Eric Velasquez on The Polar Bear and the Ballerina

In this post, we feature author and illustrator Eric Velasquez, whose previous titles include Octopus Stew, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, among other honors. You can hear him speak about his new wordless picture book, The Polar Bear and the Ballerina. You can also try his “invitation to imagine” activities and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

The Polar Bear and the Ballerina

Written and illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Published by Holiday House
Release date: October 14, 2025

When dancers have a photoshoot at the Central Park Zoo, a young, African American ballerina and a polar bear form a special friendship. After his new friend leaves her scarf behind, the polar bear must venture through Central Park and out into Manhattan to return it before her performance at the Lincoln Center. However, the theater-goers eye the bear with suspicion, and the ushers won’t let him inside. Then, the ballerina comes to his rescue, and the polar bear gets to be a part of the ballet in the most surprising way. Expressive, detailed oil paintings bring a dream-like magic to this wordless tale of empathy, kindred spirits, and the power of art to connect us.

An interior spread from The Polar Bear and the Ballerina showing a brown-skinned girl dressed in a ballet costume and a red scarf standing before a tank with a polar bear swimming in it.

An interior spread from The Polar Bear and the Ballerina showing several young Black ballet dancers posing in front of a tank with a polar bear swimming.

Explore The Polar Bear and the Ballerina

Listen to Eric Velasquez talking with TeachingBooks about creating The Polar Bear and the Ballerina. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activities contributed by Eric Velasquez.

Imagination Activities with Eric Velasquez

Perhaps the most effective activity I can recommend for young people is to develop a visual language by keeping a sketchbook. This is a journal where you draw every day and experiment with different media. For years, I have kept various sketchbooks where I not only sketch out my ideas, but I also write my stories. I also have sketchbooks for when I travel.

Here are some pages from my sketchbooks for The Polar Bear and the Ballerina.

Pages from Eric Velasquez's sketchbook showing figures in various positions, including a mother holding the hand of a girl with a backpack.

Activity for Artists:

Get a sketchbook with good-quality paper, and draw whatever is around you. If you travel, document the journey. If you are in school during recess, document the environment and include some notes about your environment at the time. Experiment with different materials such as colored pencils, pens, and watercolor (if the paper withstands it). The purpose is to have fun and to express yourself.

Activity for Writers:

Get a journal with good quality paper and begin by writing a paragraph a day documenting your day. This can include drawings, doodles etc. Make sure you include the date and something that made your day special. Experiment with different pens. The purpose is to have fun and to express yourself.

Finish This Sentence . . . with Eric Velasquez

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy the response from Eric Velasquez.

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is listening to music, mostly jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz.

“Did you know that I created the paintings for this book with…”

"Did you know that I painted the Polar Bear and the Ballerina using only 4 tubes of oil paint" Below this text are four tubes of paint: French Ultramarine Blue, burnt Umber, Titanium White, and Cadmium Red.

“While working on this book, I learned…”

While working on this book, I learned that an adult polar bear can smell up to 20 miles away.

“My favorite books as a child were…”

My favorite books as a child were both illustrated by Brinton Turkle: The Lollipop Party, written by Ruth Sonneborn, and The Sky Dog, written by Brinton Turkle. Here are their covers:

The covers of The Sky Dog and The Lollipop Party.

“I hope my book may encourage young readers to think about…”

I hope my book may encourage young readers to think about empathy—to consider the well-being of those around you, as well as animals and pets.

“Where I work is…”

Eric Velasquez's studio, with a pencil sketch of the polar bear and the ballerina on his easel, surrounded by paint brushes and paint.

Thank you!

To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Eric Velasquez for signing a book for all of us.

The title page of The Polar Bear and the Ballerina, signed by Eric Velasquez.

More Connections to Eric Velasquez and The Polar Bear and the Ballerina

Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Eric Velasquez and Holiday House and may not be used without expressed written consent.