Poorling doesn't fit in with her bear mother and brothers. Instead of paws and a snout, she walks upright, and two giant eyes float in her pitch-black, flame-shaped head. Soon after Poorling learns to conjure fire, her story takes a sharp turn into tragedy. Mother, horrified by Poorling's abilities, abandons Poorling to protect her other cubs and later has her fears validated in the worst way possible. Writer-artist Ahokoivu impressively utilizes negative space in this tale from Finnish mythology, emphasizing Poorling's solitude and Mother's desolation through black backgrounds and white, tree-shaped gaps between panels. Ahokoivu sprinkles in watercolors sparingly, such as when she contrasts the neon of an aurora borealis against an inky night sky, and the result is both fanciful and ominous, beautiful and unnerving--an effect she continues throughout. Another mother figure, for example, is reminiscent of No-Face from Spirited Away, and her translucent shadow "children" don similar, eerie masks. Ahokoivu depicts magic as black and yellow swirls that resemble ancient, blocky textiles. Upon closer examination, you can spy words hidden in the shapes, and that same pattern appears in the characters' speech bubbles when they're singing. This painful yet unforgettable Finnish fairy tale sees the damage that gods, mothers, and daughters are willing to inflict upon one another, all under the guise of love.

Elements of ancient Finnish myth and song undergird Ahokoivu's dark worldbuilding as a wordless prologue opens on a snow-covered world studded with black firs. The aurora borealis flickers. A sentient bear kills a deer, only to experience subsequent shadowy visions--and the taunts of the scaup, a black birdlike creature with yellow markings. As the bear brings back the meat for her cubs, readers notice another young creature at home in her den. Bipedal, spritelike Poorling needs her mother ("I am a bear," she pleads, "your bear"), but she possesses power that will destroy her mother's love for her. The story of Poorling's struggle to overcome her need to be loved and to embrace her power travels through generational trauma, transcendent planes of existence, and the primal relationship between mother and daughter in which both possess the power to both create life--and end it. Vignettes and spreads by Finnish newcomer Ahokoivu are fluidly rendered in inky b&w washes; accents of color leap off the page as the translation by Aronpuro flows smoothly. Ages 12--up. (Sept.)

This graphic adaptation of a story from Finnish folklore introduces Umi, a mother bear who is living in the woods with her brood: three male cubs and a girl they call Poorling. Poorling is a magical creature with a small body and an oversized flame-shaped head who desperately wants to be a bear. She is quite curious and shamelessly eager to please her mother. Umi has defied her mother, Emuu, a celestial being who wants Umi to return home to the heavens. Emuu, in turn, enlists an enchanted waterbird named Scaup to work with Poorling in hopes of bringing Umi back. When Poorling commits a shocking act of violence, events are set in motion that perpetuate a cycle of brutal savagery. Ahokoivu brings the tale to life through digital art and a mix of ink and dreamy watercolors. The primarily black-and-white palette is punctuated with bursts of dazzling color. Populated by animals and magical creatures, the storyline meanders whimsically but then quickly shocks with its sudden eruptions of violence, a stark reminder of the harshness of the natural world and the powerful universality of wanting to belong. With its ethereal fairy-tale quality, this quietly challenging story of parents and children translated from the original Finnish is visually powerful and emotionally compelling. Dark, complex, and gratifying. (note on names) (Graphic fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A remarkably distinctive graphic novel that feels both ancient and contemporary. Poorling looks (and feels) different from the other bear cubs: her head is large and shaped like the flame of a match. This serves as foreshadowing, as she will go on to learn to make fire and with it both destroy and create. She is rejected by the bear she believes to be her mother, a bear who was in turn rejected by Emuu, "fierce grandma in the sky." Ahokoivu creates a fantasy world of snow; the Northern Lights; and fir forests inhabited by animals, shadow humans, and gods. She uses elements of Finnish mythology in a fresh creation myth, culminating in its protagonist's transformation to "Oksi, Guardian of the Forest." With beautiful ink washes (created along with digital tools), hand lettering, and a storyteller's voice, Ahokoivu explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, gods and their creations. The largely black-and-white art is interspersed with splashes of color, including yellow associated with the Scaup, a bird who serves as Poorling's teacher; and the red blood that pours from animals as they die. Poorling's story is dark and painful, but she is ultimately rewarded for her ability to understand her power and forgive and embrace her mother. Fantasy and graphic novel fans will likely be pulled into this sophisticated, metaphorical tale with its unexpected riches. "A Note on Names" is appended -- Oksi, for example, is an old Finnish word for bear. Maeve Visser Knoth November/December 2021 p.94(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 6 Up--Translated from Finnish, this graphic novel import blends Finnish and Karelian mythology and folklore in a stunning package. As the book opens, Umi, a mother bear, hunts a moose and brings it back to the den for her cubs, including Poorling, a shadowy humanoid creature with a shock of hair and an inquisitive mind. Desperate to be a real bear like the others, Poorling secretly practices shape-shifting and other magic with a waterbird called Scaup. As Scaup teaches Poorling songs of the old gods, Poorling discovers that she is at the center of the divine Emuu's plot to bring Umi back to the heavens. Jarring violence suggests that things may not go as planned--for the gods or for Poorling. But is it too late for Poorling to stay with her mother forever? The first graphic novel from Levine Querido, Ahokoivu's 13-chapter epic is a stylish standout. Her style blends cute and creepy, with a darkly whimsical story line akin to Studio Ghibli and Cartoon Saloon films. The restricted, grayscale palette mixes ink, watercolor, and digital techniques to create a distinctive look. Pops of color--red, yellow, rainbow--electrify the pages with magic and swirling hand-lettered text. The inventive paneling, usually rounded and oblong and without borders, deftly incorporates setting and brings the forest to life through layering. A concluding note on characters' names provides additional information, though not enough to contextualize the folklore for unfamiliar readers. VERDICT A visual feast--and artistic feat--best suited for larger graphic novel collections.--Alec Chunn, Eugene P.L., OR