Review - The Bear's Song

The Bear's Song (Little Bear and Papa Bear #1)
by Benjamin Chaud
Date: 2011
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

"Sweet" has new meaning in this richly illustrated, immersive picture book about two bears on a big-city adventure. Papa Bear is searching for Little Bear, who has escaped the den. Little Bear is following a bee, because where there are bees, there is honey! When the quest leads both bears into the bustling city and a humming opera house, theatrical hijinks ensue, culminating in a deliciously harmonious reunion. Children and parents alike will savor Benjamin Chaud's lush illustrations, and relish in the book's bonus seek-and-find elements.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I have a feeling that some of the charm of the text got lost in translation. The narrative was just okay for me. Far more enjoyable was looking at the intricate illustrations.

Papa Bear awakes to find that his son has gone missing from their den. He chases him into the city, and then into an opera house. At some point, Papa Bear ends up on stage, and decides to sing the Bear's Song, an ursine lullaby. Of course, it doesn't quite have the same effect on humans as it does on bear cubs, and panic ensues. But in the chaos, Papa Bear finds his son, and discovers why the kid ran off in the first place.

I read this as an e-book, and it was really difficult to see all the little details in the pictures. I would hope that this is a rather large physical book; it needs to be, if you want to be able to see everything in the illustrations.

I wasn't blown away by this, but I enjoyed it well enough that I wouldn't hesitate to read the other books in the series... preferably in physical editions, though.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5