The Very, Very Far North is a cute chapter book for young readers/middle grades. It is the story of a polar bear named Duane. He has moved to a new place and has to find a home, friends and discover what is all around him. As the book begins, each chapter has him meeting a new character, getting to know them and giving them a name. Once all the characters are introduced, they have adventures or something happens to one of them. Scattered throughout the book are simple and cute black and white illustrations, showing the various characters in the story. It definitely helps to visualize what is happening. I had mixed feelings about this one. I read a few of the chapters with my 8 year old grandson and he seemed to enjoy it, but when I asked him about it afterwards, he responded that it was "okay". I think I enjoyed it more than he did. It is billed as a contemporary Winnie-the-Pooh, and I can see some reasons for that. There are some good lessons, especially about friendship. I do recommend this one, especially to be read one chapter at a time, over a week or so, perhaps as a bedtime story as it is a gentle read.

This was the very first chapter book I have read out loud to my son who is 5 years old. The story was cute, but I personally didn't *love* it. But, I'm basing this review more on my son's perception of it. He really looked forward to having me read it out loud to him overnight, usually begging for just one more chapter. But that's where my biggest issue lied with this book - the chapters felt far too long for a middle grade book. So reading just one more chapter usually wasn't an option.

I was worried my son wouldn't be able to keep track of all the characters, but he had no trouble remembering their names. When we were done, he said he really liked, so 4 stars from him!

To summarize: this is a cutesy story about a polar bear named Duane who sets out to make all sorts of different friends. Sometimes their encounters were funny, sometimes they were a little dull (to me), but it was a sweet story I guess of befriending animals of all different shapes and sizes.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book for my honest review.

This is a very cute chapter book for kids. There are lots of good, challenging vocabulary words, a few science moments and lots of morals about family and friendship. I enjoyed the Polar setting and our lead character, a Polar Bear, is easy to connect with. He moves to a new place and has to find a home, friends and discover what is all around him on his own. Luckily he doesn't stay alone for long and finds many adventures to go on.

A very smart thing done in The Very, Very Far North is that each chapter begins with a line saying what the last thing was that happened. This is clearly written to be read one chapter each night with a child. To me this is brilliant. Especially if you don't read the same book every night (ie: kids that live at different homes or time restrictions).
There are lots of good quotable lines like:
"You can have hopes and you can have goals, but a day will take you where a day wants to go."

Overall this is a cute book about finding your way in the big scary world and that sometimes just leaving your front door is an adventure. Each animal is unique and has its own characteristics (the anxious musk ox is a favourite of mine). Comparisons to Winnie-the-Pooh aren't wrong necessarily; but with the lack of a human character in the story there is more of a connection (I think) to our lead bear.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This book is a bunch of stories about a polar bear named Duane, who lives in the very far north of Canada. He meets a variety of friends in his adventures, such as a pelican and a musk ox. They all have names based on how they look or act. For instance, the musk ox loves looking at himself and refers to himself as Handsome.

Duane and his friends reminded me of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Duane is figuring out life in the Arctic, just as Winnie the Pooh is learning about life in the Hundred Acre Woods. Both bears have a youthful, innocent way of looking at life because they are both still learning.

This book paints a beautiful image of life in the north of Canada. There aren’t many children’s books that are set in that cold climate. This book is a fun way to learn about the animals and environment in northern Canada.

I loved this book! I highly recommend it for young and older readers.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of thia book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very cute little book. I found it incredibly charming. The adventures of Duane the polar bear and all of his friends in the Very Very Far North past the Cold Cold Ocean is definitely something I would have been thrilled to read as a child. I also think it does very well at teaching exploration to children, as Duane learns about the environment around him, gets to know his friends, what they like and don't like, and how they can all live harmoniously together. Even if you are different and have interests, you can all live together happily and still have a good time because you are still amongst friends. One of the best sections of the book is when Duane's friend CC tells him that she doesn't like to be touched. Later on, Duane wants to give her a hug, but he stops himself because he remembers that CC doesn't like it. So he finds another way to convey that same emotion to her without her feeling uncomfortable. It is this kind of lesson that this book does really well in teaching, in a way that is easy for every child to understand. Each chapter reads like an individual story, with various characters popping in and out of the adventures. I would happily buy this book for any small child in my life who is also just learning how to explore amongst the world around them.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It was published September 3rd 2019, by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster Canada.

If you are looking for a story that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling of contentment, and a deeper understanding of how friendship works, look no further.

The book blurb begins: "An inquisitive polar bear named Duane befriends an array of animals as he discovers where he belongs in this charming classic-in-the making that’s reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh." It does indeed remind this reader of Winnie the Pooh, and many other animal based stories like Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel. However briefly, it even reminded me of The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

The Very, Very Far North is primarily a book about friendship. Duane, the polar bear likes nothing more than sleeping, eating, exploring and making friends. He is especially talented at picking just the right name for his pals. These include CC, the owl; Handsome, the muskox; Major Puff, the puffin; Twitch the hare; Magic, the arctic fox; Boo the caribou; Sun Girl and her wolf pack; and Squint, the painter. The most important thing you need to know about them is that Duane accepts all of them for who they are, even though sometimes, they can be very annoying.

In case you are wondering if anything exciting happens in this book. It surely does - many times. There is a terrifying blizzard, a dangerous toboggan ride, misunderstandings and many more dramatic events to look forward to.

I was charmed by the bits of philosophy integrated into the stories. Days can have different kinds of possibilities. Thursdays are the day all good stories start. Tuesdays are the day when stories with unexpected situations take place. Perhaps the most important thing Duane and readers have to learn about days is that ultimately, "You can have hopes and you can have goals, but a day will take you where a day wants to go." I especially appreciated when, during one of Duane's interactions with Squint, the painter, we are introduced to the reality of different ways of seeing the world.

The character who most fascinated me as I read the book, was the narrator. It makes brilliant mentor text for writers exploring this aspect of the craft. The narrator provides a third-person omniscient point of view who stops regularly to directly address the reader. I adored this voice near the end of the book when we read, "There has been some discussion among the characters. The question came up of how to bring this book to a proper ending." Then we learn each of their ideas, and finally understand that what comes next is the group's decision. We discover at the end of the book who this narrator is, but that is something you will have to find out by reading it yourself.

Interspersed with the text are Kelly Pousette's delightful black and white illustrations. They add to the humour and sweetness of the narrative.

The book is suggested as appropriate for readers aged 8 to 12. I believe it would make a brilliant read aloud for younger children - one that their parents will enjoy as well.

I do hope Dan Bar-el writes another novel sharing more stories from this quirky collection of friends. Readers of all ages will look forward to it.

I definitely have a love and fondness for polar bear stories so it wasn't much of a surprise to me that I would click on that request button. Duane the polar bear took me on a wonderful adventurous journey as he met some lovely new friends as he traveled and explored the very, very far north. I loved Duane's inquisitive mind!

THE VERY, VERY FAR NORTH by DAN BAR-EL is such a cute, charming, humorous, and lighthearted read that is packed full of wonderful and adorable characters. I am so looking forward to reading this book to my granddaughter and I hope she loves the illustrations and Duane the polar bear as much as I did.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Dan Bar-el for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is a charming middle-grade chapter book. Some say it reminds them of Winnie the Pooh but that didn’t even cross my mind.

Duane the polar bear is a curious fellow and likes a good adventure. He meets and makes friends with a wide range of characters when living in the far far north. Each of these new friends is kinda quirky with their individual traits that added much to this book.

Kelly Pousette is the illustrator and did a great job. With each chapter reading like a mini-story it’s a fun read even for this adult.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot to be said about middle-grade novels. It’s such a difficult age to appeal to as there are those who may not be strong readers who crave a great story. There are readers who are excellent readers and are looking for something a little more mature. Whichever reader you have in your life The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Kelly Pousette is a lovely middle grade novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

Although written as a chapter book, each chapter is a little mini story on it’s own. Sort of reminiscent of Winnie-the-Pooh. There is lovely flowing descriptive language, lots of great dialogue and so many wonderful lessons about friendship. In The Very, Very Far North, Duane the polar bear make many different friends and acquaintances all with very unique personalities. There is C.C. the owl who is incredibly scientific but finds social situations to be terribly difficult. There is Magic the fox who has boundless energy, and Handsome the musk ox who is quite vain and stringent on proper rules of etiquette. Together they live in the Very, Very Far North having adventures, conducting experiments and learning from one another.

Although it is a book featuring animals as the main characters, there are still so many lessons and so many themes to grab onto and really dissect. Many readers will recognize traits in the animals that are similar to themselves or their friends. Through the story they will see empathy, empowerment, friendship and kindness. A lovely read that can be read slowly since the chapters are little stories on their own, if you need to put it down and leave it for a bit, when you come back you will not need to re-read in order to understand the plot. You can just access the next little tale and learn more about Duane and his friends. Also, this book makes a lively read aloud. It’s a book you can read together with your child taking turns in the reading or sharing with a big group of readers. The stories are gentle and flowing and the descriptive language lends itself perfectly to a lovely read aloud

I was not a big fan of this book, largely because it felt a bit too much like a Winnie the Pooh knock off.

ARC Copy...short and felt like more of slice of life wondering about the universe from the very top of the world. The illustrations felt warm and carrying the feel of a slice of life narrative.

My 9 year old and I read this book together today and we really enjoyed it! Duane the Polar Bear reminded us so much of Winnie the Pooh with his love of eating, napping and he’s always up for an adventure! The story had some humour which my son loved and over all was a cute heart warming tale of adventure and friendships made along the way.