This is Not a Polar Bear

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Author(s)

Barry Timms

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Ged Adamson

Publisher

Nosy Crow

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

January 07, 2025

ISBN

979-8887771366

Buy This Book

Get ready for fun, games, and BIG bear hugs with a fabulous new friend!

This book is NOT about a polar bear. Well . . . OK, maybe it is! But this polar bear can drive a train, roller skate, disco dance, and even save the world. And there's one thing this bear does best of all— he gives the biggest, coziest cuddles!

With delightful wordplay and a sweet and playful friendship at its heart, this is the perfect picture book for polar bear fans everywhere.

This fabulously funny story will appeal to –all children — watch out for bubbles, bumper cars, mountains made of jelly, treasure chests, and magical adventures.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

silly, charming picture book fun

June 08, 2025 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

THIS IS NOT A POLAR BEAR is a cute and silly picture book. The book presents the reader with a polar bear, insisting instead it is things like a roller bear (on roller skates), a wriggle bear (getting into a sweater), or a jiggle bear (sitting on a pile of jello).

What I loved: This is silly, rhyming fun. The story rolls off the tongue and sounds fantastic when read aloud. If not being read by a caregiver, the book includes a QR code to hear the audiobook, which is great for kids who enjoy exploring on their own. The rhymes are great, and there is plenty of humor throughout with all the different labels for this best friend/polar bear. Ultimately a sweet story of friendship, this delivers on humor and love.

The illustrations are really fantastic throughout with great use of bright colors and touches of neon to really grab attention. The polar bear and child are both really expressive, and there are lots of details to make each image fun to visually explore. The text throughout is clear and easy to read with key color changes to keep it visible on shifting backgrounds.

Final verdict: THIS IS NOT A POLAR BEAR is silly, joyful picture book fun. Recommend for preschoolers and young elementary school readers who can understand the joke and appreciate the rhyming sounds.

Olivia Farr, Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 2402 reviews

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Frosty Frolics with a Friend

May 14, 2025 (Updated: June 30, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

A little girl is playing in the snow and introduces us to her friend. He looks suspiciously like a polar bear, but she insists that he is not, and proceeds to inform us of all the things that he is. He roller skates, skis, drives, discos, and makes her laugh again and again. The two have many adventures, proving the bear is a save-the-world-together bear and a tunnel-deep-down-under bear, NOT a polar bear. She feels that the bear needs a special name, and decides to give him one based on his best quality-- a never-let-you-go-lar bear whose hugs are the best.

Good Points

This is the third book in Timms’ series, which includes This is NOT a Dinosaur! and This is NOT a Unicorn! Young readers will be drawn to the repetitive nature of the story, and the fast paced rhymes that propel it. There are some clever liberties taken with language that make this an interesting look at identity. The little girl doesn't care that her friend is a polar bear; she loves him for who he is, and for the fun times together that they share.

The color palette is one of the most unusual and eye popping that I have seen. The use of fluorescent orange (which is evident on the bear's scarf on the cover of the book) for the little girl's hair is especially striking, and there are bright purple skies, neon pink sweaters, and bright yellow bumper cars. These are set against white backgrounds, which really make the colors pop, and almost vibrate. The winter wonderland with the fluorescent orange sled with snow covered Christmas trees with very bright ornaments alongside a pale purple castle is particularly vibrant.

It's good to have a funny, go-to picture book when little ones have a hard day, and I can see this being a big hit for fans of silly stories like Hale and Pham's Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn, Border's Peanut Butter and Cupcake, and Shea and Jarvis' Oh, Are You Awake?