Brave Bear Book

Brave Bear overcomes his fears to help a friend in this delightful picture book tale of courage and friendship.

Horn Book

(Preschool)
A small, friendly bear overcomes his fear of climbing to carry a fallen bird back to its nest. The opening double-page illustration foregrounds a tall tree on the left and begins the story on the right as the bear approaches the fallen bird, asking, "Are you all right?" In similar fashion, each of the following spreads holds only a few words and focuses squarely on the teddyish bear and small blue bird as they make their way up the tall, tall tree. The bird's forlorn expression in response to bear's initial doubts ("I'm not sure that I can") prompts a valiant start ("but I'll try") on the following page. When bear's shirt is caught as they near the end of a long, outstretched limb, it's the bird's turn to help, and-"We're almost there." The fine-lined black border and white space surrounding each large spread lends a cinematic feel to the story, while long roots and branches bursting through picture's edge add drama to the climb. The final single-page picture is a classic final shot: the safely nested bird and comfortably perched bear are framed by a soft yellow sun, and the two friends reach out in a gentle wing-to-paw touch. l.a.