Out on the Ice
in the Middle of the Bay


Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay is the poetic tale of a human toddler meeting a polar bear cub, peacefully alone, out on the ice. There follows a gripping confrontation between human father and animal mother, with their mutual distrust and anxiety for their young. An unforgettable reading experience for adults and children.
        This is a story about
        the sun, which was going down,
        the moon, which was coming up,
        an iceberg, which was frozen
                out on the ice in the middle of the bay,
        a mother, who went visiting,
        a father, who was tired,
        a polar bear cub, who was curious,
        a polar bear mother, who was sleepy,
        And Leah, a very little girl
                who went outside to discover the world.

polar bears
        "One of the best picture books around . . . a beautifully written story about a very young girl who wanders out and meets a baby polar bear . . . a highly recommended book for children aged 4 and up." (Pippa Wysong, Toronto Star)

        "With Alice Priestley's soft,coloured pencil pastel drawings and Cumming's balanced patterns of words, sentences, and scenes the whole has a dreamlike, poetic aura . . . which well suits this story of discovery, innocence, and wonder. . . . The wonder is tangible." (Laurence Steven, Canadian Children's Literature)

        "This delightful story is filled with love and daring and suspense and fun. . . . The story is so lyrical it's almost poetry." (Joanne Bury, Muskoka Advance)

        "Once again, Peter Cumming has come up with an excellent children's book that brings a region of Canada to life. . . . There is a softness about this book that will appeal to all young children. . . Highly recommended." (Kay Kerman, Canadian Materials)

        ". . . one of the most touching stories I've read in a long time. . . . Peter Cumming has achieved a perfect blend of realism and fantasy." (Barbara Novak, London Free Press)

        "Out on the Ice in the Middle of the Bay is about an event that is so dramatic that the retelling of it instantly assumes the dimensions of a folktale. . . . The mounting suspense of the story--especially the utter silence at its climax--gives it a raw power. . . . In the end . . . when the rescuers marvel at the tracks of Leah and Nanook in the snow, the event has already become a myth that will be told over and over in the stark Arctic winter that this book evokes so well." (Kit Pearson, Quill & Quire)

Annick Press (distributed by Firefly Books)
ISBN 1-55037-870-8    paper                        $8.95
ISBN 1-55037-871-6    library binding        $19.95