The real deal?

Great drama is often created by the emotional tug of an engaging character, with a bit of conflict and tension added to the mix.

But a polar bear and a walrus?

A recent G-rated film called Arctic Tale (Paramount/National Geographic) filmed animals over a period of time and put them together to present a polar bear and a walrus family. Fact has been manipulated — with a powerful and breathtaking result.

That seems to bother some critics (opens in a new window) who don’t like the fact that the film’s stars and their relatives are really composites. But for me, this doesn’t diminish the drama of the animals’ saga.

Just like the companion book (opens in a new window) of the same title, stunning photographs and a lucid text are ideal to share with younger children either before or after or even without the movie. It’s not just the book’s photographs that tell the story, but a strong narrative from which drama emerges.

For purists who want a totally real as well as totally engaging and quite dramatic book about the furry Arctic behemoths, try Face to Face with Polar Bears (opens in a new window)by Norbert Rosing (National Geographic). The photographer and his wife share their experiences while in the Arctic, again with riveting narration and stunning photographs.

Maybe drama is drama, whether it’s all “real” or fictionalized or a combination. Maybe that’s what stays after the book is closed or the screen is dark: the vicarious experience of places and feelings otherwise unreachable.

Who knows? One day, the emotional impact of the “imagined” may lead to experiences that are very real.