The Bear and the People Book

"Well, there was a man once, and he had a bear . . ." begins this story about a life long friendship between man and beast. The Bearman and the bear understand each other. Together they travel all over the country, "a part of the highway like the knotty old apple trees and whitehorn bushes," as they go from village to village, where they play music and juggle and dance and the children are always happy to see them. At night they sleep in the open, and before they do the Bearman tells a story and plays a beautiful melody on his horn for the bear and for God, a melody so beautiful that all the animals in the forest raise their heads and the leaves themselves stop rustling and listen.

And yet the Bearman and the bear have enemies: the jealous members of the Duda family, who are thieves and tricksters; and even more than that, the dogs. And when the Bearman dies, the bear must retreat into the wilderness for safety—until, after many adventures, he meets a new friend: a boy.

The Bear and the People is a lovely parable of friendship and courage and reverence for the natural world. It is a tale that is as exciting as it is touching and profound, and it will delight children and parents alike.

Quinby Frank - Children's Literature

Part fable, part allegory, part fairy tale, this German import addresses weighty themes with strong religious overtones. In the simple storyline, there is a man (Bearman) and he has a bear (Brown One). The man has only two friends--the bear and Dear God. He owns only an iron frying pan, a horn, and seven balls for juggling. Together, man and bear travel the countryside entertaining the people with the man's juggling and the bear's dancing. There is a rhythm to their journey, as they walk slowly, taking three steps to each breath. When faced with difficulties, including a villainous gypsy and a mob of vicious dogs, the man calls on Dear God to help him and blows his horn, which produces such a pure and beautiful sound that all who hear it are mesmerized. The clear melody of the horn is eternal and rises above the cruelty of man, the changing seasons, and the cycles of life. Eventually the man dies, but the bear, after many trials, finds another master in the person of a young boy who can also play the horn to evoke the same eternal power. The simple, expressive, delicately sketched pen and ink illustrations have a poignant childlike charm. This story of friendship has a uniquely timeless appeal. 2005, New York Review of Books, Ages 8 to 10.