Bear with Me

by Max Kornell, Max Kornell (Illustrator)

Overview

Everything in Owen's world is just peachy-till his parents bring home a bear named Gary-without even asking! Gary changes everything: he takes up way too much space and makes a mess of all of Owen's toys. Gary means well, though, and eventually Owen starts to see that there are some good things about having a bear in the family.

Because Gary is such an unusual addition to the family, this story will appeal to kids getting used to any kind of new family member, be it a baby, grandparent, pet, or even sharing with a friend. Refreshing humor, expressive illustrations, and characters full of personality make this warm, funny debut a book that will be treasured.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101643587
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/12/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Max Kornell graduated from Rhode Island School of Design. His regular comic for LA Weekly, "Los Angelopolis," took second place at the 2008 AAN (Association of Alternative Newsweeklies) Awards. He teaches art at Crossroads and the Brentwood Art Center, and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Editorial Reviews

Inventive humor in both the text and the illustrations. . . . Its sweet message . . . will resonate with plenty of youngsters. . . . This charming offering can be enjoyed even by those whose families are staying just the way they are.” — School Library Journal

“Kornell brings a wry, at times epigrammatic style to Owen’s narration, and he’s clearly inviting his audience to share in the joke of the ursine twist on the usual family-addition story. Mixed-media art has the soft familiarity of watercolors with a crisp and comedic immediacy conferred by a cartoonish vigor. . . . Gary in particular is a big, appealingly goofy presence. . . . Kids will argue that they’d rather have a bear than a baby sib anytime, but they’ll gigglingly take the point.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“Gentle, wordless pages explore their developing friendship and invite readers to provide the narration. . . . A sweet and refreshing spin on the old new-sibling plot.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A displacement story with a twist. . . . Portraying vulnerability without making one’s characters look like whiners or wusses is no easy task, but Kornell succeeds. . . . He sets a sweetly plaintive mood that makes even the expected happy ending quietly gratifying.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Kornell brings a wry, at times epigrammatic style to Owen’s narration, and he’s clearly inviting his audience to share in the joke of the ursine twist on the usual family-addition story. Mixed-media art has the soft familiarity of watercolors with a crisp and comedic immediacy conferred by a cartoonish vigor. . . . Gary in particular is a big, appealingly goofy presence. . . . Kids will argue that they’d rather have a bear than a baby sib anytime, but they’ll gigglingly take the point.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

PreS-Gr 1—An unnamed boy tells the story of his parents bringing home an unexpected addition to the family. He says, "I don't like surprises. Surprises are never as good as you hoped for." The new arrival is a bear who shares his room, snores all night, breaks his tree swing, and forgets to put the caps on his markers. The child slowly gets to know Gary and learns to appreciate the fun things they can do together. With inventive humor in both the text and the illustrations, this picture book is all about the adjustment to an unexpected sibling. Its sweet message, "Some surprises turn out even better than you hoped for," will resonate with plenty of youngsters. The pleasant watercolor, ink, and acrylic illustrations are expertly drawn, with an interesting use of outlining, perspectives, and layout. Details like the changing pictures on the walls and the use of panels reflect the progress of the relationship between the boy and bear. This charming offering can be enjoyed even by those whose families are staying just the way they are.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

School Library Journal

Owen's world is perfect until his parents decide to add a bear to their family. "It started off just right. I had mom and a dad and my own set of blocks. I had everything I needed." His parents bring home a huge, brown bear named Gary who invades Owen's perfect life and territory. Gary takes up Owen's parents' time, plays with his toys, ruins his markers and swing and keeps him up all night with his overwhelming snoring. It takes a while for Owen to adjust to this enormous change, but like children everywhere with a new sibling or other addition to the family, he learns to appreciate and even love the interloper. The droll illustrations, in which Owen and Gary appear to have been cut out and glued into a suburban subdivision, put the new brothers at the center of the action. Despite the cartoon style, emotions are clear. Owen's eyes, near tears, zero in on Gary's fearful expression at their first meeting; the two smile at each other while sharing blocks.Gentle, wordless pages explore their developing friendship and invite readers to provide the narration. The only misstep is the use of colored text rather than quotation marks to show speech, which could be an unnecessary impediment for new readers. Nevertheless, a sweet and refreshing spin on the old new-sibling plot.(Picture book. 2-8)

Kirkus Reviews