Customer Reviews

The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is absolutely brilliant! It is a wordless book that will pick you up and carry you through the story. The boy kicks his soccer ball through the window of a boarded up old theater. After retrieving his ball he discovers a box of costumes which he tries on and tries out on the theater stage. Something happens and suddenly he is on the stage of a theater (the Globe?) and William Shakespeare is tripping on his soccer ball. The chase is on through old London. The boy liberates a bear from a cage, a baron from the Tower of London, and dances with Queen Elizabeth I on a barge on the Thames, all while being pursued by a cranky Shakespeare. The drawings are detailed and change perspective. One moment you are running through the streets of London with the boy and the next you have a view of him and the city from high above. When the story ended, I felt like I too had dropped out of time, quite a feat for a picture book.

The wordless picture book is an artform in and of itself. Whether you're reading Emily McCully's charming, "Picnic", Anno's endlessly fascinating, "Anno's Journey", or even Jeannie Baker's knock-your-socks-off, "Home", the world of silent books for children is as variegated as it is fascinating. And now we have the newest addition to the genre. Author/illustrator Gregory Rogers has created a fine frolicksome foray into the world of Shakespearean plays, dancing bears, and the Tower of London itself. "The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard" may not be ideal storytime fare for large groups of children, but in terms of one-on-one encounters it stands above the rest.

A boy is playing soccer in London when his ball is knocked accidentally into a large abandoned theater. Exploring further, the boy enjoys playing amongst the set pieces, trying on the costumes, and pretending to star in his own show. But when a careless kick to the ball forces the boy to run between the curtains at exactly 4 o' clock (the time that all of Shakespeare's plays were performed) he suddenly finds himself 400 some years in the past with a full house staring back at him. Incensed, a livid bard begins to chase the boy in revenge for destroying his play. The kid escapes, and in his adventures of old Londontown he manages to free a chained bear, rescue a baron who's head is bound for the chopping block, and meet Elizabeth I herself. It makes for a thrilling story of escape, friendship, and jolly good adventuring.

First of all, I just want to say that I love the concept of Shakespeare being a villain of Terminatoresque proportions. About the time the bard, who has presumably swam several miles out to meet Queen Elizabeth's barge, pulls himself out of the water and makes a lunge for the boy, that was the moment I really loved the book. Is there anything more terrifying than an angry Shakespeare? I think not. Kids reading this book will get a great introduction into the world of Elizabethean drama and living. From the Tower of London's ravens to the houses and shops that used to stand along London Bridge, the book is an excellent encapsulation of an earlier time. You grow to love the bear and fear the bard. Of the baron, there isn't much to say.

So for a great wordless picture book that gives a brief history lesson amongst cartoon-like illustrations, this one can't be beat. Consider it a fine addition for your own little budding Shakespeare scholar.

This is a great book, but, despite the age range listed for it and some of the reviews, it is not a book for younger children, certainly not for preschoolers. Beheading is a theme, including a prominent picture of heads on pikes atop a castle. If your child is observant, you may find yourself needing to answer questions you do not wish to answer.

There is normally no consistency in what I read, whether it be genre, age targeted, new, old, and bad or good...I just read. I have though recently run across a number of wordless books, some for the younger set such as the one being reviewed here, and some for the older crowd. One of the nice things about these wordless reads is that they quite often transcend the period from childhood and can be as enjoyable for old geezers like myself as they are for the wee ones. This is certainly one of those works.

A little boy is kicking a soccer ball around the street in present day London. As often happens with little boys and sports balls of all makes, the ball ends up crashing through a window; in this case the window of a very old theater. Needless to say our young delinquent athlete removes some boards from the windows and goes in search of his lost ball. He goes into an old closet and discovers costumes from an earlier age...he tries some on and then kicks the ball, which he has found, through a pair of curtains. Again, he gives chase.

BLAM! Our little guy finds himself on the state of an open air theater in Elizabethan London in the middle of a play being directed by the Immortal Bard himself! We see at this point that there is another side to Shakespeare...he has a temper! The chase in on!

Through the streets of Elizabethan London the boy is pursued by the angry play write. Along the say he picks up a bear he finds locked in a cage and the two proceed across London Bridge (the heads stuck on pikes are an added touch) and on to the Tower of London where they happen upon an unfortunate Baron awaiting the headman's block. The boy and the bear help him escape. As chance would have it they jump upon a barge on the River Thames which happens to be the Queen's own. The boy, the Baron and the bear are introduced to Elizabeth I and she is smitten by the young Baron. They have a wonderful party. Suddenly Bill shows up again and the chase continues.

I won't go on as I do not want to spoil the story by giving away the ending, but I will say that the entire book is hilarious and doses have a rather happy ending.

The art work here, in particular the facial expressions of the main characters and the people met in the streets are absolutely a delight. Each drawing, all of different sizes some as large as a full page; others quite small, are executed perfectly and absolutely no words are needed to tell this amusing story.

I like this one as even rather small children will be able to figure out the story line with little or now problem, but at the same time is an absolute delight for the older reader. It allows little imaginations to soar and allows the adult to add bits and pieces here and there as they read this one with the child.

This is a fun book and is heavily used at the school and public library in our area...kids seem to be fascinated with it and I have seen many an older person setting smirking and grinning while going through it. While it may not be historically accurate, it is a wonderful way to introduce the small child to the works of Shakespeare and give a very nice history lesson at the same time, rather twisted and tweaked though it may be.

Now reader take note. There are aspects of this work that are pretty sophisticated and it might be wise to read this one with your child through the first time and give little words of explanation as to the context of the story.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Great book! This book allows my son to be creative with making up a story for the pictures. He is only 3 but loves Shakespeare!

I purchased the book from Amazon about a month ago, after reading E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird"'s review on this page. The book arrived today, sooner than expected (i live in Israel). This slim paperback came inside a huge cardboard box. Most of the box's volume was taken up by a snake-shaped air-stuffed nylon bag, which had kept the book from jolting about during the trip. The book was fastened to a firm cardboard rectangle, slightly larger than it, to guard the book against folding and to keep its rims safe from friction against the box's sides. The book arrived in excellent condition. I thank Amazon for this thoughtful packing.

As for the book - it's a delight to read. I've nothing to add to Ramsseelbird's review. I've given it only 4 stars, because it isn't particularly memorable. It doesn't offer any deep insight (as does Banyay's "Zoom", for instance), nor any profound emotional experience, nor does it have an out-of-the-ordinary design.

The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard is a picturebook that presents its humorous and amazing story entirely in sequential, comic-book style illustrations. A young boy playing by himself in an old theater accidentally discovers a way to travel to the distant past - and the time of Shakespeare! Accidentally inciting the Bard's wrath, he flees, liberates a captive bear, rescues a timid baron from the tower of London, all the while evading William Shakespeare's furious pursuit. The whimsical color pictures perfectly relate this chuckle-inducing story all the way to the wistful end.