by Erin Hunter
Flap Copy description:
Kallik is a young polar bear, happy to travel with her mother and brother across the ice toward land and eager to arrive before burnsky, when the ice will melt.
At the same time, grizzly cub Toklo and his family journey over a mountain toward the salmon river, searching desperately for food. Toklo's brother, Tobi, is sick, and their mother presses Toklo to travel farther and faster to bring Tobi to safety.
And, in the Bear Bowl of a zoo, young black bear Lusa plays, eats the sweet fruit tossed to her by keepers, and dreams of a life in the forest, where a small black bear can be quick and clever enough to outwit even the biggest enemy.
Fate is about to change these three bears' lives forever, bringing them amazing adventures and unexpected suffering, and finally setting their paws on a path toward a future they cannot yet imagine...
My thoughts:
The Quest Begins is the first book in the Seekers series written by the author team known as Erin Hunter. The middle grade novel documents the lives of a polar bear cub, a grizzly cub, and a black bear cub - each in a separate chapter added into the text layer upon layer until two of the tree bears' lives intersect near the end of the book.
Although the plot is a bit slow to develop, once it does it's well worth the wait to enjoy the journey of each of these bears. The natural settings and insight to bear behavior are beautifully written. I would recommend this book to readers of all ages who enjoy the wonder in nature.
