The Bear's Song

Starred review from September 2, 2013
In the Buster Keatonesque climax of this glorious romp from Chaud (Pomelo’s Opposites), Papa Bear takes a dive through some opera house scenery and lands in a crystal chandelier onstage, dangling above two very surprised singers. How did he get there? His son, Little Bear, has spent the book chasing a single bee in hopes of finding honey. Papa Bear, in turn, has been chasing Little Bear through one spread to the next, from their native forest (where Papa Bear’s presence starts an animal stampede) into the bustling streets of a French city (where almost no one notices him) and into the opera house. Though the song Papa Bear roars to the startled audience doesn’t go over well (“Wait a minute. Where is everyone going?”), he finds Baby Bear at last—and some honey, too. The hide-and-seek quality of the oversize spreads contributes much of the story’s fun—alert searchers can always find the bears and bee, but the riot of French life that surrounds them is just as entertaining. Closely and affectionately observed, Chaud’s tale bursts with joie de vivre. Bis! Ages 3–5.

Starred review from September 1, 2013
Hibernation is for grown-ups--Little Bear has adventure on his mind. In mad pursuit of a bee, Little Bear races through the forest, farther and farther away from his snoozing, cave-bound father: "Little Bear is too caught up in honey thoughts to hear winter's whisper. A busy sort of buzzing beckons him instead." Eagle-eyed readers can track the bear and bee all the way to Paris from the French countryside, devouring the hundreds of fanciful details that populate each gorgeous, oversized, double-page spread. When Papa Bear wakes up and sees his errant cub is missing, he too dashes off, eventually ending up at the Opera Garnier and--oo la la!--even finding his voice onstage: "Grooooaaaarrrr!" Minidramas unfold by the square inch on delicious curry-, paprika- and olive-colored pages--cloaked and shifty-eyed lurkers, a mysterious lady with a poodle, a monkey-hatted child. Even in the Opera's exquisitely rendered architectural flourishes lurk images of forest beasts, and the honeycomb endpapers aptly flank the busy visual hive within. The playful, poetic text--brilliantly translated from the original French--hums along as nature and culture stylishly collide: "Now where could that bee and that Little Bear be?" This extraordinary picture book, first published in France as Une chanson d'ours (2011), is as happy a surprise as finding a honey-filled hive at the end of a fur-raising journey. (Picture book. 2-8)

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September 1, 2013

K-Gr 2-In this engaging, oversize picture book, Papa Bear is just settling down for winter when he realizes that Little Bear has run off. The cub is chasing a bee, first through the forest and then through a French metropolis. Papa Bear searches everywhere, finally catching sight of his son on the steps of the Opera House. But inside, now where did he go? Young readers will enjoy figuring out the answer as they search page by page for Little Bear and the bee. Each large spread features a scene filled with dozens of figures, many of which serve as decoys for Little Bear. What makes the watercolor and line illustrations even more fun are the humorous details, such as the two woodcutters who have scurried up a tree as Papa Bear runs past them in the forest. With its rich colors, heavy paper, and cosmopolitan locale, this is more than a seek-and-find book, and the story has a very sweet ending involving honey and Papa Bear's song. A pleasing choice for kids who just can't get enough Waldo, and even those who can.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
Preschool-K *Starred Review* This visual treat of a book follows Papa Bear and Little Bear on an adventure from the countryside to a bustling city. Papa Bear is hibernating in the forest, toes up and round belly on full display. Little Bear, however, is too caught up in honey thoughts to worry about winter approaching, and a sort of buzzing beckons him out of the forest. He's hot on the heels of a bee. Call it intuition, but Papa Bear wakes suddenly wondering where his little cub has scampered off to and he sets off at a trot through the forest. This is the premise, and it's simple enough, right? But noFrench author and illustrator Chaud wends us through intricate scenes, first populated with all kinds of animals and trees, then cityscapes filled with people, so bustling and charmingly detailed that the eye, happily, doesn't know where to land first. It's Where's Waldo?, Little Bearstyle. Chaud, however, knows when to pause for effect, as during Papa Bear's rousing solo at the Opera House, where Little Bear has arrived. The pictures really do tell the story here; the words seem almost unnecessary. With a distinctive art style, large vertical trim size, and expressive charactersfrom bear to opera-goerthis is a book not to be missed. Encore!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
When Little Bear runs off in search of honey, his father follows him through the woods, into the city, and finally to the stage of a Paris opera house. The text is unremarkable, and the plot is a stretch. It's the stylish oversize illustrations--bursting with texture, detail, and humor--that are the star of the book.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)