Brother Hugo and the Bear

 This one just came in the mail and I love it already!  According to the author this was amazingly based on a true incident (which makes me love it all the more!).  

Brother Hugo and the Bear

Katy Bebe

illustrated by S. D. Schindler

The book of Saint Augustine letters has been unfortunately eaten by a bear.  As penance, Brother Hugo must borrow a copy from the neighboring monastery and re-write it.  The Prior lends him the book with the gentle admonishment, "Just remember that books are food for the souls of men, not for the stomachs of bears."

Other monks come to help him and we learn a bit about the creation of illuminated manuscripts.  But Brother Hugo knows that "once a bear has a taste for letters, his love of books grows much the more."  Everything is enjoyable- the historical details, the humor, and the engaging illustrations.  This would have been a favorite when my kids were little.

Bunny Bearskin

Bunny Bearskin

An old vintage book with wonderful illustrations.  The story is a little odd and involves a bunny borrowing a bear skin coat he finds hanging on the line at Mr. and Mrs. Bear's house.  He manages to escape many would be predators on his way home because they mistake him for a bear.  

Bear and Wolf

 

A tender story of friendship between a bear and a wolf.  They meet one night in a snowy wood and decide to walk together.  The illustrations feel like chalk or crayon and although simple still manage to evoke care for these two animals who explore their winter world together.  As they go their separate ways, you know they are going to meet as friends again.

Bear and Wolf

by Daniel Salmieri 2018

Oregon's Journey

Oregon's Journey

Rascal

pictures by Louis Joos

With hints of magic realism and a dose of Americana, there's something sweet and haunting about this simple story.  A clown and a bear leave the circus together and make their way across the country to the mountains where the bear can be wild and live free.  The sweeping watercolor illustrations and plain but evocative text create a story that stirs something deeper when you read it. 

A Bear for All Seasons

A Bear for All Seasons

Diane Marcial Fuchs

illustrated by Kathryn Brown 1995

Autumn is my very favorite season, but sometimes I feel like Bear, changing my mind when I think of the fresh skies of Spring, or how the sun is soft and heavy in Summer, or the cozy feeling of waking up to a Winter snow day.  Bear was trying to take his winter's nap when Fox comes in and reminds him of all the different joys to be found in each of the seasons.  In the end Bear realizes that "the company of good friends is what I love best- no matter what the season."

Ping and Pong

Ping and Pong

adapted and illustrated by David McPhail 1994

This is a wondrously funny rendition of a short poem by Dennis Lee called "Peter Ping and Patrick Pong".  We've actually come across it before in a collection of poems, but David McPhail's interpretation brings it to hilarious life.  

It's a case of switched at birth between a boy and a bear.  The joke is that no one seems to notice and as Peter and Patrick grow up they become enemies and then the best of friends.  Dennis Lee's original poem is at the end as well as his thoughts on McPhail's creative treatment of it.  A really fun book to read.