Ida, Always

by Caron Levis

Hardcover, 2016

Status

Available

Collection

Publication

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2016), 40 pages

Description

A polar bear grieves over the loss of his companion, based on the real-life Gus and Ida of New York's Central Park Zoo.

User reviews

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Gus was a polar bear who lived in a park in the midst of a big city. He spent his days with Ida, another polar bear in his enclosure. Every morning, Ida was there. She was there to play ball. She was there to splash and swim with him. She was there to run and chase. Ida was always there... until
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the day she became ill. As both Gus and Ida adjust to the idea that they will soon be parted, they confront the mystery of death - where will Ida be, once she is gone? - and the reality of loss. Gus's desolation, once Ida is indeed gone, is eventually tempered by the realization that in some ways, Ida is still with him - that she will always be with him.

Although somewhat anthropomorphized - there is a scene in which zoo-keeper Sonya explains Ida's illness to Gus - Ida, Always is essentially a true story, based on the lives of two real polar bears, who lived in New York City's Central Park Zoo. Gus, famous in real life for being the 'neurotic' bear for whom zoo-keeper brought in an animal psychologist, did indeed lose his close companion, Ida. But even without the added sense of authenticity that this real-life back-story provides, this is still an immensely moving tale of friendship and loss. I found myself tearing up, as I read Caron Levis' narrative, and thought that Charles Santoso's artwork captured Gus's changing emotions quite well. A lovely book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for a gentle narrative addressing the loss of a loved one.
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LibraryThing member melodyreads
fictional story about real bears in Central Park Zoo
LibraryThing member dcoward
This spare, beautiful and heartbreaking picture book was inspired by two real life polar bears, Ida and Gus, who lived at Central Park Zoo. The book imagines the grieving process for the two bears as Ida gets sick and dies. Gus finds comfort in remembering his friend. This could be a helpful book
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for children who are dealing with the grief, but be warned that any adult who reads this will likely cry.
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LibraryThing member RLeiphart
This moving story was inspired by a real pair of polar bears who lived in Central Park in New York City. They did everything together until Ida became ill and died. This is the story of how they dealt with illness and Ida's eventual passing. What happens when someone dies? Where do they go? What is
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left? How do you move forward? The simple text and beautiful pictures help to put into words what is sometimes so difficult for adults to explain to children. This is definitely a book that children who are grieving might identify with. I highly recommend it, but it is hard to get through without tears...
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LibraryThing member nbmars
This is the story of two best friends, Gus and Ida, who are polar bears in the zoo of a big city, and who played together every day. Then one day Ida didn’t come out of her cave, and the zookeeper told Gus Ida was very sick.

Gus rushed to Ida and growled: “ ‘Don’t go,’ he growled.
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‘Don’t go, don’t go . . . DON’T!’ ” Ida growled back, and they laughed together, but Ida continued to grow sicker. “There were growling days and laughing days and days that mixed them up.”

So they helped each other cope, telling each other how much they will miss the other, while occasionally needing time alone. But mostly, they pass the time together:

“They would cuddle until the sky grew dark
and the lamps of the city clicked on.
They would wave good night a thousand times.
Then wave a few times more.”

Then one day Ida died.

Sometimes Gus forgets she is gone, and looks for her. But mostly he remembers her, and her words that you don’t have to see something to feel it. So Gus knows “Ida is right there. Always.”

Illustrator Charles Santoso has created lovely but simple paintings that show an impressive range of emotions on the faces of the bears. The last picture, in which Gus sees the form of Ida in the shape of a cloud above him, is especially poignant.

In an Author’s Note, we learn that this story was inspired by two real polar bears named Ida and Gus who lived together in New York City’s Central Park Zoo. They were constant companions. Ida died in 2011, and Gus two years later.

Evaluation: This book showing the emotional journey taken when a loved one becomes sick is meant to be uplifting and help children cope with death. It is a lovely portrait of friendship and loss and how best to deal with it. I know I was helped with a loss of my own by being told the many ways in which that person would still be with me, and it is comforting to learn that.
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LibraryThing member 406jenn
OMG it's a tear jerker. It's a beautifully rendered story of love, friendship, and death. If you are trying to explain death, this may be the book. If you want a book about love and friendship this is a beauty too but be prepared to cry.
LibraryThing member Robinsonstef
A book that is sweet and touching. A great book to share with someone who is dealing with the loss or illness of a loved one. I did cry, but the story was beautifully done.

Awards

Georgia Children's Book Award (Recommended — Picturebook — 2018)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Elementary — 2021)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2018)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Primary — 2019)
Sakura Medal (Picture Books — 2017)

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

11 x 10 inches

ISBN

1481426400 / 9781481426404

Barcode

429
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