A bear-y good choice for storytime.
A nearly wordless tale of the bond between stuffed toy and child.
The title shares three of just four words used throughout this story, which relies on well-paced sequential art to establish a child’s love of their toy bear and to chronicle how they navigate their first day of school without it. With a style akin to Bob Graham’s with a dash of Helen Oxenbury, wordless frontmatter illustrations show Bear in a blue beribboned box. Next, the blue ribbon now around its neck, Bear sits on a nursery shelf. Subsequent spreads show the child growing up, with Bear their constant companion. Foreshadowing the school-day separation to come, one of the child’s parents takes Bear to the washing machine, and the protagonist turns red with rage (“BEAR WITH ME!”). Soon after reuniting with a clean Bear, the child sits the toy with other stuffed animals and points at a picture on an easel emblazoned with the word SCHOOL. Though the child makes valiant efforts to keep “Bear. with. me” while preparing to go to school, their parent insists that Bear stay home. Another tantrum doesn’t follow, however, as the child settles into classroom routines and keeps Bear “with” them by dressing up like a bear, painting a picture of Bear, and so on before a happy reunion at home sure to delight anyone who’s ever missed a plush pal. The child and their parents are light-skinned; their school is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A bear-y good choice for storytime. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593307670
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for...
Oliver, of first-day-of-school alligator fame, is back, imagining adventures and still struggling to find balance between introversion and extroversion.
“When Oliver found his egg…” on the playground, mint-green backgrounds signifying Oliver’s flight into fancy slowly grow larger until they take up entire spreads; Oliver’s creature, white and dinosaurlike with orange polka dots, grows larger with them. Their adventures include sharing treats, sailing the seas and going into outer space. A classmate’s yell brings him back to reality, where readers see him sitting on top of a rock. Even considering Schmid’s scribbly style, readers can almost see the wheels turning in his head as he ponders the girl and whether or not to give up his solitary play. “But when Oliver found his rock… // Oliver imagined many adventures // with all his friends!” This last is on a double gatefold that opens to show the children enjoying the creature’s slippery curves. A final wordless spread depicts all the children sitting on rocks, expressions gleeful, wondering, waiting, hopeful. The illustrations, done in pastel pencil and digital color, again make masterful use of white space and page turns, although this tale is not nearly as funny or tongue-in-cheek as Oliver and His Alligator (2013), nor is its message as clear and immediately accessible to children.
Still, this young boy’s imagination is a powerful force for helping him deal with life, something that should be true for all children but sadly isn’t. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-7573-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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