From the moment she saw him, the girl knew the bear had come for her. How many times had she dreamed of him? Now, here he was, as if spelled from her dreams. This encounter marks the beginning of a long and extraordinary journey. At the bear's secret palace in faraway mountains, she is treated courteously but troubled by the bear's unfathomable sadness. As the bear's secret unravels, another adventure unfolds, which takes her to the homes of the four winds and beyond, to the castle east of the sun, west of the moon. In this new edition of Jackie Morris's captivating picture book, the acclaimed writer and artist retells this classic Norwegian fairy tale - a mysterious story of love, loyalty and freedom. "Beautiful, lyrical and lovely." Joanne Harris on The Wild Swans "Jackie Morris does more than tell a story; she conjures glorious landscapes of the heart." Meg Rosoff For The Unwinding: "A quiet masterpiece . . . a love story, a hope story, a story out of time, out of stricture, out of the narrow artificial bounds by which we try to contain the wild wonderland of reality because we are too frightened to live wonder-stricken." Maria Popova, Brain Pickings "The tales feel like half-remembered dreams, peopled with fairytale characters and magnificent creatures." Rebecca Armstrong, i Paper Best Books of 2020