I loved the little bit that was scientifically accurate, that is, the relationship that bears have with their fathers, and the fact that they have to be pushed away to fend for themselves. While this is not a bedtime book, it is a decent way to bring up the idea that leaving home at some point is Good Thing. Other than that, the book is laugh out loud funny. The relationship between the chief lifeguard is especially evocative. Please be Green and help save the polar bears' habitat! ( )

Those readers with a fondness for sentimental reassurance tales, in which fuzzy, anthropomorphized animals embody parental and/or filial devotion, are advised to keep looking. This is a Pinkwater book, and although by no means realistic - Larry is a polar bear who becomes a lifeguard in Bayonne, New Jersey, after all - its hero is definitely not meant to be "human." The hilarious exchange between Larry, his brother Roy, and his mother at the beginning of the book, is the perfect example of that sly humor for which Daniel Pinkwater is so celebrated:

"One day, I will give you a hit in the head myself," their mother said. "And send you off to take care of yourselves."
"Wow. That is harsh," Larry and Roy said.
"It is Nature's way," Larry and Roy's mother said.
"Well, I don't like it," Larry said.
"Nobody is asking you to like it. You are bears. Get used to it."

Accompanied by Jill Pinkwater's droll illustrations, this first picture book about the adventures of a very unusual polar bear will entertain young (and not-so-young) readers with an appreciation for the absurd. I myself discovered the Pinkwaters through their marvelous books about Irving and Muktuk (two Bad Bears), and was thrilled when I realized that there was an earlier, related series of books. An absolute must for Pinkwater fans - particular those who want to see the beginning of the polar bear obsession with blueberry muffins! ( )

This book's oddball humor is classic Pinkwater-style weirdness and if that matches your sense of humor, then this book is definitely worth a look. As the earliest book in a series of Larry stories, this one is the start of something fun. And once again, it's another story that lands in New Jersey. ( )