11. Hahn, 32.
12. Andrew E. Derocher, Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to their Biology and Behavior (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012), 88.
Acknowledgments
I AM INDEBTED to the generosity of so many who helped me with this book!
Oregon Zoo curator Amy Cutting was one of the first people to hear the story I intended to tell. She answered my questions about polar bears by e-mail and in person, shared her extensive knowledge and experience, vetted the entire manuscript, and recommended reputable resources. Better yet, she invited me “backstage” at the zoo to meet, up close, the venerable and astonishing polar bears Conrad and Tasul. I watched as the fifteen-hundred-pound Conrad gently lipped a grape from Cutting’s palm, and saw the bears respond as Cutting and keeper Amy Hash fed them fish and conversed with them—with words on one side of the colloquy and a combination of rumbles, grunts, and gestures on the other. Cutting and Hash answered more questions on the spot, and Hash treated me to an unforgettable lesson in polar bear vocalizations. At that time, Conrad and Tasul were some of the oldest polar bears in captivity and also, no doubt, some of the oldest polar bears on the planet. They are with us no longer, but they served as inspiration for my bear throughout the writing process.
My husband, historian Dr. R. J. Q. Adams, scoured the archives for articles about the Tower of London menagerie at the time of this story, yielding new insights and more clearly defining for me the line between what is known and what remains unknown. He has supported the creation of this book in ways great and small, including addressing a multitude of questions about historical research and documentation.
Maritime historian Dr. Lawrence V. Mott answered a long list of questions about ships of this time and place, transforming my understanding of the sea voyage in the book; he also recommended helpful resources. Historian Dr. James Bradford was invaluable as well in advancing my knowledge of medieval ships.
The press office and curators of the Tower of London answered myriad questions before my visit, and the Tower guides answered yet more when I was there, lending much to my understanding of the menagerie and the history of the Tower.
Dr. Eric and Doris Kimmel sent me wonderful photos, a book, and additional information on medieval Bergen, Norway. Jan Albrecht also sent me great photos and material on Bergen.
I’m so grateful to all the members of my Oregon critique group for their friendship, support, and insight on the book. Special thanks to Kathi Appelt, Marion Dane Bauer, Pamela Smith Hill, and Ellen Howard, who took time to read the manuscript, and whose wise and generous responses helped me to improve the story immeasurably. Over the past couple of years, Marion and Kathi have nurtured my life as a writer in ways I can never repay. Many thanks to Rose Eder, Dr. Kelly Fletcher, and Diane Linn, who also took time to read the manuscript, and whose kind and perceptive comments enlightened and sustained me.
Heartfelt thanks to my brilliant editor, Karen Wojtyla, for her faith in and enthusiasm for the project, which mean more to me than I can express, and for her supersmart notes and comments. Many thanks as well to editorial assistant Nicole Fiorica for her good cheer and patience while answering my many questions and for shepherding the project through. And I’m very grateful to copyeditor Jeannie Ng for her careful reading and great skill.
Finally, to my extraordinary agent, Rubin Pfeffer, for his belief in the book and for his wisdom, trust, counsel, and care—my profound appreciation.
Thank you, one and all!
About the Author
SUSAN FLETCHER is the acclaimed author of the Dragon Chronicles, composed of Dragon’s Milk; Flight of the Dragon Kyn; Sign of the Dove; and Ancient, Strange, and Lovely; as well as the award-winning Alphabet of Dreams, Shadow Spinner, Walk Across the Sea, and Falcon in the Glass. Ms. Fletcher lives in Bryan, Texas. Visit her at SusanFletcher.com.
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Margaret K. McElderry
Simon & Schuster, New York
ALSO BY SUSAN FLETCHER
Falcon in the Glass
Alphabet of Dreams
Walk Across the Sea
Shadow Spinner
THE DRAGON CHRONICLES
Dragon’s Milk
Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Sign of the Dove
Ancient, Strange, and Lovely
MARGARET K. McELDERRY BOOKS
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2018 by Susan Fletcher
Jacket illustration copyright © 2018 by Shane Rebenschied
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Fletcher, Susan, 1951– author.
Title: Journey of the pale bear / Susan Fletcher.
Description: First Edition. | New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, [2018] | Summary: Twelve-year-old Arthur forms a bond with a polar bear given by King Haakon IV of Norway to King Henry III of England in 1252 while traveling as her handler. Includes historical notes.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017049316 (print) | ISBN 9781534420779 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534420793 (eBook) |
Subjects: | CYAC: Human-animal relationships—Fiction. | Polar bear—Fiction. | Bears—Fiction. | Adventure and adventurers—Fiction. | Voyages and travels—Fiction. | Great Britain—History—Henry III, 1216–1272—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.F6356 Jou 2018 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017049316
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