-oOo-
My friend is a polar bear and he is so furry and cute . . . well, at least he was cute when he was little.
When he was very small he loved to climb and run around in the snow, but he had the most dreadful fear of water.
Now for a polar bear this was very distressing and what's more, it was so embarrassing. He tried so hard to push his fear aside, but every time he went into the water he would shiver and shake all over.
Time and again, his mummy would go with him in the the water to try and help him overcome this fear, but it didn't matter what she tried to do, nothing helped build his confidence.
His fear was so great, all she could do was hold him in her arms to stop him shaking every time they returned from a swim.
Then one day when he had grown into a big BIG bear he said to himself "I can do this, I must do this" and he pushed all those terrible haunting fears aside and jumped straight into the icy water.
However, it had been so long since he had taken a swim with his mummy, he couldn't remember how to swim! He yelled for help, but no-one heard him, he yelled even louder, but no-one came.
In the end he managed to climb up on and passing iceberg, albeit a very tiny one . . . and there he waited clinging on for dear life until his mummy rescued him once more.
Funnily enough, by taking this dip all on his own he soon realised that the water really wasn't so scary as he had first thought and with a few more lessons from his mummy he was back in the water in no time at all.
They were both so happy and overjoyed at the outcome that they danced.
The End
Click HERE if you would like to read more about The World of the Polar Bear. It's a beautiful book full of stunning photos by Norbert Rosing, and one I'm sure you will enjoy.