Humphrey's Bear (An Owlet Book) [Paperback]

Jan Wahl (Author), William Joyce (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1989 | Age Level: 4 and up | Series: An Owlet Book

A Christopher Award winner, 1987
A Redbook Top Ten Picture Book of 1987
An IRA-CBC Children's Choice for 1988

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Humphrey's extraordinary bear grows huge and the two sail off in search of adventure; a typhoon washes them ashore on an island, where hot chocolate is served. Intense images coupled with a gentle dream-like story should captivate youngsters at bedtime. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3 Author and illustrator credit the influence of animated films of 30 years ago and more on their work, and it's easy to imagine a bouncy cartoon soundtrack accompanying this simple adventure tale. Father grumbles, ``Isn't Humphrey too old to sleep with a toy bear?'' He's forgotten his own childhood joy in dreamtime sailing with that very same bear. The dreaming child sets off with his toy. They are caught by a typhoon and wash up on an island. The blue coloring, the details of palm trees, ocean, and the island setting unmistakably recall Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Humphrey's story, like that classic, begins with parental disapproval, only to end in reconciliation. Humphrey is too passive to interest children the way feisty Max does; nor is Humphrey's bear, grown overnight many times larger than the boy, entirely sympathetic. There is something unsettling that the last page fade-out of dad, bear, and boy cuddling together can't put to rest. The jacket art shows the two adventurers as a parent would see them looking down. Boy and bear are nestled in bed, cozy and vulnerable. It's a wonderful illustration. Gentle story or lackluster homage? This team is too good and the book too carefully made to disregard, but probably just as many children will be indifferent to it as are passionately attached. Anna Biagioni Hart, Sher wood Public Library, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (September 15, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805011692
• ISBN-13: 978-0805011692
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,672,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars warm warm and warm, December 3, 2001

By 

Shari Zychinski (st louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Humphrey's Bear (An Owlet Book) (Paperback)

william joyce's illustrations make this one of my very favorite books: it is the book i always give as a baby shower gift. ANYONE can give "goodnight moon" but this book is special. the first 5 or 6 times i read it to my son i cried at the last line. i like how the FATHER is the one who comforts the boy (on the last page) and it is the mother who looks on lovingly. simply a wonderful, cozy book, if ever there was one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Bedtime Story in the Style of Sendak's, Where the Wild Things Are, January 11, 2006

By 

Sherry Ellis - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Humphrey's Bear (Hardcover)

Humphrey's Bear is a classic award-winning bedtime tale very much in the style of Mauric Sendak's, Where the Wild Things Are. It is the story of a young boy named Humphrey who, much to his father's dismay, goes to bed with his teddy bear. As he dreams, Humphrey's front yard becomes the setting for a seafaring adventure in which his teddy bear becomes a large and rather bossy shipmate.

Humphrey's Bear has a rich and colorful text which makes it perfect for sharing as a read-aloud story. The text is complimented nicely by dark illustrations which evoke a sense of mystery and adventure.

My four-year-old daughter really enjoys listening to me read this book. She isn't bothered by the fact that the teddy bear becomes a bossy bloke, and it doesn't bother her that Humphrey awakens to find his father holding the bear, as if he was planning to take it away as his son slept. Maybe these are things that only an adult would notice.

5.0 out of 5 stars Humphrey's Bear (An Owlet Book), September 14, 2009

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Humphrey's Bear (An Owlet Book) (Paperback)

ISBN 0805011692 - This multiple award winner (1987 Christopher Award winner, 1987 Redbook Top Ten Picture Book, 1998 IRA-CBC Children's Choice) is one that every parent ought to read. Yes, parent. It's a great book for children, but more importantly, it is a touching reminder for the adults who need reminding, now and then, that children grow up fast enough without you wishing away childish things.

As Humphrey heads to bed, the teddy bear that used to be his father's in hand, he overhears his father suggesting the Humphrey might just be a little old for a teddy bear. Humphrey doesn't want to hear his mother's response, just heads up to bed and off to sleep. In his dreams, he sails with his bear - now grown to adult size - and nearly loses him when a typhoon swamps their boat. Humphrey swims to shore and follows the sound of a banjo to find his friend waiting for him. Suddenly, Humphrey jerks awake, calling for his bear, to find his father standing over his bed, bear in hand. His father understands immediately why Humphrey is looking for the bear and holds him, while he holds the bear.

Illustrator William Joyce almost manages to outshine the author, with fantastically bed-time-dark images. Humphrey is surprisingly small in almost every illustration, walking up stairs that are almost as tall as his legs are long, or lying in a huge bed on a gigantic pillow. Most of the drawings are light on details, leaving the very small Humphrey to look that much smaller. Jan Wahl, the author, lives up to those images. The text is as simple and without flourishes as the images, but still manages to tell an exciting adventure story with a wonderful, heart-warming ending. This is one that, even after several reads, with tug at your heart strings.

- AnnaLovesBooks