Official Review: A Bear's Story by Eva Zonnios

[Manang Muyang]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Bear's Story" by Eva Zonnios.]

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1 out of 4 stars

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“Oh let me be your Teddy Bear!” So goes an Elvis Presley rock-and-roll ditty of long ago.

Bears have become lovable creatures largely because of the Teddy Bear, but they are actually ferocious beasts that children (and adults) should avoid. But I digress. In a child’s world, a bear is cute and cuddly. Will this bear be the exception to the rule?

A Bear’s Story is a picture book, part of the Eva Zonnios Children’s Collection series. Eva herself did all the illustrations, simple watercolor pieces that children can attempt on their own. (The artwork is one of the come-ons of this book.)

The long winter months are over, and Brown Bear is just waking up from hibernation. He is now Big Brown Bear, taller and stronger than when he entered the cave, his winter home. Eager to feel the sunshine on his back, he steps out of the cave. Alas, he is startled by loud clanging and clashing sounds! He spies several men in big machines cutting down trees and razing his forest home. He is distraught over the prospect of losing the trees and his friends, the birds and the forest frogs. How can he stop the men from destroying his home? Is he up to the task, now that he is a lot bigger and stronger?

The book is extremely child-friendly. The text is in a large and clear font (adults will love it too!) for easy reading. The text and pictures are on facing pages, depicting the story in both words and images. Even very young children will grasp the gist of the story from the pictures. There are at most eight sentences to a page. The words used are generally simple, with a sprinkling of bigger words (e.g., glorious, curiously, challenge, and gingerly) for upgrading a child’s vocabulary.

There is much to learn from the book. First is the concept of hibernation. I myself learned a fact or two from consulting the internet about the concept. Second is about growing up; kids will grow to become adults and take on responsibilities. Third is the warmth of family love; Big Brown Bear recalls how his mother cared for him in his youth and taught him courage and confidence. Fourth is caring for the environment; the workers have to be stopped from wrecking the forest.

A lover of children’s books, I enjoyed this bear story. However, the book leaves much to be desired. I am a stickler for grammar rules insofar as children’s books are concerned. The main issue is on punctuation: commas, periods, quotation marks, and hyphens are either absent or present at the wrong time. The word “alongside” is spelled as “along side,” and “had gotten injured” is in the colloquial “had got injured.”

Some facts also need straightening out. The author refers to the bear’s “thick woolly coat.” My research shows that bears have fur, but no wool. “Struck wide open” is used erroneously as no force is used in that scene. The picture on page 39 is not convincing, considering that the leader and his workers are scared to death and end up running like hell.

Giving the characters catchy names other than Big Brown Bear and mother is also recommended to aid recall and add impact. Note the hilarious imagery that accompanies the name of the workers’ boss, Inspector Treestump.

The most disturbing flaw was the method used to drive away the villains. They were only doing their job which was to build a road. (It would have been different had they been illegal loggers.) The worst that Inspector Treestump did was to hurt the forest frog. Still, Big Brown Bear bullied them (and was smug and ready for a nap afterwards). I am afraid that children will get the wrong message: that bullying is fine when you are defending your territory. (In reality, I doubt that any amount of growling by wild animals would keep the road developers away for long.)

Owing to the flaws I mentioned, I am constrained to give this children’s book a rating of 1 out of 4 stars. While I can appreciate the many lessons to be learned from the book, the implied assent to bullying is something I cannot bear.

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A Bear's Story
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Like Miriam Molina's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Sahani Nimandra]

Thank you for this explanatory review, I love to recommend it to my younger siblings. I is always nice to see a child book coming up, reminds me pig my own childhood. Once again thank you!

[kandscreeley]

Wow! It seems like this could have been a cute kid's book. With the grammatical errors and the factual errors, it doesn't look like one to recommend to anyone. Maybe the author can make some changes. Thanks for the information, though.

[Manang Muyang]

Thanks, Sahani Nimandra and Kandscreely for reading and commenting on Christmas day! I was sad to give this book a bad rating on this merriest of days. I hope the author will forgive me in the spirit of the season.

[pinklover]

Yeah, your right as you mentioned that bears are ferocious animals that people should avoid but it look cuddly and cute because of teddy bears.

[Umarmustapha20]

I love teddy bears just as my little niece does too but can't recommend this book for me I think d writer can come out with something better still using some content bears re been described as cute nd can be unfriendly somehow in my own understanding

[Manang Muyang]

Yeah, your right as you mentioned that bears are ferocious animals that people should avoid but it look cuddly and cute because of teddy bears.

Hi, Pinklover! Thanks for reading and commenting. Would you like a Teddy Bear for Christmas? (Sorry, no pink ones.) A panda would be great for me.

[Manang Muyang]

I love teddy bears just as my little niece does too but can't recommend this book for me I think d writer can come out with something better still using some content bears re been described as cute nd can be unfriendly somehow in my own understanding

Yes, the book could have been wonderful if not for the bullying part. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Umarmustapha20!

[story3girl]

Oh how disappointing. I was hoping for a sweet Teddy bear book, but it sounds like this is one to skip.

[Manang Muyang]

Oh how disappointing. I was hoping for a sweet Teddy bear book, but it sounds like this is one to skip.

I hope the author can tweak the story to make it work. As it is now, I don't recommend it to kids from one to ninety-two.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Story3girl!

[pinklover]

ohh, I like it because it is so soft and smooth and the pink one such a good idea. Well sometimes, I am scared on toys like bears.

[Alice Heritage]

This could have been a good book about growing older and taking responsibility. It could also have some educational value because of the content about hibernation and ecology. It's a shame that it gives children a harmful message.

[Manang Muyang]

Yes, it's a pity. Now I am trying to recall the story of Goldilocks and Papa, Mama and Baby Bear.

Thanks for visiting, ButterscotchCherrie!

[Alice Heritage]

Now I am trying to recall the story of Goldilocks and Papa, Mama and Baby Bear.

Thanks for visiting, ButterscotchCherrie!

I think the underlying message of that was: "Don't mess with other people's stuff!"

[Manang Muyang]

Thanks for the reminder. I don't remember any growling by those bears. I seem to recall they were wearing jumpers. Papa had a pipe; Mama had a bonnet and Baby a bib. Haha, ain't I too old for this?