Life was rough at Zoo Berlin for the two polar bear cubs born on December 5, 2006. Little Knut (pronounced K’-noot) and his brother were rejected by their mother and tragically the other cub died on day four. Enter Thomas Dörflein, the zookeeper that stayed with Knut around the clock and just like any new parent, made sure feedings and cuddling were frequent.

 
Knut quickly captured the world’s attention as the cute and furry face of global warming and extinction, so naturally the precocious six-year-old author of New York Times bestseller, Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship jumped on the story. Isabella Hatkoff (now nine) and her older sister Juliana penned this tale of environmental responsibility with their father and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich of Zoo Berlin.

 
Thanks to Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World and those tragic broadcasts of polar bears eternally swimming, the polar bear is rapidly becoming the fauna du jour. Considering they could actually become extinct in our lifetime, it is attention needed. Knut is also the subject of a documentary, Knut and Friends, is the subject of celebrity gossip and has his own blog. 

Even if your children are too young to understand “biodiversity catastrophe” you can simply show them the beautiful photographs of Knut rolling in sand, eating Dörflein’s shoes and read the sidebars of fun quotes such as:

 
As German announcers put it, “Knut, das Eisbärbaby superstar!” 

-April Peveteaux

Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World (Scholastic, 2007) is available on Amazon. 

Book of the Week appears every other Friday. Sometimes every Friday. We’re fickle like that.