Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Heartrending, hopeful story of farewell to dying friend.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Polar bears Ida and Gus spend their days playing together in their zoo. One day, Ida doesn't come out of her cave. The keeper explains to Gus that Ida is sick and isn't going to get better -- soon, her body will stop working and she'll die. Gus reacts with an outburst, growling, "Don't go, don't go, DON'T!" But then he calms and focuses on his friend. Gus stays close to Ida, who has good days and bad. Sometimes the two are able to laugh, sometimes they're angry and scared, and sometimes they each need time alone. Gus is with her when she dies. Afterward, he sometimes forgets Ida is gone. But when he hears the sounds of the city, he remembers Ida describing them as the city's heartbeat, and he feels Ida is with him -- always.
Is It Any Good?
Dealing with death is never easy, but this sensitive picture book equips young children with tools to talk about and understand grief and eventually find their own paths to a place of comfort. IDA, ALWAYS gently but insistently confronts the messy reality of grief. "There were growling days and laughing days and days that mixed them up," Carol Levis writes. Lovely impressionistic artwork by Charles Santoso may leave you with a lump in your throat. In one gorgeous spread, the sad polar bears cuddle in a shadowed cave, oblivious to the glowing city outside. In another, Gus lifts his head to the sun, eyes closed, while a cloud resembling a playful Ida floats above.
This may be a difficult read for sensitive children -- it may not be the best choice for bedtime reading. Be sure to plan time after reading for questions, conversations, and plenty of snuggles.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Gus and Ida behave after they realize she's dying and name the different emotions. Do any of them surprise you?
Do certain sounds, sights, or smells remind you of someone you miss?
What comforts you when you feel sad or upset?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Charles Santoso
- Genre : Emotions
- Topics : Friendship , Animals ( Wild Animals )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Atheneum
- Publication date : February 23, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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