Author sees double win with debut that's encouraging children to protect their planet
Hannah Gold talks about the success of The Last Bear and the impact of climate change on polar bears.
When Hannah Gold began writing her debut children’s book, The Last Bear, she thought it was special. But she never imagined it would become an award-winning novel and a thunderous roar for a planet at breaking point which would change the way the next generation learn about climate change.
Hannah recently appeared on Blue Peter where she burst through a life-sized front cover of The Last Bear and was presented with The Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story. A few weeks later, Hannah was awarded The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and an exclusive paperback edition of her novel was released.
Hannah Gold bursts through life sized copy of The Last Bear at Blue Peter Book Awards. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Hannah Gold bursts through life sized copy of The Last Bear at Blue Peter Book Awards. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Yet she says now, talking via Zoom from her Lincolnshire home, with the word ‘believe’ boldly emblazoned in rainbow colours above her head, that the idea simply began as a story about a child and animal relationship. “Stories about animals were my favourite when I was growing up and I really wanted to write about a polar bear. But when I started to research where polar bears live, I discovered Bear Island and realised I couldn’t write a book about a polar bear without incorporating climate change. Even though Bear Island is so remote and isolated, I was still shocked to find pictures of plastic washed up on its shores.”
"It very much felt like I was writing in the wild..."
Despite its name, Bear Island in Norway is no longer home to a once booming polar bear population. The ongoing loss of their frozen habitat as the polar icecaps melt has ultimately left polar bears no path to an island named after their species. With no roads or houses, Bear Island became the perfect far off frozen backdrop for Hannah’s story. At the beginning of 2019 she took time out from her sales and marketing job to write The Last Bear with no agent or publisher.
Looking back on the early days of her writing, Hannah said, “It very much felt like I was writing in the wild and I was just hoping something might come of it. I knew it was special and eleven months later I managed to get an agent and it all felt meant to be!”
Illustration by Levi Pinfold
"I haven’t given up on the idea of seeing Bear Island for myself and I hope that one day I can finally visit.”
With a polar bear stuffed toy perched on a shelf beside her novel, Hannah explains that Bear Island is a notoriously tricky tundra to visit with no man-made harbour and much of the remote and frozen Arctic outpost is cordoned off for marine conservation. Although Hannah wanted to be able to visit the setting for her story, she found the journey there would be far too challenging. Hannah explains, “Even though I wanted to immerse myself in the location to help with the research for the book, Bear Island itself is extremely remote and difficult to reach. Nearby Svalbard is difficult to visit too, and it would have taken three plane journeys to get there. Even if I had been able to reach Svalbard, to reach Bear Island, I would have had to wait for the right tide and weather conditions and travel on a small boat. I haven’t given up on the idea of seeing Bear Island for myself and I hope that one day I can finally visit!”
Hannah had always wanted to experience the beauty of the northern lights during the winter, but she decided to set her novel in the summer to capture the joy and life of the season within the Artic Circle. Although visiting the far flung, icy plains of Bear Island was off the cards, Hannah was able to visit nearby Tromzø in northern Norway. “Decisions for the book were very much instinctive and summer is my favourite time of year. I stayed in Tromzø for five days to help me research the book and experienced the midnight sun, a natural phenomenon in the Arctic Circle where the sun remains visible at midnight. Visiting northern Norway in the summer was like being plugged into a solar battery the whole time, and strangely, I didn’t ever feel tired. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see a polar bear but I’m hoping to visit Svalbard some day and finally see one!”
"I thought a father and daughter relationship would make for a much more interesting dynamic."
After realising the real Bear Island is no longer home to a once healthy population of polar bears, Hannah wanted her novel to include a thin and frail polar bear who had been stranded because of the melting sea ice. The story was to be about April’s loving and caring nature and her quest to get Bear safely back to mainland Svalbard. Unusually, Hannah decided that the story would feature a father and daughter relationship. Explaining the story, Hannah said, “April is on Bear Island because her father is working at an outpost there, researching the changing Arctic temperatures. I thought a father and daughter relationship would make for a much more interesting dynamic and I think a child who grows up striving for a parent’s attention can take it so personally.”
The Last Bear officially hit the bookshelves during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic and wasn’t quite what Hannah expected. She recalls the closest she got to her novel on the day it launched was staring at it through the window of her local bookshop.
“We couldn’t have a proper publisher launch because of all the lockdown restrictions, and I couldn’t go to any book signings which was a bit disappointing. The day was very insular with much of it spent indoors but, looking back at it now, I suppose I didn’t know any different because it was my first novel. My husband threw me a lovely Zoom party which meant my extended family were able to be a part of it. Had it have been a proper book launch most of my friends and family who are scattered all over the world wouldn’t have been able to attend and that was the silver lining.”
Illustrations by Levi Pinfold.
"The relationship a children’s author has with children is really one of the most incredible things.”
With hauntingly beautiful illustrations from Levi Pinfold, The Last Bear quickly became a sensation and primary school teachers are now using the richness of the story as an effective way to discuss real world issues in a sensitive and age-appropriate way.
Hannah said, “Before I wrote The Last Bear, I didn’t know much about how books are used to teach in schools. But now I can see that the relationship that a children’s author has with children is really one of the most incredible things.”
Double win - Hannah receives Waterstones Children's Book prize. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Double win - Hannah receives Waterstones Children's Book prize. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Hannah MacGregor is just one of the teachers using The Last Bear to not only teach her class literacy skills, but also to inspire children to care more about the planet. Reading the novel to her class at Tulliallan Primary school in Scotland, Hannah explains how class P5 began to connect emotionally to the characters. “The children grew to care about the strong connection between April and Bear. And were greatly impacted by the realisation that climate change is what had led Bear to be stranded. Whenever I would come to the end of reading a chapter, the class would groan and beg me to read on!”
The children in Hannah’s class worked on drawings of the cabin April lives in and wrote comprehensions of the text by delving into the adjectives and figurative language that has become a trademark of Hannah Gold’s beautiful writing style. Hannah MacGregor explains, “One of the children recognised very early on that the reason Bear is trapped is because of the melting ice caps. We’ve also taken part in a Climate Smarter project and the class has been designing an eco-friendly school.”
Class P5's handmade creations of April's cabin. (Photo courtesy of Tulliallan Primary School.)
Class P5's handmade creations of April's cabin. (Photo courtesy of Tulliallan Primary School.)
“But what if everyone did just one thing!”
At the end of The Last Bear, April proclaims, “But what if everyone did just one thing!” This powerful statement has become the very heart and essence of Hannah Gold’s novel and a desperate plea for a planet in jeopardy. With the delicate balance of our world now at breaking point, lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and sustainable energy expert, Dr George Loumakis thinks that teaching children about climate change will help them to understand how they can make a difference. “Changing weather patterns, rising sea levels and an increase in temperatures will have cascading effects on the environment and could ultimately lead to some regions of the planet becoming unhospitable. For polar bears in particular, extreme loss of habitat and less food supplies would be catastrophic to any apex predator.”
Following the success of The Last Bear, Hannah has sailed on to release a second novel, The Lost Whale, which is yet again littered with environmental themes. Hannah wanted the lens to be much wider for her second book to explore the human impact of plastic pollution and overfishing of oceans. Hannah explains, “In The Last Bear, April says what if everyone did just one thing. The message in The Lost Whale is more a case of what if collectively we all worked together. I couldn’t write about the ocean and just pinpoint one thing that’s wrong with it. The Lost Whale is once again about the healing power of nature and how spending time in nature is good for the soul and if you love it enough, you will want to take care of it. I’m hoping that my books have been able to introduce children to this amazing world that exists, and it’s magical because it’s OUR world and we should take care of it more.”
(Illustration by Levi Pinfold)
(Illustration by Levi Pinfold)
Hannah's new novel, The Lost Whale, also holds an eco theme. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Hannah's new novel, The Lost Whale, also holds an eco theme. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Gold)
Hannah sails ahead with her newest novel, The Lost Whale.
Hannah sails ahead with her newest novel, The Lost Whale.
Illustration by Levi Pinfold.
Illustration by Levi Pinfold.
Review roundup:
The best recent environmental themed middle grade novels
Reviews by Emily Price
How to Bee by Bren Macdibble.
A heartwarming story of hope...
A moving and uplifting story of family love and courage. How to Bee tells of a possible future reality which could sadly be our own. In this imagining of a dystopian near future, pesticides have wiped out real bees. Peony dreams of having the job highly coveted by most of the farm children, being a bee and pollinating the flowers by hand. In the orchard she calls home, children scramble up the trees to dust each flower with the promise of fruit.
But Peony’s dream of becoming a bee is cut short when her mother forces her into service in a far away city. With some help from a new found friend, Peony is fiercely determined to make it back to the farm to become a bee.
A beautifully written and heart warming story of hope, which highlights the environmental issues faced by our planet.
Between Sea and Sky by Nicola Penfold.
... a fictional future that could be our own.
A thought provoking tale of a dystopian world that could worryingly be the future of our own delicate planet. Pearl lives on a floating oyster farm on the sea with her illegal younger sister Clover. Second children are not allowed in this new world where a string of environmental disasters have left most of the land flooded. Clover is kept hidden from the mainland for fear she will be sent away with other surplus children.
Nat lives on what is left of a mainland ravished by human choices as climate change leaves it almost barren and rules and regulations dictate everyday life. He’s sent with his mother to spend the summer on the oyster farm and brings with him an indication that the world is finally healing itself…butterfly chrysalis.
Pollinators returning are a sure signal of a recovery after years of hunger. But Nat and his friends are convinced that if Central get wind of the precious butterflies, they will attempt to destroy them so that district workers continue to work in the growing towers. Nat decides to keep the chrysalis safe until they are fully hatched.
Ecological disasters brought on by climate change have left most of the world uninhabitable and many species have been completely wiped out. This story hits far too close to home and lays out a fictional future that's gripping throughout and proves our individual choices can make a difference.
Wrath by Marcus Sedgwick.
A dyslexia friendly short story carefully edited for ease of reading.
Worryingly relevant and powerful, Wrath is a suspenseful story about teen life during a pandemic and how destructive climate change really is to our planet.
As lockdown shackles everyone to their homes, Fitz’s friend Cassie begins to hear a humming noise. The earth is in distress after years of climate change damage at the hands of careless people.
Cassie becomes obsessed with the haunting hum echoing from deep within the earth and her disturbing behaviour sees her become the target of bullies at school. Soon after, she goes missing and Fitz begins to unravel the mystery of the strange noise only Cassie can hear.
A short Barrington Stoke novel which carefully highlights the delicate nature of our planet as it hits a critical point in its precious lifespan.
Thoughtfully written and carefully edited for ease of reading particularly for dyslexia sufferers.
The Lost Whale by Hannah Gold.
Unapologetic in its blending of adventure with very real ecological issues.
From award winning debut children’s author, Hannah Gold. The Lost Whale is a yet another battle cry for our delicate planet. It's unapologetic in its blending of adventure with very real ecological issues.
Rio is sent to live with his grandmother in California after his mother falls ill. Alone and struggling to accept his new home, Rio meets Marina whilst out walking along the nearby beach.
Marina invites Rio whale watching and the healing power of the ocean brings him new purpose as he searches for the whale his mother adored when whale watching as a child.
A beautiful and powerful animal adventure story which also highlights the struggles young people face whilst caring for a parent.
Retail worker reignites creative spark with bookmark business after pandemic stress
By Emily Price
Photos courtesy of Chris Williams
A retail worker left overwhelmed by the pandemic has found success with his new bookmark business inspired by the growing ‘Bookstagram’ trend.
Chris Williams, 27, now hopes to quit his day job on the checkouts and work full time creating bookmarks and book related mystery boxes for his popular Etsy store.
Since the height of the pandemic, Chris has had a keen following on his bookish Instagram under the increasingly popular banner of sharing reviews and aesthetically pleasing snaps of novels.
But for Chris, becoming a ‘bookfluencer’ gave him a safe space to visit after tiring days working for a popular supermarket chain.
"As a teenager, I always loved reading fantasy, but during lockdown my love of books blossomed again."
He was determined to find a way to create a business that would link him to a ready-made customer base and allow him to consider jacking in his day job in favour of working for himself.
“My love of books blossomed again during lockdown” said Chris speaking from his makeshift design studio at home in Sunderland, “Although I was under immense pressure at work, during days off, there wasn’t much to do so I started reading a lot more.
“Although I’ve always been a fan of fantasy novels, I began picking up books that I wouldn’t usually choose because I’d see such great reviews making their way around Instagram.”
Chris began gaining followers on 'Bookstagram" after reviewing and sharing pictures of popular books.
Chris began gaining followers on 'Bookstagram" after reviewing and sharing pictures of popular books.
As pressure increased at Chris’s supermarket job, he decided to start a bookish Instagram account in the hopes he could connect with like-minded readers and have a place to upload his aesthetically pleasing book snaps coupled with his own reviews.
“Working during the pandemic was a massive adjustment.” said Chris, “Everything in the store changed with product quantity restrictions and social distancing and it was incredibly stressful.
Chris proudly holds a stack of bookmark orders after the success of his Etsy business.
Chris proudly holds a stack of bookmark orders after the success of his Etsy business.
“It was the loneliness of lockdown that really inspired me to start a book related Instagram and I quickly grew to love the community. It’s so friendly and welcoming and we’re all there for one reason and that’s to read books!”
" When I hit my first one hundred sales, I did shed a few tears."
Chris’s Instagram account became inundated with new followers and allowed fresh friendships to blossom with people from all over the world.
But although he was grateful to have a positive space he could escape to after long shifts at the check-out, he still felt unfulfilled.
“I was chatting to some of my Instagram pals one day about how lost and miserable I felt in my job and how I wanted to escape retail.
Chris's designs based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel series have proved popular with customers after the launch of Heartstopper on Netflix.
Chris's designs based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel series have proved popular with customers after the launch of Heartstopper on Netflix.
“I was getting so much love on ‘Bookstagram’ and it had become a place of comfort. I wanted to find a way of working that could envelope me to that comfort all the time.”
As a teenager Chris had studied art at college and between reading on his long-awaited days off, he would often find peace in sketching and painting.
He decided to channel his creative spark into a new business idea that would directly connect him to a ready-made customer base under the business name, Bookmarked by Chris.
Chris said, “Because I had been regularly posting and engaging with other readers on ‘Bookstagram’, I was very much in the know when it came to what novels were trending.
“I could also toss around ideas for potential bookmark designs with people who would happily tell me what they would pay for and what they wouldn’t be interested in.
“Knowing what books were trending was a big influence on my initial design inspiration. I began sketching rough ideas and asking close friends on Instagram for their opinions.”
Chris set to work roughly sketching design ideas for bookmarks and prints inspired by his own favourite novels and books that were trending on social media.
Chris spends his days off work designing new ideas for prints and bookmarks.
Chris spends his days off work designing new ideas for prints and bookmarks.
With his partner’s full support, Chris set himself a target of one hundred sales but thought he may be overestimating his own creative capabilities.
But much to Chris’s delight, he was able to reach his sale goal within days of opening his Etsy store.
“When I hit my first one hundred sales I was overwhelmed in the most wonderful way. I remember I was lying in bed and checked my phone to see how many sales had come in and when I saw that I had hit my target, I did shed a few tears.
"I have big plans for the autumn and winter!"
“It wasn’t just the amount I was selling that made me happy, it was the fact I could get lost in the design work because I was so passionate about it.”
To keep up with rapidly changing book trends, Chris expanded his business with book themed key rings and limited-edition mystery boxes.
With his Etsy business now booming, Chris has been showcasing his unique designs relating to books rapidly growing in popularity such as the Heartstopper comic series and the Court of Thorns and Roses saga.
“The overwhelming number of sales has been difficult to keep up with whilst still working my day job.
“I think I’m at the point now where I need to think about designing bookmarks as a full-time job, which even talking about it now makes me light up inside.”
Chris has already made the first tentative steps into moving away from Etsy and creating his own website.
“I have big plans for my autumn and winter collections because I adore that time of year and know that cosy designs will be popular with readers.
Chris has recently launched his collection of holographic designs.
Chris has recently launched his collection of holographic designs.
“The number of followers I have truly baffles me and I’m so glad that I’m in a position now where the success of my store can hopefully allow me to step away from a day job that has made me so unhappy.”
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