Review: Puloma and the Bear written by Jasbinder Bilan and illustrated by Skylar White

Puloma and the Bear is a captivating, hopeful story of courage, friendship and trust with a powerful message raising awareness about animals held in captivity for entertainment.

Puloma feels lonely and unwanted since moving in with her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents. Grieving their loss, she tries to make herself useful to her aunt but, when her efforts make her aunt angry, she decides to run away.

Arriving in the large town of Malpur, she is unsuccessful at finding work so, when she meets Dev, who is giving out flyers for the circus, she decides to go with him to find a job with the circus. Unaware of why they have to keep moving to avoid the police, Puloma feels the excitement of an adventure as they move to set up the circus in a new location. She feels accepted by those working in the circus and begins to develop a friendship with Dev.

But then everything changes when she discovers the reason the police have been chasing the circus. The owner, Mr Kapoor, has been keeping a black sloth bear captive. Neglected and hidden in a cage, Nyla is the circus’s star attraction, drawing large crowds to watch her dance despite the fact that this cruel practice is now illegal in India. Puloma feels an affinity with Nyla and can sense her sadness so offers to care for her. But when she sees Nyla being cruelly mistreated, she decides that she needs to rescue Nyla …

I was completely engrossed by this exciting, heartfelt adventure as Nyla gathers the courage to leave her new life, friends and comforts behind to face great danger as she strives to get Nyla to safety … Will she find a place of sanctuary before Nyla is taken from her? Will she be able to save both Nyla and herself? And, will new friendship prove stronger than loyalty to old ties?

Puloma is an incredibly sympathetic young girl who is grieving the loss of her parents and living in a home where she feels unwanted and lonely. She senses a sadness in Nyla that exists in her own life and is prepared to give up a new home and friendship in order to protect and save an animal that desperately needs her help. Puloma has a strong moral compass and shows incredible courage in overcoming her fears and facing danger to help an animal that has spent its life in captivity. I adored the bond that forms between Puloma and Nyla, a bond of trust and friendship between kindred spirits.

At the heart of this story is a powerful message about animals held in captivity and raising awareness that, despite being illegal, this practice of keeping bears in captivity for entertainment still exists.

The black-and-white illustrations are stunning, evoking circus life, the cruelty of the bear’s treatment and the bonds between friends perfectly.

A gripping adventure, poignant and hopeful, with a powerful message about animals in captivity.

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is published by the wonderful Barrington Stoke who publish dyslexia-friendly, super-readable and accessible books for children of all ages. This is suitable for 9+ with a reading age of 8.