The Polar Parade - Angela Labyk

Polar Bear is already there.

Arctic Hare pulls on red wellies and goes hunting for berries.
Reindeer loves to skate on ice, he hopes he will find something nice.
Reindeer finds fresh grass to chew, he is sharing it with Cariboo.

Arctic Fox prepares his warm socks.
The polar parade has begun.
There’s a Moose on the loose.
He is playing with a Goose, who wants to go where the tall reeds grow through the soft white snow.

Goose takes off in flight, he flies from day till night.
Moose can not follow, he munches some willow.
Goose meets a Tern, who points the way home.
Here comes an ice cutter chugging along.
It is made of hard metal, it is very strong.

The ice cutter pushes ice out of the way, it stops when it finds a good place to stay.
The team offload their tools and their poles. They measure the ice by drilling test holes.

They collect jars of water, then examine their samples with surprise and dismay.

“The ice is melting too quickly,” they say.
Seal is peeping from his little air hole.
He watches them measure the ice with long poles.

The animals listen, standing still in their tracks. They hope that the scientists can make ice come back.
The team load up their tools and poles. Where to next? No animal knows.

“If all the planes stand still for a day, if you put out that fire in the forest,” they say, “we might stop some more ice from melting away.
Plant a new tree, pack up the car, try walking instead if itʼs safe where you are.”

If all the world tries to help make it colder, the ice may stop melting too much when weʼre older.

Polar Bear, Arctic Hare, Reindeer and Cariboo will still live there.

Moose and Goose will be chasing around.
Tern can keep flying to good nesting grounds.

Arctic Fox grandma will carry on knitting, and that family of seals can still enjoy fishing.