Bear Despair
Bear Despair
Written and illustrated by Gaëtan Dorémus
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2012
Don't ever take a bear's teddy bear, no matter how cute you think it is. If you do, you'll be in for trouble. Big trouble. For a bear whose teddy has been stolen isn't simply heartbroken, but determined to get it back. So determined that he might just gobble up more than honey to do so! However, should he succeed in getting his teddy back, then there just might be a surprise in store. This is a book that all readers will relish, and one they will want to read again and again.
ISBN: 978-1-59270-125-4
10.13" (W) x 5.88" (H) • 32 pages • HCJ
AWARDS AND REVIEWS
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book of 2012
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of 2013
★ "A blue bear lies asleep under a tree, clutching a treasured teddy bear. A long-snouted wolf sneaks up, snatches the teddy bear, and runs off with it... There are no tiresome morals about sharing one's belongings or waiting patiently until they are found; Dorémus goes straight to the frustration and rage of childhood, laying them out in 32 pages like a brisk session on an analyst's couch." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
★ "The art is lovely; the crosshatch style and color palette are unique and childlike. Dorémus depicts the animals’ emotions in gorgeous ways, such as the worry in the eyes of Lion when the eggs start hatching or the spread showing Bear under a rain cloud, mourning the loss of his teddy. This charming book is a winner." —STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal
★ "After his teddy bear is stolen, Bear must go on a quest to get it back—and he's not going to let anyone get in his way! The illustrations in this pictorial narrative are both beautiful and hilarious. It will leave you wondering... what would you do to get your beloved bear back?" —STARRED REVIEW, Booksmith
"There are no words to describe a great bear's heartbreak when a fox swipes his stuffed teddy in Bear Despair, a captivating pictures-only book for all ages by French illustrator Gaëtan Dorémus. Wordless illustrated books necessarily exact an extra measure of concentration from whose who ‘read’ them - there are no sentences, after all, to explain the images—and this one repays the effort in surprising and gratifying ways." —Meghan Cox Gurdon, The Wall Street Journal
"In this wordless tale, the French illustrator uses a storyboard format of large and small encircled scenes on a white page to tell an energetic and emotional tale. [...] Colorful drawings with overlays of swirling lines sweep by at a fast pace as the action grows increasingly frantic, mirroring Bear’s growing anxiety. A lesson to be learned: don’t mess with the teddy. An imaginative and well-designed chase." —Kirkus Reviews
“Dorémus’ crosshatched illustrations express emotion beautifully, and the story is well paced as a series of varyingly sized vignettes on white pages, much like a storyboard. It’s all pretty funny, and kids may relate to Bear’s primal rage.” —Ann Kelley, Booklist
"…this bear really devours his enemies... No lessons and no morals are attached—just a screaming childhood id. The bear wants his teddy and will do anything to get it!" —Anita Silvey, The New York Times
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