Bear Rescue is Hannah Gold’s latest book, which was chosen for World Book Day 2026. It follows on from previous novels in the series, which include The Last Bear, Finding Bear, and The Lone Husky. These are some of my absolute favourite cli-fi books, which I highly recommend.
I was therefore eagerly awaiting the release of Bear Rescue for my next instalment of April and Bear’s adventures, and I can happily say that it didn’t disappoint! Illustrations once again come from the brilliant Levi Pinfold. Please note that this review contains spoilers.
About the series
The series is set in the Arctic and follows April Wood and her father, who initially travel to Bear Island so that her father can conduct meteorological work. Once home to many polar bears, these are all long gone due to the disappearance of Arctic sea ice. But, as we soon learn, one bear remains. And so begins one of the most wonderful friendships and bonds you’ll ever come across in novels.
Together, April and Bear have epic adventures in the Arctic and reunite most recently in The Lone Husky, where April takes part in a gruelling sled race in Svalbard. The Lone Husky introduces us to Blaze, a husky that no one believed could be a sled dog – no one, except April.
Bear Rescue picks up the story after this with April, Bear, and Blaze all present, and continues this series of modern-day classics.
About Bear Rescue
Bear Rescue is a short book written specially for World Book Day. These short books help readers discover new authors and series, and offer a glimpse into these wonderful worlds.
It’s set around April’s dad’s birthday, when he is hoping to propose to his partner, Maria. But things don’t quite go to plan when April’s brother, August Wood, goes missing. This means that we get to see April and Bear reunite as they conduct a frantic search together. Their bond remains as strong as it’s ever been.
Summary
This short story is a brilliant World Book Day book, and is a perfect introduction for those who’ve yet to read previous novels in the series. It also continues the story for existing fans of April and Bear. I wholeheartedly recommend this read, along with all of Hannah’s cli-fi and eco-fiction novels!
You can read my previous reviews of Hannah’s novels here:
I’ve been writing about the climate emergency since 2016, and the AI crisis since 2023. I write all my own work, without the use of AI (something I’m firmly against as a writer). I don’t publish on any other paid platforms, and my blog remains completely free to read. If you’ve found my writing informative and if you’d like to support my work with a one-off contribution, you can do so here.
My cli-fi children’s picture book, Nanook and the Melting Arctic is available from Amazon, including Amazon UK and Amazon US. My eco-fiction children’s picture book, Hedgey-A and the Honey Bees about how pesticides affect bees, is available on Amazon’s global stores including Amazon UK and Amazon US.