Nikolai, the Only Bear (Hardcover)

by Barbara Joosse (Author), Renata Liwska (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: Miss Sonya

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-K–Nikolai, the sole bear in a Russian orphanage, doesn't fit in. Because he growls rather than talks and doesn't always "play nice," he has remained in the institution for three years. An American couple, in search of a youngster to love, visits the children's home and becomes acquainted with the cub. The bearded man has the ability to communicate in Bearspeak, while his wife makes Nikolai feel "soft-bearish" inside. All ends happily when the three leave Russia to become a family in the States. Pale tan, brown, and green dominate the soft-hued paintings, and the adults and children are all short with round heads and triangular noses. Read this well-written, attractively laid out bookalong with Eliza Thomas's The Red Blanket (Scholastic, 2004) for tales of cross-cultural adoptions.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
There are one hundred orphans at the Russian orphanage, but Nikolai is the only bear. He growls when he speaks and claws the air when he plays. "Play nice, Nikolai," the keepers say. No one wants to take Nikolai home. Until one day, when a fur-faced man and a smooth-faced woman come to visit from America. They growl with him and play with him, and sing songs that make him feel soft-bearish. And when it's time for them to go home, Nikolai knows that he has found the right family at last.

Charmingly illustrated by newcomer Renata Liwska, this is an adoption fable that any child who's ever felt like an outsider will easily relate to.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (March 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399238840
• ISBN-13: 978-0399238840
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #261,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About Belonging, July 16, 2007

By	Barbara Joosse "author" (Cedarburg, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This gentle story is one of my favorites. I share studio space with the grandma of a little boy who's adopted from this children's home, then referred to as Orphanage Number One (It's nice that the name has changed, isn't it? When I wrote the story, it was called Orphange Number One. Children's Home is certainly a kinder expression). Luckily, the little boy's family had videos of the children's home, which I studied before I wrote the story. His grandma and parents told me many of the details of the home, including the surprising children/caregiver ratio, which I included in the story. While these are accurate details, they also suited the story I wanted to tell.

I wanted to tell a story about belonging, not about rescuing. If I'd depicted the home in a dark light (though sadly accurate in many places), then it would have been a story about rescuing. I wanted Nikolai to have a quiet dignity. If no one understood him, it was wasn't because he was naughty or unappealing, it was because none of the "keepers" spoke bear! In the story, "Many orphans come and go. Nikolai stays. He has not found a family." Nikolai doesn't feel sorry for himself, he just continues on in his bearish ways. Then, one winter day, a fur-faced man comes along who understands Bear. Later, he brings his wife who has "moonlight hair and lake water eyes." When Nikolai claws the air, she claws, too, then holds Nikolai's paw in hers. Nikolai understands that these are visitors are like him, bearish, and he belongs with them.

It is the quiet certainty of belonging that help children understand--whether birth children or adopted--that they have a home, that they will always have a home--because this is their family.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nikolai, September 21, 2005

By	Kristina Lundquist - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I adopted my little boy (18 months at adoption) from Russia a year ago and was looking for a Russian adoption story for a little boy that I could read to him. Nikolai is a hit with my now 2-1/2 year old and one of the books he wants me to read to him every night. I'm glad I was able to find a book that was for a boy. This is a great story to initiate a conversation about Russia with him. Although my son can't understand the adoption process, he talks like he understands that he was born in Russia and the caregivers took care of him until Mama went to get him.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nikolai, the Only Bear, April 12, 2005

By	S. Decarle (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a children's librarian and the mother of a 7 year old daugher adopted from Russia (at five years old) I became teary eyed as I read this book. What stuck me was the fact that the author really took the time to research the setting and activities! Including the type of trees that grow in the area. I knew that she must have had first hand knowledge about the subject. The jacket of the book confirmed my thinking. I am always looking for books to read to my daughter that are non-threatening. The main character as a bear accomplishes just that! Thanks