Bear’s Book
Claire Freedman, Author
Alison Friend, Illustrator
Templar Books, Fiction, May 14, 2019
Suitable for Ages: 3-7
Themes: Bear, Animals, Reading, Writing, Helping, Friendship
Opening: Once upon a time, there was a bear whose favorite thing to do was read.
Book Synopsis:
Bear loves to read. Unfortunately, he has read his big book of stories so many times that it’s falling apart. One day, all the pages blow away in a gust of wind.
Bear decides to create his own story. But when he sits dow to write, he can’t think of a single idea.
Will bear’s animal friends be able to help him think of ideas for his book?
What I like about this book:
Claire Freedman has penned a tender story about friends helping friends. Bear goes for a walk through the forest to help his writer’s block. He hopes that a back-scratch, a swim, and climbing a tree might be just what he needs. But he runs into some endearing friends who need his help — a mouse who needs help with a dance, a rabbit in a boat who needs a tow, and a little owl stuck on a tree limb. He still can’t think of a story until he recalls his day.
Bear does write and illustrate a book. It appears as a fold-out towards the end of the book. Children will be able to read his book and learn about how a story has a beginning, middle and end. The ending is sweet.
Alison Friend’s happy illustrations are warm, cozy and show how friends help each other. The cover is beautiful and appealing.
Resources: This is an excellent story to read out loud to at home or in a classroom. Use Bear’s book to talk about the structure of a book. Write a group book in the classroom and ask students to draw the illustrations.
Claire Freedman is the author of more than 100 books for young readers. She is best known for her award-winning Underpants series, She lives in Essex, England.
*Review copy provided by the publisher.
A clever story to demonstrate the writing process.
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Yes, I really enjoyed Bear’s Book because it was about the writer’s process.
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Pat, Sounds super adorable.
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It is an adorable book with lots of happy illustrations!
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What a perfect book for those of us struggling to find ideas for StoryStorm! Great choice – and the cover is so sweet.
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Yes, I loved the book’s theme and sweetness!
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What I love about this book is that Bear taps into the events of his day with his friends to write his book. This is the perfect example of “write what you know.”
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Love your comments. It is such a great book that will introduce kids to writing a story.
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Terrific text to use for story-creating with a small group. The front cover is adorable.
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Yes, this would be perfect for a small group activity for kids. I used to do something similar with our daughter when we traveled. She always came back with her own story with pictures she drew. Perfect for a class share.
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This looks really sweet. I just ordered it from my library. Can’t wait to read it. Thanks for telling me about it.
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Glad you got your hands on a copy! A great PB for you to study.
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What a fun way to teach a writing lesson!
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Yes! It is a fun way to learn how to write a simple story.
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I missed this one! I really admire Friend’s work! Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
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You are welcome. I like Friend’s work too!
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Patricia, this one seems to have flown under the radar. So glad you featured it. That cover is adorable. I am looking forward to seeing the story Bear created. Thank you.
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Yes, it flew under the radar for me because it got added to my “finished reviews” book pile. I was horrified because it is such a wonderful story!
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I love this concept for a picture book! I used picture books when I taught story structure to 6th graders and they loved it. This book would be perfect for this. Thank you for sharing Patricia.
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Thank you for visiting. Yes, I agree with you!
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What a great idea for teaching kids how stories are made. That fold-out sounds brilliant! Thanks for the rec, Patricia. I’ll be adding this to my TBR list.
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Yes, kids will really love the fold-out and will want to make their own book!
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This sounds so sweet! Love the idea that it can show children how to write their own book. 🙂
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It is sweet and a wonderful introduction into storytelling.
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I do like the sound of this one, Patricia. I think it would be great for writing classes with young children.
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Yes, I agree. The book is very appealing!
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