Bear is taken captive and forced to undertake the long journey to the polar lands. Once there, she is ordered to dive into the frozen waters to catch fish for the tyrannical White Bear. Finally Little Bear cannot take this suffering and so she dives deep into the ocean hoping to end her life. She is saved by a vision of her loved father telling her to stay strong and find a way to leave. Little Bear swims back to the surface and sets out to trick her captor. Each day she places tempting fish closer and closer to the edge of the ice. Finally, the White Bear steps onto an ice floe and he plumets to the ocean floor. Little Bear is now free to find her way home.

This story is presented as a fable, and it is designed to draw attention to the injustices of slavery not just from the past but also the reality and Injustices of modern slavery. This is a passion topic of the author and formed the basis of his PhD study. Here is a video trailer for Winter of the White Bear. 

The illustrations depict vast, lonely landscapes. Layers of blue are used to show the depth and freezing temperatures of the polar waters. The danger is amplified by the silhouettes of fierce sea creatures following Little Bear as she tries to catch fish for the insatiable appetite of the white bear. When discussing this book with students notice Little Bear is a girl and she is brown and the bear with power is white. These would be deliberate character choices. A sentence from the opening of the story is repeated at the end giving the story a satisfying conclusion.

"The fish glittered under the water. Little Bear lifted it from the river in a shower of stars."

"The fish glittered under the water. Little Bear watched it swim pas, trailing stars."

Looking closely at the illustrations you could talk about the use of red to emphasize the anger of the tyrannical bear. On the half title page, the bear is walking to the left - this shows, in my view, that he will be able to walk away from the slavery and find his way back home. The final scene we see Little Bear is nearly home, the view looks like a welcoming carpet of colour. And if you look closely dad is welcoming Little Bear back home.

Awards (read the judging comments here)

• 2021 shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
• 2020 shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards

Read about the Kickstarter project that was used to fund the publication of this book. And more about ending modern slavery through the organisation The Freedom Hub.  Sophie Masson interviewed Martin Chatterton about his book in 2019. 

Martin Chatterton in his notes at the back of the book says:

"Winter of the White Bear is a story about a small captive who, like so many captives, fights back against a stronger and meaner captor. It is also a lesson about the big picture of slavery; no good comes of cruelty and suppression, and there is a way to end it. ... My hope is that this book, in one way or another, helps someone else find their way home."

This blog post contains part of the text I submitted to The National Centre for Australian Children's Literature for use in the Picture Books for Older Readers database.