A Story for Bear

Rating:
Summary: A Gentle Bear and the Power of Words
Review: A Story For Bear, written by Dennis Haseley, was completely over looked by the Caldecott Committee. Truly an injustice has been done to this wonderful story. A bear stumbles upon a young woman reading near her cabin. The bear doesn't understand what the young woman is doing. He is enchanted nonetheless and keeps returning to watch her. One day the woman invites the bear to sit near her. When the bear does, she proceeds to read out loud to him. A lovely friendship ensues between them as the woman continues reading out loud to the bear each day. When the time comes for the woman to go away, she leaves all of her books for the bear. One by one he collects each book and takes them back to his cave. The illustrations, by Jim LaMarche, are warm and convey a sense of mystery and wonder. As I read A Story For Bear I was taken on an emotional journey. Children will be too.

Preston McClear...

Rating:
Summary: The mystery and magic of words
Review: I am a 50+ year-old collector of children's books, and this one is now at the top of my list of favorites -- I would nominate it for every book award! Anyone who has been read aloud to, or has enjoyed reading to someone else, will appreciate the bond between the woman and the bear she reads to at her cabin one summer. The bear, like a young child who cannot understand all the words read to him, still feels their magic and warmth, and is no less involved in the woman's stories than a more sophisticated reader who can analyse narrative point-of-view or the logical intricacies of plot structure. The letter from the woman's parents which the bear finds at the beginning of the story lets the reader know that this woman has enjoyed this special cabin since childhood, and that she apparently returns here every summer. For the bear, this paper, with its mysterious marks on it, becomes a special and almost sacred object. Similarly, the woman's books, which she leaves behind for the bear in the fall, become treasures which he delicately takes to his cave and which fill his winter dreams with warmth until the woman will return to read to him again. In an almost mythic way, this story communicates what is most essential about reading -- the experience of being swept away by the mysterious power of the spoken word, and treasuring the moments when we shared this experience with someone else.
I love the story of this book, but I really was most drawn to it by the illustrations which are superlative in every way -- especially the rendering of this sweet. perplexed, and often astonished bear. I now am ordering another copy for a friend, who is also over 50 and shares my love of books and cabins in pine forests.

Rating:
Summary: A Story for Bear by Dennis Haseley
Review: I loved this book! My children loved this book! It is a book that can be read over and over again and enjoyed everytime that it is read. The first time that I read it I had tears in my eyes by the time I finished it. Both the story and the illustrations are beautiful. It makes you wish that you had a cabin in the woods and a bear to read to. It would be a magical day if indeed a story like this could actually be reality.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book
Review: I read this book to the kids I was babysitting and I just LOVED it! It has beautiful illustrations as well as a beautiful storyline! It's a very touching story, and I know it would have been my favourite book when I was younger if it had been read to me.

Rating:
Summary: A book that speaks to the magic of reading to a child
Review: This tender and charming story brought tears to my eyes as I read it in the bookstore. The illustrations are lush and make you want to take the bear (of the title) home with you. What I like best about this book is the focus on the relationship between the bear and the woman who reads to him. Her love for him is the foundation for his emotional development--I can't wait to read it to my son.