A BEAR BELONGS

A trio of orphaned sun bear cubs travel from poachers’ cages to Borneo’s wild rainforest.

Barr traces the journey of Tan-Tan—a sun bear cub stolen from her mother by poachers—alongside Boboi and Kitud, two cubs rescued from a villager’s yard where they had been kept as pets, through their rehabilitation at Dr. Wong Siew Te’s Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center and eventual release into the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Malaysia. The writing is imbued with genuine urgency; short, punchy sentences (“Bears are in trouble”) alternate with lyrical passages that give the narrative an almost cinematic sweep. Brief “Fact File” sections weave in ecosystem science without disrupting the emotional throughline, though several spreads grow noticeably text-heavy, which may test younger readers’ attention. Hobday’s colorful illustrations are a triumph. Her palette shifts expressively with the story’s mood—warm reds and burnt oranges balance with exuberant yellows and teals. The “Becoming Best Bear Friends” spread showcases her compositional boldness, with tumbling black cubs arcing across a sweeping, curling orange path, while “The Sun Sets on a Secret” deploys a breathtaking aerial perspective over jungle canopy to convey both beauty and threat. Together, word and image make a compelling case for conservation.

An emotionally resonant wildlife rescue story.