Thirteen-Year-Old Author Serena Gu Illustrated Tale of Unlikely Animal Companions – China Underground

A young author’s first book teaches readers about loyalty and trust

A polar bear finds a lost penguin in a snowstorm. The penguin has wandered from its family and needs help getting back. What follows plays out across Arctic terrain where the two navigate weather and geography together.

Serena Gu, thirteen years old and based in Nanjing, has written and illustrated Berry the Polar Bear. The story begins when Berry, described as having a thick white coat that keeps him warm and cozy, discovers Pea during one of his walks through the snow. Pea has ventured out alone despite being small enough to ride on Berry’s head, and the snowfall has disoriented her completely. Berry offers to help.

Serena Gu lives in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in eastern China. At thirteen, she has produced her first published work through Earnshaw Books, a Hong Kong publisher.

Berry and Pea’s adventure unfolds with the logic of playground friendship, immediate trust, shared problem-solving, and the kind of loyalty that emerges from spending time together in difficult circumstances.

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