National Network for Equitable Library Service

Their whole bodies are ready for sleep, but sleep doesn't come. The cold has deserted winter, causing the polar bears in the zoo to pace in an endless quest for sleep. Their caretaker, Sasha, will do anything to bring them slumber. But when a boy named Marcus suddenly appears at his window, bringing a different outlook on the meaning of family, Sasha finds himself buried under new responsibilities-such as packing lunches and reading bedtime stories-rather than snow. And so he keeps going back to the bears, believing that he'll find relief by the day that's circled on the calendar, but missing Marcus's pleas for attention and care. Woven through a delicate and charming balance of the unique and familiar, this ethereal, melancholy play for young audiences brings light and warmth to wintering hearts.