When Lars encounters a dachshund named Freddy in this tenth picture-book devoted to his adventures, he finds himself taken on board a research submarine, and introduced to two tiny polar bear cubs - Nina and Nonni - who were separated from their parents. With Freddy's help, Lars and the cubs escape and set out to find their families. Aided once again, this time by an arctic fox, they are reunited with Lars' parents, and the cubs are promised a return to their own family once winter comes, and the ice returns...

Originally published in Switzerland as Kleiner Eisbär: Lars, bring uns nach Hause (literally: "Little Polar Bear: Lars, Bring Us Home"), The Little Polar Bear and the Submarine continues the emphasis on climate change seen in the previous installment of the series, Little Polar Bear and the Whales, which also features melting ice, and the effect it has on the polar bear population. Here we see that our polar bear cubs, Nina and Nonni, are separated from their parents because of a melting ice floe. Like all of its predecessors, this tenth adventure also features a tale in which our ursine hero helps some lost animals, and ends happily. Recommended to fans of the Little Polar Bear series, and to anyone looking for picture-books about climate change in the arctic. ( )

This picture book is an excellent addition to de Beer’s popular Little Polar Bear series, about a friendly polar bear named Lars and his adventures in the North Pole. The illustrations are in watercolor and almost every page is filled with a bright snow-covered landscape. In this story, Lars meets a dachshund named Freddy, who is there with a crew on a research submarine. Freddy takes Lars aboard the submarine and introduces him to two lost polar bear cubs. Lars acts like a big brother as he attempts to help the cubs find their way home. This endearing story of friendship is sure to appeal to children of all ages. ( )