I'm not real sure what to make of this one. It tells the story of a grandfather (no name, only "Grandfather") who decides to travel to the North Pole so that he can see a real polar bear in the wild, rather than in captivity. He takes his dog, Roo, (who I'm sure is supposed to be charming, but who I found to be selfish and annoying,) and they set off. This is an epistolary novel, and the letters are all addressed to "Child". Grandfather and Roo set sail on the Unsinkable and head for the North Pole and the Great Bear Ridge (which Grandfather has told Roo is made of ice cream. Whether she believes him or not is unclear.)

To be honest, there is a lot about this book that is unclear. Why does Roo act more like a human than a dog? She talks, cleans, and has an allowance. Even though Grandfather finds the polar bears, is he really at the North Pole? The town of Walrus, where they initially set up camp, is a tiny outpost inhabited by drunken wolves with a taste for rum, and an unusual calendar (the final letter is dated 40 October.) At some point this book takes a turn into the absurd. Grandfather and Roo deal with genuine obstacles on their journey, such as freak snowstorms and food shortages. But they also spend a good part of their time playing golf, which does not seem like a necessary activity when you are a Septuagenarian fulfilling a life-long dream.

But perhaps most puzzling about the book is why it just stops. They reach the polar bears--the end. Admittedly, this is part of a series, and Grandfather and Roo will visit other places around the world, but a tidier ending would have been more satisfying after the whimsy of the text.

Despite what one reviewer said, silly is funny to a child... and even to a grown up that enjoys children. I found this and all of "The Last ..." tales delightful and my daughter has enjoyed them for years. I highly recommend these tales for children (and good-humored parents).

This isn't meant to be accurate or whimsical. It's almost a fable. We picked up a copy at the library booksale and instead of reading it to the kids, wound up reading it ourselves first. It has rather dry oblique humor, pretty softly written but with dark undertones - the drunken wolves, the postcards from the other brother, the melting ice. The ending was terribly sad for me, but a pretty grand and wonderful way for it to end - even Roo.

This story is about the voyage of the narrator and his dog Roo to the Arctic to track down the 'the last polar bears'. While the illustrations do have some charm, they are outweighed by irritations such as the presence of penguins en route to the North Pole (coyly but unsatisfactorily justified in an author's note at the start of the book). There can be a fine line between whimsical and silly, and this story is often pointlessly silly. The ship's captain gives Roo a tin of macaroni cheese. Later on, the explorers are caught in a blizzard and all their equipment is blown away; Roo then 'brought out the tin of macaroni' (from where?) which they then manage to open, heat up and eat (with what?). The subplot about the last of the world's ice cream is equally silly and pointless, as is the author's anthropomorphising of Roo ("I wish she wouldn't waste her money").
However, I will have to admit that my five-year old likes the story! There's no accounting for taste.

I think this is an absolutely wonderful book. The illustations are fantastic and I highly recommend any books by Harry Horse (little lost rabbit for example). The only reason why I have given this book 4 instead of 5 stars is that the explorers bump into penguins in their quest to find polar bears.... There are no penguins in the Arctic region and I do want my children to know that.