--- title: How a Dream About a Polar Bear Became a Children's Book on Climate and the Food Chain description: Artist Jane Dugan and author Esther Meerschaut created Hope For The Future after a vivid dream led Dugan to First Nations polar bear legends — and a mission ... author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-03-09T16:00:00.000Z updated: 2026-06-29T08:43:52.592Z canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/hope-for-the-future-childrens-book-polar-bear-climate image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/jane-dugan.webp categories: Fiction content_type: Spotlight region: New York publication: Rich Books schema_type: Article about: - type: Organization name: Hope For The Future description: Children's book by Jane Dugan and Esther Meerschaut following Polaris the polar bear through a changing Arctic. Published March 4, 2026, the book teaches grades 2-3 students about the food chain, ecological interconnectedness, and personal environmental responsibility. Inspired by Indigenous polar bear legends from Canada's First Nations. url: https://a.co/d/00yhQw0p industry: Children's Literature sameAs: - https://a.co/d/00yhQw0p --- Jane Dugan was woken in the night by a dream so vivid it changed the direction of her art. An angry polar bear, growling and smashing on ice, filled with a bright flash of light she would later recognise as the Northern Lights. Rather than dismiss it, she followed it — into the polar bear legends of Canada's First Nations peoples, where the bear is known as "Ice Man," the protector of the magnetic field and the ice itself. That research became a painting: the polar bear leaving Earth, a question mark over whether there would be any ice left to protect. And the painting became a book. ### Book: Hope For The Future *Inspiring Young Readers to Care for a Changing Planet* By Jane Dugan & Esther Meerschaut A children's book following Polaris the polar bear through a changing Arctic. Written by Jane Dugan and Esther Meerschaut, it teaches grades 2-3 students about the food chain, ecological interconnectedness, and personal environmental responsibility. Inspired by First Nations polar bear legends from Canada, where the polar bear is known as Ice Man — protector of the magnetic field and the ice. [Amazon](https://a.co/d/00yhQw0p) ## From Canvas to Classroom When Dugan met Esther Meerschaut — an author and former primary school teacher — she saw the missing piece. Dugan had the vision and the art; Meerschaut had the ability to translate ecological science into language that seven- and eight-year-olds could understand. She asked Meerschaut to write the story, building the narrative around the Arctic food chain. The result is [Hope For The Future](https://a.co/d/00yhQw0p), published on 4 March 2026. Its protagonist, Polaris the polar bear, watches warming temperatures ripple through the [Arctic ecosystem](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/alexia-franklin-a-mother-earth-s-daughter-at-work-from-local-streets-to-global-climate-change) — from the plankton to the seals to the ice itself. Photos sourced and curated by Dugan sit alongside the text, turning the book into a visual and educational resource aimed at grades two and three. ## Indigenous Wisdom Meets Scientific Literacy What sets the book apart from other children's [climate](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/alexia-franklin-a-mother-earth-s-daughter-at-work-from-local-streets-to-global-climate-change) titles is its foundation. The premise did not begin with a curriculum objective or a publishing brief. It began with a spiritual experience — a dream — and deepened through engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems. The First Nations description of the polar bear as Ice Man, protector of the magnetic field, frames the animal not as a victim of climate change but as a guardian whose role humanity has undermined. That framing gives young readers something more than facts about melting ice. It gives them a relationship to the natural world rooted in [stewardship and responsibility](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/green-parenting-how-to-raise-environmentally-conscious-kids) — the idea that if the polar bear can no longer protect the ice, the task falls to us. ## A Book for the Women Who Shape the Next Generation For Rich Woman readers, Hope For The Future sits at the intersection of meaningful [storytelling](https://richbooksmagazine.com/article/from-alaska-with-love-how-the-power-of-spoken-stories-turned-bedtime-stories-into-a-book) and genuine purpose. Dugan's artistic career spans exhibitions in Vienna, England, the USA, and Canada, with work available through Artsy via Gallery Artifacts in New York. She has been published in over eleven art books and four magazines, and was recently named among the [Investable Artists of 2026](https://www.artmarketexperts.com/investable-artists-2026/janie-dugan) by Art Market Experts. ## In case you were wondering **Q: What is happening to polar bears due to climate change?** The Arctic Ocean is at its warmest in 125,000 years and temperatures continue to rise. More than two-thirds of polar bears are expected to disappear by 2050, with total extinction predicted by the end of this century — making books like Hope For The Future all the more urgent as educational tools for young readers. **Q: What are good fiction books about climate change for children?** Hope For The Future by Jane Dugan and Esther Meerschaut follows Polaris the polar bear through a changing Arctic, teaching the food chain and ecological responsibility to grades 2–3 students. Other titles include Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet by Barbara Dee, aimed at older readers aged 10–12. **About Jane Dugan** Visual Artist & Author Visual artist born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Influenced by her grandmother Rosa Bateman-McGee's poetry and the paintings of naturalist Robert Bateman. Exhibited in Vienna, England, the USA, and Canada. Published in over eleven art books and four magazines. Work available through Artsy via Gallery Artifacts, NYC. Author of Hope for the Future (2024) and Songs for Sighs (2025). Currently resides in New Brunswick, Canada. [Website](https://www.artbyjaniedugan.com) **About Esther Meerschaut** Author & Educator Author and former teacher who co-wrote Hope For The Future, an environmental children's book about the Arctic food chain. Partnered with artist Jane Dugan to create an educational resource for grades 2-3 students about ecological connections and climate responsibility.