Jackie Morris Press Reviews
This wonderful book by suprememly talented artist Morris is packed with sumptuous illustrations that children will pore over. It is a beautifully written story of a child lost and found, and will be a must for every teacher, as it demonstrates the importance of humans living in harmony with creatures of the wild. Back to School Bookseller
The most breathtaking book of the season must be Jackie Morris's wonderful The Ice Bear. Expressive illustrations draw the reader into a wintery landscape where a magical and unforgettable story is told. Bookseller
Jackie Morris's The Ice Bear taps into our ancestral myths to give children of 4+ one of the most wonderful picture books of the year -- Amanda Craig Times
Written, illustrated and published with loving care. Set in the polar regions of the Arctic the story is magical; easily understood text and stunning illustrations send a message that we must take care that our actions do not endanger the lives of wild creatures. Carousel Book of the Month
Jackie Morris's beautiful story reminds us that we are caretakers of these wild creatures and our actions directly affect their future. Green Parent
The illustrations are lovely. Books for Keeps
A touching and thoughtful read. Junior
A beautiful, painterly book. The unframed pages place the reader at the scene at each turn of the page. Small children will be engrossed by the close up nature of the pictorial representations. For older readers, the visual power of the illustrations is amplified by the poetic sensibility of the narrative text. Jackie Morris reminds us that we are caretakers of the natural world, expecially that far-off reagion where bears and hunters inhabit the earth and sky. Such mindfulness for the outer world will also enrich our inner world. Ibby Link
This touching and throught-provoking narrative is accompanied by stunning watercolour illustrations, and serves to remind us that all of our actions have consequences. Child Education
Although a picture book, the amazing illustrations and timeless story will appeal to all ages and this book is a worthy contender for the Kate Greenaway Award... This is a book for every library, whether personal, school or public. School Librarian
Visually stunning, the tale succeeds best as a fanciful, wistful cuddle-up bedtime story. Kirkus Reviews
intricate and beautiful TES Selected in Top Ten Bear Picture Books:
Jackie Morris is one of my favourite children's illustrators and storytellers, and The Ice Bear is one of her most beautiful stories. It has the timeless feel of all the best myths about it - the poetic, mystical story of the stolen polar bear cub who has to choose between his two families is wonderful in itself, but when combined with Jackie's detailed and exquisite paintings, it's a book to treasure forever.' The Guardian kids online
About Jackie Morris
Jackie Morris is a bestselling writer and artist. Her almost uncanny ability to draw and paint living landscapes and wildlife began around the age of six when she watched her father draw a lapwing and wanted to learn the same magic. Born in Birmingham, she grew up in Evesham, but has lived for a long time in Wales, in “a small cottage held together by spiders’ webs”.
As a writer and illustrator she has many books to her name; of which The Lost Words, in collaboration with Robert Macfarlane, is the best known. For Otter-Barry Books she has written, among others, the three much-loved Mrs Noah books, The Jackie Morris Book of Classic Nursery Rhymes and Something About a Bear.
Her internationally bestselling picture books for Frances Lincoln are Ted Hughes’ How the Whale Became; Mariana and the Merchild; The Snow Leopard; Can You See a Little Bear?; The Snow Whale; Lord of the Forest; as well as those she has both written and illustrated, The Seal Children; The Time of the Lion; Little One We Knew You’d Come; Tell Me a Dragon; The Cat and the Fiddle: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes; The Ice Bear. She has also written and illustrated a critically acclaimed novel for older children, East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
In 2019 she won the Kate Greenaway Medal for her illustration of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane. In her acceptance speech, Jackie Morris, said: “The times ahead are challenging. It seems to me that artists, writers, musicians have one job at the moment – to help to tell the truth about what is happening to this small and fragile world we inhabit, to re-engage with the natural world, to inspire and to imagine better ways to live. Because there is no Planet B and we are at a turning point. And because in order to make anything happen it first needs to be imagined. And as writers and illustrators for children we grow the readers and thinkers of the future.
“I’m learning so much as I watch our young people call politicians to account. Together we can make a change. And we must. While politicians nod and pretend to listen to Greta Thunberg, declare Climate Emergencies, then continue with ‘business as usual’ finding money always for bombs and seldom for books we need to stand beside these children and hold our deceitful leaders to account.”
More About Jackie Morris
