Our 12 Favorite Polar Bear Books for Kids

Inside: a list of polar bear books for kids with descriptions of each title so that you can choose the best book for your preschool, kindergarten, or early elementary students.

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Polar bears are such a popular animal for kids! Whether your young reader is obsessed with polar bears or you are preparing for a unit of learning, this list of polar bear books for kids will help you find the perfect next read for your little reader.

This is a great list to share as a read-aloud or to support learning about these special animals.

Fiction Polar Bear Books for Kids

There is such a broad range of polar bear stories out there including some that focus on protecting and caring for polar bears and others that simply include the polar bears for fun.

One Very Big Bear by Alice Briere-Haquet

Can you believe that this little book about a very big polar bear can introduce young readers to addition and fractions? This polar bear can’t understand why he is so much bigger than the other animals around him and he learns how many sardines or walruses it would take to reach his height.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear book cover

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Bill Martin, Jr. & Eric Carle

This modern classic is known for its repetition, which invites children into telling the story together. It’s colorful, imaginative, and playful and there’s a reason teachers and children have been reading it for decades!

If you choose this book you may also like these free polar bear story hats that go along with it.

Little Polar Bear: Where are You Going Lars book cover with a polar bear cub alone on a small iceberg

Little Polar Bear by Hans de Beer

Lars, a little polar bear, becomes drifts far from home on accident while on a hunting trip with his father. Will his new warm-weather friends help him find his way home? This book has a great story and even better…it’s part of a series!

Polar Bear Island book cover with an illustration of an unhappy polar bear, penguins climbing on him and sliding down his arms, ice skating, and holding an ice cream cone.

Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla

Can penguins move to Polar Bear Island? This title gently teaches little ones to appreciate differences and find space for everyone while offering funny phrases and great graphics!

The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale book cover showing an Inuit woman leaning down looking at a polar bear cub who is looking up at her

The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale by Lydia Dabcovich

In this retelling of a traditional Inuit tale, an old woman adopts a polar cub. The villagers don’t like this arrangement and threaten the bear, who finally leaves to live his own life. Kids will be drawn into this story and it’s a great one to include in a folktales unit!

The Polar Bear Wish cover featuring a girl in traditional Scandanavian clothing kneeling down and holding the paws of a cute polar bear cub

The Polar Bear Wish by Lori Evert

This book is part of a series written and illustrated by a husband and wife that features their daughter, Anja. The images are mostly photographs set in a Nordic wonderland and they’re absolutely captivating. In this book, Anja and her brother Erik find a standard polar bear cub and try to help it find its way home.

The Last Polar Bear by Jean Craighead George

Jean Craighead George is best known for her chapter books for older readers like Julie and the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain. Did you know she also has picture books for younger readers? In this one, she tells the story of Tigluk who is determined to save the very last polar bear. It’s a powerful and important story.

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

In this creative retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a polar bear finds its way into an empty igloo. This would be great to read alongside Goldilocks to study fairy tales or as a fun take on a story kids will already know.

A Polar Bear Journey by Debbie S. Miller

Follow along as this mama bear raises her babies in their den and as they take their first adventures into the Arctic. This book will bring the polar bears’ world to life. This would be a great launching point for students to create their own stories about what the bears will do next!

Nonfiction Polar Bear Books for Kids

If you are looking for some nonfiction polar bear books for kids, these are some great titles to add to your collection!

Ice Bear: In the Steps of the Polar Bear book cover

Ice Bear by Nicola Davies

Follow a polar bear through the Arctic to learn about its life and habitat. This one is perfect to enjoy during a unit on polar bears

If Polar Bears Disappeared by Lily Williams

Although this can be a tough topic, Williams introduces young readers to the importance of protecting polar bears in a gentle, appropriate way. It reinforces how important every plant and animal is to its ecosystem, big or small.

Polar Bear Rescue book cover with photo of mama bear and 2 cubs in snow

Mission: Polar Bear Rescue by Nancy Castaldo and Karen Seve

I absolutely love bringing National Geographic Kids books into the classroom because the photographs are always so eye-catching and they offer engaging, informative text to really help students learn. Don’t miss this one for your older or more advanced students!

More Polar Bear Resources

Polar bears are a popular topic for young kids! I have a variety of resources to extend the learning that you and your child will love: