Reviews for Horrible Bear!

by Ame Dyckman

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A freckle-faced white child with a mass of red curls piled three times the height of her head is flying her kite near a snowcapped mountaintop when"snap!"the string breaks, and the toy is blown into a sleeping bear's cave, coming to rest on his belly. Readers are cued into the nonscary absurdity as they observe the orange-furred bear napping in a Froggy Hollow Summer Camp T-shirt stretched across his huge belly, a tiny teddy bear tucked in his arm. As the girl reaches for her kite, the bear rolls over, crushing it: "crunch!" The girl is shocked into a fit of righteous anger, blaming the bear for breaking her toy. "HORRIBLE BEAR!"and so begins the refrain of her angry tantrum. The team that brought readers the adorable Wolfie the Bunny (2014) continues their success here. OHora's paintings are boldly colored and layered: a yellow stuffed bunny wears a teal jacket; the purple-and-black-clad little girl strides in red Converse high-top sneakers over a pea-green lawn. The limited language and solid acrylic paintings work together beautifully to convey emotion. When the little girl realizes that the bear didn't break her toy on purpose, one word speaks volumes: "Oh." Her face fills the entire page, her feelings indicated with black dot eyes, a couple of curved lines, and a black dot mouth. A charmingly loud and lighthearted friendship story. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A snoozing bear breaks a little girl's kite (CRUNCH!). The girl wakes the creature by shouting "HORRIBLE BEAR!" then storms off. The put-out bear stomps down to the girl's house, ready to wake her up--and he's unprepared for the apology he receives. This lively conflict-resolution-in-picture-book's-clothing is as entertaining as it is instructive. OHora's acrylic illustrations with thick black lines enhance the humor. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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