Polar the Titanic Bear

Raymond B. Blake is an assistant professor of history at Mount Allison
University and the author of Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates
Newfoundland as a Province.

This wonderful story was recently discovered in an old family trunk.
Spedden wrote the book as a Christmas gift for her 8-year-old son,
Douglas, in 1913. The Speddens were no ordinary family. They lived
lavishly, traveled widely, and enjoyed the world. Their experiences are
recounted here through the eyes of Polar, a beautiful white mohair bear
made by the world-famous Margarete Steiff company of Germany. Polar was
Douglas’s best friend and the two were inseparable. They traveled
around the world and had many interesting adventures. Not all of their
experiences were joyous ones, however. For a while Douglas was gravely
ill with the measles and the family barely escaped with their lives when
the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.

The events and places described in the story are superbly illustrated.
The combination of beautiful watercolors, postcards, and family
photographs adds a sense of realism to Polar’s story. The splendid
illustrations of the Titanic will capture the attention of even a very
young child, while the vivid personal accounts of the sinking of the
Titanic will appeal to young and old alike. This is one of the year’s
best children’s books. Highly recommended.