A Visitor for Bear Book

Cheery persistence wears down a curmudgeonly bear in a wry comedy of manners that ends in a most unlikely friendship.

Bear is quite sure he doesn’t like visitors. He even has a sign. So when a mouse taps on his door one day, Bear tells him to leave. But when Bear goes to the cupboard to get a bowl, there is the mouse — small and gray and bright-eyed. In this slapstick tale that begs to be read aloud, all Bear wants is to eat his breakfast in peace, but the mouse — who keeps popping up in the most unexpected places — just won’t go away!

Children's Literature

"No visitors allowed" says the sign on Bear's door, so when a small mouse knocks, Bear sends him away, but when he opens the cupboard for a bowl, there is the mouse. "Out!" says Bear, emphasized in large print. As Bear continues to make his breakfast, however, the mouse turns up in the bread drawer, and, after putting the mouse out again, Bear finds him in the fridge. Each time, Bear gets more upset and shuts up more parts of the house, while each time the mouse, "small and gray and bright-eyed," keeps reappearing. When Bear finds the mouse in the teakettle despite all efforts, he gives up. The mouse suggests just a bit of cheese and a cup of tea. The happy ending is then inevitable. A very civilized scene is set in watercolors, ink, and gouache, with appropriate details of cast iron stove, tiled fireplace, and patterned table coverings; it is the perfect place to find the sensitive, tubby brown bear wearing a much too small white apron. Bear's clearly defined expressions, gestures, and body language provoke us; we cannot help but smile. Mouse is a bit small to have the same comic power, but as we can see on the jacket, he can handle himself quite well. The very appealing characters make for a delightfully engaging story. Reviewer: Ken and Sylvia Marantz