The Best Kind of Bear

by Greg Gormley, David Barrow (Illustrator)

Overview

"This heartwarming tale can be enjoyed as a simple story or used to talk about identity, relationships, and belonging. Thoughtfully layered and simply sweet." —Kirkus Reviews

When Nelly asks Bear what kind of bear he is, he isn't entirely sure how to answer. So off he goes to find out. But none of the different bears he meets on his travels are like him. Grizzly bears don’t have stitching; polar bears don’t have tags attached to their bottoms; spectacled bears are not as soft and bouncy as Bear is; and sun bears never wear bow ties. Disheartened, he returns to Nelly . . . only to discover what kind of bear he is — her own special bear!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536208238
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/12/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	371,566
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 11.70(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Greg Gormley studied fine art and has written and illustrated a number of picture books for children. He is the author of The Prince and the Pee, illustrated by Chris Mould. Greg Gormley lives in Cambridge, England, with his family and spends his time arguing with academics about robots.

David Barrow won the Sebastian Walker Award for most promising student and is now living the dream making picture books as his full-time job. His first book was short-listed for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. He currently resides in the wilds of Northamptonshire, England, with his partner, Jo, their son, and their overaffectionate cat.

Editorial Reviews

11/11/2019

An intrepid teddy wonders what kind of bear he is and, encouraged by a girl called Nelly, embarks on a journey to find out. At each location he encounters a different type of bear—a grizzly who enjoys napping, a black sun bear who loves “honey, honey, honey”—but while he shares interests with each, key differences (among them the wash tag on his bottom) distinguish him from others in the family Ursidae. Dispirited, Bear returns home: “I suppose that I’m just an ordinary and uninteresting bear.” “You’re my kind of bear” Nelly responds, provoking Bear’s titular realization that “that’s the best kind of bear to be.” Barrow’s friendly illustrations, awash in painterly layers, lend each adventure-filled scene a storybooklike enchantment that’s a ready match for Bear’s identity quest. Ages 2–5. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

The illustrations use shading, line, and speckles over muted browns, blues, and greens, emphasizing characters and sketching their settings. This heartwarming tale can be enjoyed as a simple story or used to talk about identity, relationships, and belonging. Thoughtfully layered and simply sweet.
—Kirkus Reviews

The rough line work and saturated colors of Bear and his new acquaintances create a cozy sense of familiarity, and layered watercolor washes, splashes of dots, and sharp striated strokes build the backdrop to Bear’s investigations, with occasional inked details accenting otherwise organic shapes. The issue of identity is adorably, if abruptly, resolved when our hero accepts Nelly’s offer to become her bear (thus becoming “the best kind of bear”), and little listeners want to snuggle their own stuffed animals after journeying with Bear.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Barrow’s friendly illustrations, awash in painterly layers, lend each adventure-filled scene a storybooklike enchantment that’s a ready match for Bear’s identity quest.
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

11/01/2019

PreS–A little girl named Nelly meets Bear at the library, and asks him what kind of bear he is. Unable to figure out the answer from his books, Bear sets off to discover what kind of bear he is with the promise that he will return once he finds out. In his travels, he meets a grizzly bear, a polar bear, a black bear, and even a spectacled bear, but none of them seem to help in his quest. When he returns, discouraged, to the library, Nelly convinces him that he can be her bear if he would like, and he agrees because that is the "best kind of bear to be." Young listeners will enjoy the animated expressions on the characters' faces and their subtly humorous antics. VERDICT This is a sweetly predictable story with full-bleed illustrations in a warm palette that invites readers along on Bear's journey of self-discovery. They will more than likely find it worthwhile. Recommended.—Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

2019-08-12
Bear sets out to discover what kind of bear he is, but he doesn't quite fit into a category.

Bear is in the library searching through books about bears, trying to figure out what kind of bear he is, when Nelly, a brown child with her hair in two puffs, meets him. Bear decides to see if there is "a bear out there who can help." He travels west and finds a grizzly bear who loves "nice long naps." Bear also loves napping—but when the grizzly announces he'll be sleeping for six months, Bear realizes he "can't possibly be a grizzly bear." The grizzly bear agrees, pointing out the "funny little stitches" on Bear's tummy are un-grizzly-like. Bear's visits with a polar bear in the north, a spectacled bear in the south, and a sun bear in the east follow the same pattern. Bear returns home saddened. He tells Nelly, "I suppose that I'm just an ordinary and uninteresting bear." But Nelly points out all his unique features and asks if he would like to be her bear. Bear agrees that "Nelly's Bear" is the best kind to be. The illustrations use shading, line, and speckles over muted browns, blues, and greens, emphasizing characters and sketching their settings. This heartwarming tale can be enjoyed as a simple story or used to talk about identity, relationships, and belonging.

Thoughtfully layered and simply sweet. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews