A Story for Bear [Hardcover]

Dennis Haseley (Author), Jim LaMarche (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

When a young bear finds a scrap of an old letter, he is so curious about the mysterious marks that he searches out their source--a cabin in the woods. There he meets a young woman and is mesmerized by the sound of her voice. Though he cannot understand her words, he returns every day to hear the woman's stories of sailors, goddesses, and far-off lands.
Dennis Haseley's magical fantasy and Jim LaMarche's luminous illustrations together celebrate the joy of reading. A book sure to delight any child who has ever been read to.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Haseley's (Kite Flier) wistful tale of a bear beguiled by a woman he befriends one summer, inconsistencies render the events more puzzling than haunting. The narrative begins from the bear's point of view, as he first discovers "something lying on the ground," which readers can see is a letter. On the next spread, the narrative voice shifts: "Through the years, the bear looked at the paper with wonder it seemed as far away and mysterious as the moon." Next, the text switches to the main action: the bear observes a woman outside her cabin, carrying something he can describe only as "a mysterious square thing." However, in the next sentence he identifies it: "He [tried] to understand what she was doing as she held the book." The tug-of-war in point of view continues as the woman begins to read aloud to the bear. At the end of her stay, she leaves her books for him (even though he cannot read), and he takes them back to his cave, where they provide him with comfort all winter. LaMarche's (The Raft) shimmering pastel spreads go far to carry the tale over its rough spots. The artwork conveys the bear and the woman in growing intimacy, their heads drawing closer together over the shared books. Nature scenes chronicle the passing of the summer; in the sky behind them, geese fly south, hinting at her departure. Yet LaMarche alone cannot clarify the narrative. Some children may find the magic in this peaceable kingdom, but more will be left outside, wondering what to make of it. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2--A young bear finds a piece of paper with black marks on it in the woods and keeps it for several years, wondering about its meaning. One summer, he wanders farther than usual and discovers a cabin in a clearing, and a woman holding a mysterious square thing in her hands. He returns day after day, his curiosity compelling him closer to her. One afternoon, she invites him to sit with her. Thus begins a daily routine of the woman reading aloud to the bear, who cannot understand the words, but is mesmerized by the tones and melodies of her voice. The bear is anthropomorphized, but still a believably realistic wild bear. LaMarche's illustrations, done in warm tones of acrylic and colored pencil on watercolor paper, back up this realistic tone. There are a couple of awkward elements in the plot, the most obvious of which is the letter that begins the story and reappears in the middle but is never explained. However, children are not likely to notice the snags, but will focus instead on the gentle warmth of the story.
Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152002391
• ISBN-13: 978-0152002398
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 11 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The mystery and magic of words, April 22, 2002

By 

yoda123 "marienlovett" (Lagunitas, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Story for Bear (Hardcover)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Quiet, Gentle Fantasy....., October 1, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Story for Bear (Hardcover)

One summer day, a bear strayed far from home, and found himself in a clearing, watching a woman reading. "Sometimes, as she gazed at the book, she laughed out loud. Other times, she lowered it and looked away, but without really seeing anything, he thought. Still other times, she appeared afraid and held it tightly, And once, when the sun slanted through the trees, he saw her place it gently on her lap and close her eyes..." The bear was mesmerized, and came back day after day to watch the woman read. One day the woman notices the bear and calls to him. He cautiously lumbers over near her chair, lies down, and she begins to read aloud. "The bear gazed up at her as she said the words and turned the pages. He couldn't understand any of what she was saying. But as he listened to the sound of her voice, happiness washed over him like waves." And so the summer continued, until one day, as autumn approached, the bear arrived at her chair in the woods, and she was gone. "There, under the tree where she usually sat, were her books. There were many of them, more than he had ever seen, lying on a cloth, fallen leaves and pinecones on their covers." Slowly and carefully he took each book back to his cave. "And all that winter, before she came back in the spring, whenever he put his nose to the pages or touched the covers with his claws, she was there..." Dennis Haseley's eloquent text is quiet and heartwarming, and filled with magic. But it's Jim LaMarche's engaging, dreamy and expressive artwork, in soft and appealing earthtones, that really makes this picture book stand out. Together word and art send a gentle message about the joys of reading and being read to, that won't be lost on young children. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, A Story For Bear makes a wonderfully soothing and reassuring bedtime story that little ones will beg to read again and again.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Children's Tale, April 11, 2002

By 

Jason N. Mical (Bellevue, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Story for Bear (Hardcover)

I'm not in the habit of reviewing children's books, but something special compels me to write a little about this one. I got this handsome hardcover as part of a payment for some contract work, and I was touched by the story's tender narrative and peaceable message.

The bear of the title finds a note in the woods. One day, he notices a woman reading some books outside of her summer cabin. The bear comes closer until he develops a relationship with the woman, and she reads to him every day until she has to leave for the winter. She leaves the bear her books, and when he hibernates with them, he is reminded of his friend and the fond memories they shared.

I'm not sure what's so touching about such a simple story, and my summary hardly does it justice. I think it may be partially due to Jim Lamarche's illustrations, a kind of child-like (but excellent) kind of pastel crayon/colored pencil motif that manages to touch on the primeval aspects of youth still dormant in all of us jaded, twenty-something adults. A Story for Bear has just the right blend of magic and emotion to make it a favorite for adults and kids alike. I would certainly have no objections reading it twenty, thirty, or a hundred times to my youngsters (when I have them!) Until then, I'm content to browse through it myself, and let my mind wander back to the innocence and wonder of a world where bears and people read together, and the simplest of feelings mean the entire universe.