by Jan Ormerod & illustrated by Freya Blackwood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 5, 2012
There’s fascinating aesthetic composition here, if the relationship doesn’t distract.
Picture books are full of odd-couple friendships, plenty of which feature a bear; this example stands out in splendid composition and an unsettling dynamic.
Five stories showcase the domestic and emotional relationship between Maudie, a little girl in old-fashioned garb, and Bear, looming over Maudie with a curved body and gentle expression. Bear gives Maudie everything, from night-time dancing to a comforting lap after a Goldilocks-inspired forest scare. However, roles are oddly unclear: Bear seems too pandering for a parent, too ever-present for a babysitter. But nor are they peers, in the classic Frog and Toad mold. Is Bear a stuffed animal, fantasy-enlarged? Perhaps, because Bear caters to Maudie’s every desire, and a toy bear on wheels (Bear’s real form?) appears frequently; but Bear hurts Maudie’s feelings twice, which doesn’t seem fantasy-bear–like. (They make up both times, but both events are significant.) Humor lies in Maudie’s exercising by sitting in a bike basket while Bear peddles or picking dandelions and fussing (“You forgot to peel the grapes”) instead of helping fix their snack. Maudie’s more self-entitled than amusingly childlike; Bear’s an agreeable doormat when not laughing at her. The illustrations are more palatable. Soft watercolors inhabit loose, sketchy pencil lines. Blackwood’s inventive compositions dance and change on every page, with visual material from spreads hiding creatively behind multi-sized sequential picture boxes.
There’s fascinating aesthetic composition here, if the relationship doesn’t distract. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-399-25709-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2024
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static.
In his latest outing, Bear and his pals go in search of eggs.
Bear “lumbers with his friends through the Strawberry Vale.” Raven finds a nest; climbing up, “The bear finds eggs!”: a refrain that appears throughout. Instead of eating the robin’s eggs, however, Bear leaves a gift of dried berries in the nest for the “soon-to-be-chicks.” Next, the friends find 10 mallard eggs (as bright blue as the robin’s), and Bear leaves sunflower seeds. Then the wail of Mama Meadowlark, whose bright yellow undercarriage strikes a warm golden note, leads them to promise to find her lost eggs. With his friends’ assistance, Bear finds one, and they decide to paint them “so they aren’t lost again.” Another is discovered, painted, and placed in Hare’s basket. After hours of persistent searching, Bear suddenly spots the remaining two eggs “in a small patch of clover.” Before they can return these eggs, the chicks hatch and rejoin their mother. Back at his lair, Bear, with his troupe, is visited by all 17 chicks and the robin, mallard, and meadowlark moms: “And the bear finds friends!” Though this sweet spring tale centers on finding and painting eggs, it makes no overt references to Easter. The soft green and blue acrylics, predictable rhymes, and rolling rhythm make this series installment another low-key natural read-aloud.
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936552
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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