I Know a Bear

June 9, 2014
First published in France, Argentinian author-artist Johnson’s deceptively casual tale, her U.S. debut, conceals a moral dilemma. A girl with unruly yellow hair sits in bed. She’s drawn in gentle, charcoal-like lines, tinted with pastel shades. She addresses readers: “I know a bear that comes from far away. From a place he calls the Land of the Bears.” Over several spreads, she’s seen accompanying the bear wherever he goes, dressed in her pajamas; the two gather honey and swim in the river. “Naps last for months and months.... The bear tells me that this place is both vast and wondrous.” Another page turn reveals the sour truth: the bear is seen behind the bars of a zoo cage, where the girl visits him. At home, she regards the family’s caged pet bird. “Today,” she says, “I had an idea.” She opens the door and frees the bird. “It felt both vast and wondrous.” It’s a featherlight portrait of a child who feels a call to take action and heeds it. Readers will hope that she can find a way to free the bear. Ages 3–7.

September 1, 2014
A picture-book parable encourages children to ponder the notion of freedom. In soft line and muted color, a blonde, curly-haired child talks about the bear at the zoo, who tells her about his faraway home, where the breakfasts are sweet and naps last for months. But he is caged at the zoo and cannot go home. The blonde child listens carefully to all the bear's words, thinks about them, and gets an idea. She releases her pet bird from its cage at home, and the bird joyously flies off to greet the bear before presumably continuing on to its own freedom. The text is so elliptical and understated that one might at first think part of the story is missing-and indeed it is, to be supplied by the readers. The apparent simplicity of the text belies the sophistication its listeners need to bring to it, making it a challenging book to match with readers. Gray, sage green and brown tones are lightened by the palest of rosy shades and the girl's bright hair, and Ruiz Johnson's bear is a fuzzy, monumental charmer with sad eyes and a gentle mien. Ultimately, though, there is too much philosophy here and not near enough story. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Soft, whimsical narrative voicing distinguishes this Argentine debut, originally published in France in 2011. The book is akin in illustration style to Jon Klassen's work with its soft tones and gentle charcoal lines and shading, and in poetic tone to Margaret Wise Brown (or more recently to Julie Fogliano). A child recounts the story of a bear that now lives in a zoo but is "From the Land of the Bears/A place both vast and wondrous." The large animal shares his memories of home: "The rivers are like bathtubs./Naps last for months and months./This is what he tells me." Then the tale turns woebegone when the creature pronounces that he cannot go back to the Land of the Bears. The narrator of unknown gender listens, tells, and applies what is learned, enacting a brave act of healing-all because of the reflective thinking required by sharing Bear's story. Very succinct in delivery, but with a profound message of empathy and the power of memory and place. Pair with Peter Brown's Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Little, Brown, 2013) to get a conversation started about our needs, and those of all animals, for both freedom and for a home.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Preschool-G Is caging animals for mankind's entertainment or education a humane practice? That is the question presented in this understated picture book certain to be the impetus for serious discussion. Simple, straightforward text and subdued illustrations in black, gray, and green reveal a small blond child (the gender is nonspecific) who describes visits to the black bear's cage at the local zoo. Then the bear reminisces about the land of bears, where the creatures are free to roam, climb trees for honey, swim in rivers, and hibernate over the winter. Both the child and bear understand that the animal can never return to that life, and its captivity causes the sympathetic youngster to acknowledge the plight of her family's caged pet bird at home. A powerful tale gently told that introduces a concept many children may not have examined but undeniably will begin to contemplate.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)