Polar the Titanic Bear
{{Short description|Children's book}}
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Polar the Titanic Bear is a children's book written by Margaretta "Daisy" Corning Spedden (née Stone) (19 November 1871 – 10 February 1950) and released in 1994. Spedden was an American heiress who survived the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, and her account of her family's trip and the eventual disaster, written as a tale to amuse her seven-year-old son, was published about 45 years after her death. The story is told from the point of view of a Teddy Bear.{{cite book|author=Eugene L. Rasor|title=The Titanic: Historiography and Annotated Bibliography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4LBn5EchFvAC&pg=PA87|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-31215-1|pages=87–}}
How the story was written
Spedden was born in Morristown, New Jersey and lived with her husband Frederic and son Douglas in Tuxedo Park, New York. The family traveled frequently, and she kept detailed diaries of the trips.
In April, 1912, the Speddens booked passage on the Titanic. After the ship sank, Daisy was rescued by the RMS Carpathia."Mrs Margaretta Corning Spedden (née Stone)", [http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/margaretta-corning-spedden.html encyclopedia titanica] All members of the Spedden entourage survived the disaster.[http://www.titanic-titanic.com/margaretta_corning_spedden.shtml Titanic Titanic.com]
The next year, Spedden wrote and illustrated a book which told the story of the trip, sinking, and rescue from the point of view of Douglas' Teddy Bear.{{cite book|author=Barbara Stoodt|title=Children's Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ESvpGMd5DAC&pg=PA281|year=1996|publisher=Macmillan Education AU|isbn=978-0-7329-4012-6|pages=281–}} She gave the storybook to Douglas as a Christmas present.[http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121204/COMM/212040347 "Tuxedo Historical Society to raffle Steiff Titanic bear, book".] Record Online. Two years later, Douglas was killed in an automobile accident.Dunaief, Daniel. [http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-Features-i-2012-04-12-92007.112114-sub-Long-Islanders-voyaged-on-Titanic-the-ship-of-dreams.html "Long Islanders voyaged on Titanic, the ship of dreams"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140816011022/http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-Features-i-2012-04-12-92007.112114-sub-Long-Islanders-voyaged-on-Titanic-the-ship-of-dreams.html |date=2014-08-16 }}. Long Islander, 11 April 2012. Daisy died February 10, 1950, and the storybook remained among the family possessions for the next forty years.{{cite book|author=Carole Marsh|title=Gigantic Titanic Trivia for Kids!|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7NH_0bJ7_kQC&pg=PA62|date=1 September 1998|publisher=Carole Marsh Books|isbn=978-0-7933-8985-8|pages=62–}}
Publication
After many years, the storybook was found in a trunk by Leighton H. Coleman III, a relative of Spedden's, and he decided to have it published. The story was edited by Hugh Brewster of Madison Books in Toronto, Ontario, and Canadian artist Laurie McGaw was chosen to illustrate the book in watercolours.{{cite book|author1=Gail Edwards|author2=Judith Saltman|title=Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lttGkFOS_JwC&pg=PA159|year=2010|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-8540-5|page=159}} Coleman wrote an introduction explaining how the story came about. Some of Spedden's photographs and pictures of Titanic souvenirs were also used as illustrations. Madison Books published the first edition in 1994.
Editions:
- Madison Books, 1994
- Little Brown and Company, 1994, 2001. ({{ISBN|0-316-80909-8}}).[http://lookingglassreview.com/html/polar_the_titanic_bear.html "Polar the Titanic Bear"]. Looking Glass Reviews{{cite book|author1=Bette DeBruyne Ammon|author2=Gale W. Sherman|title=Worth a Thousand Words: An Annotated Guide to Picture Books for Older Readers|url=https://archive.org/details/worththousandwor0000ammo|url-access=registration|year=1996|publisher=Libraries Unlimited|isbn=978-1-56308-390-7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/worththousandwor0000ammo/page/136 136]–}}
- Scholastic Books, 1998
- Hodder Headline, 1998 ({{ISBN|0733609104}})[http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2013/08/vintage-review-polar-titanic-bear.html "Vintage Review: Polar the Titanic Bear".] Kids Book Review
- Rebound by Sagebrush, 2001. ({{ISBN|0613717678}})
The book has been translated into German, Spanish, Dutch and Japanese.
Awards
Polar the Titanic Bear has won a number of awards for children's literature, including:
- Silver Birch Award of the Ontario Library Association[http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lisez-sur-le-sujet/015020-6018-e.html Library and Archives Canada, Award Winning Books]
- 1998 BILBY Award (Young Readers Category) (Australia)[http://qld.cbca.org.au/bilby.htm Children's Book Council of Australia, Books I Love Best Yearly] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021113717/http://qld.cbca.org.au/bilby.htm |date=2014-10-21 }}
- Society of School Librarians' Award for International Best Book for K-6
- Finalist for the 1994 Governor General's Award (Canada), for Laurie McGaw's illustrations
- 1995 - Children's Choice Award{{cite news|author1=Wendy Killeen|title=Children's author guest in Wenham|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8474974.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327053452/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8474974.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 27, 2016|access-date=16 August 2014|work=The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)|agency=The New York Times Company|date=May 3, 1998|url-access=}}
See also
{{Portal|Children's literature}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.polarthetitanicbear.com/ Polar, The Titanic Bear web site]
- {{Official website|http://lauriemcgaw.com/|Laurie McGaw's official website}}
{{RMS Titanic}}
{{Teddy bears}}
Category:American children's books
Category:Books based on actual events
Category:Children's books about bears
Category:Polar bears in popular culture