by Jean Little
First published 1999
Gus paces his enclosure at the Central Park Zoo, his mind racing with worries that seem to multiply by the hour. The polar bear has become famous among New York visitors, but not for the reasons he'd prefer. His constant fretting and repetitive behaviors draw crowds who point and stare, making him feel even more like an outsider in his urban habitat. The creators behind O.J.'s Legal Pad and Latin for All Occasions bring their sharp observational skills to this story of a neurotic bear trying to find peace amid the chaos of 1990s Manhattan. Through photo-imagery, they capture Gus's daily battles with his own anxious thoughts as he navigates life in captivity. The city buzzes around him with its relentless energy, but Gus must learn to quiet the storm in his own head. His journey becomes one of self-acceptance as he discovers that being different doesn't make him broken.
Genres: fiction, animals, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, self-discovery
Setting: Central Park Zoo, Manhattan, New York
Period: 1990s
Hardcover · Random House Value Publishing
Content warnings: anxiety, mental-illness