These are my thoughts on Polar Bears

So I was reading with one of my kids the other day. She was reading a book about polar bears and I was trying to find out what her reading level was. She kept stopping while she was reading to try and discuss the book. This technically isn't allowed. She's supposed to read the book and then answer questions without any help from me. When we finally got to the comprehension questions, the conversation went something like this:

Me: Tell me what you learned about polar bears.

Erica: Well, polar bears actually have black skin and white fur. Why do they need black skin?

Me: Did you read anything in the book that might tell you why they need black skin?

Erica: I read that the black helps absorb the sun, but I don't know what absorb means.

Me: It just means to soak it in.

Erica: Like a sponge?

Me: Sort of. Except with heat, not water.

Erica: Like when you wear a black shirt and it feels really hot when you go out in the sun?

Me: Exactly. What else did you learn?

Erica: Well when I looked at this picture, the blubber looks a little bit like a sponge and I know sponges float. Is that why polar bears can float?

Me: Well, the blubber is lighter than the water, so it floats, yes. (I know this isn't the scientific reasoning for why blubber floats, but I didn't have time to explain density.)

Erica: It says that the blubber can be 2 to 4 inches thick. Is that why polar bears are so big? It says they are the biggest species of bear.

(At this point, it is quite obvious she understands the book, but I can't just cut her off and send her back to class, so I keep talking to her.)

Me: It's part of the reason. Did you learn anything else?

Erica: Well I was wondering, why is their fur white?

Me: What do you think?

Erica: Probably for camouflage, but I read that they are the biggest land predators.

Who are they hiding from?

And she asks that last question like "Don't those dumb polar bears realize they are bigger than everyone else so they don't have to be camouflaged??"

I'll be honest. I laughed so hard I nearly fell off my chair, and she just kept waiting for an answer, because she seriously wondered why polar bears had decided to be white.

So I told her they probably wanted to be camouflaged so they could sneak up on the seals and she decided that was a good enough answer. But maybe she had the right idea. If I ever meet a polar bear, I think that's the first thing I'm going to ask.

"Who are you hiding from?"