Mary Pope Osborne - Polar Bears Past Bedtime

Heres what kids have to say to
Mary Pope Osborne, author of
the Magic Tree House series: WOW! You have an imagination like no other.Adam W. I love your books. If you stop writing books, it will be like losing a best friend.Ben M. I think you are the real Morgan le Fay. There is always magic in your books.Erica Y. One day I was really bored and I didnt want to read I looked in your book.

I read a sentence, and it was interesting. So I read some more, until the book was done. It was so good I read more and more. Then I had read all of your books, and now I hope you write lots more.Danai K. I always read [your books] over and over 1 time, 2 times, 3 times, 4 times Yuan C. You are my best author in the world.

I love your books. I read all the time. I read everywhere. My mom is like freaking out.Ellen C. I hope you make these books for all yours and mines life.Riki H. Teachers and librarians love
Magic Tree House books, too! Thank you for opening faraway places and times to my class through your books.

They have given me the chance to bring in additional books, materials, and videos to share with the class.J. Cameron It excites me to see how involved [my fourth-grade reading class] is in your books I would do anything to get my students more involved, and this has done it.C. Rutz I discovered your books last year WOW! Our students have gone crazy over them. I cant order enough copies! Thanks for contributing so much to childrens literature!C. Kendziora I first came across your Magic Tree House series when my son brought one home I have since introduced this great series to my class. They have absolutely fallen in love with these books! My students are now asking me for more independent reading time to read them.

Your stories have inspired even my most struggling readers.M. Payne I love how I can go beyond the [Magic Tree House] books and use them as springboards for other learning.R. Gale We have enjoyed your books all year long. We check your Web site to find new information. We pull our map down to find the areas where the adventures take place. My class always chimes in at key parts of the story.

It feels good to hear my students ask for a book and cheer when a new book comes out.J. Korinek Our students have Magic Tree House fever. I cant keep your books on the library shelf.J. Rafferty Your books truly invite children into the pleasure of reading. Thanks for such terrific work.S. Smith The children in the fourth grade even hide the [Magic Tree House] books in the library so that they will be able to find them when they are ready to check them out.K.

Mortensen My Magic Tree House books are never on the bookshelf because they are always being read by my students. Thank you for creating such a wonderful series.K. Mahoney
Dear Readers,A while ago, I began researching the Arctic because so many of you wanted Jack and Annie to go there. When I came across a certain astonishing fact, I got very excited about writing the story. The fact was this: Even though polar bears can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, they can walk on ice that is too thin to hold a person! How do they do this? They lie flat on the ice and perfectly balance their weight so that the ice wont crack. Then they move forward by pulling with their claws, all the while maintaining their perfect balance.As youll see, this particular fact, combined with my imagination, helped me plot the story.So if you were to ask me where I get the inspiration for my Magic Tree House books, Id have to say: readers, research, and my imagination.

And I get further inspiration from my editor, Mallory Loehr, who has worked on all the books with me. She and I have fun meetings in which we go over and over the ideas for each book.I hope you enjoy reading Polar Bears Past Bedtime as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it. And I hope it will inspire you to try researching and writing your own book.All best,

Text copyright 1998 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Illustrations copyright 1998 by Sal Murdocca.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. www.randomhouse.com/kids Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Osborne, Mary Pope. cm. (Magic Tree House ; #12) A Stepping Stone book.
SUMMARY: Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to the Arctic, where a polar bear leads them onto very thin ice.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89469-5
[1. (Magic Tree House ; #12) A Stepping Stone book.
SUMMARY: Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie to the Arctic, where a polar bear leads them onto very thin ice.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89469-5
[1.

Polar bearFiction. 2. Arctic regionsFiction. 3. MagicFiction.
4. Tree housesFiction.]
I.

Murdocca, Sal, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic tree house series ; #12.

PZ7.O81167Po 1997 [E]dc21 97-15624 Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland v3.0.30 For Mallory Loehr
with gratitude for taking the journey
twelve times.

Whoo. The strange sound came from outside the open window. Jack opened his eyes in the dark. The sound came again. Whoo. Jack sat up and turned on his light.

He put on his glasses. Then he grabbed the flashlight from his table and shone it out the window. A white snowy owl was sitting on a tree branch. Whoo, the owl said again. Its large yellow eyes looked right into Jacks. Is he a sign, like the rabbit and the gazelle? A long-legged rabbit and a gazelle had led Jack and Annie to the magic tree house for their last two adventures. Whoo. Whoo.

Wait a second, Jack said to the owl. Ill get Annie. Jacks sister, Annie, always seemed to know what birds and animals were saying. Jack jumped out of bed and hurried to Annies room. She was sound asleep. Jack shook her and she stirred.

What? she said. Come to my room, whispered Jack. I think Morgans sent another sign. In a split second, Annie was out of bed. She hurried with Jack to his room. Jack led her to the window.

The snowy owl was still there. Whoo, said the owl. Then he raised his white wings and took off into the night. He wants us to go to the woods, said Annie. Thats what I thought, said Jack. No, no. No, no.