Bear

Title: Bear
Author: Mike Inkpen
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton Children’s Division
$17.99

One day, out of the blue, a mischievous but lovable bear falls from the sky and lands in Sophie’s playpen and sets about wreaking all kinds of havoc in Bear, Mike Inkpen’s latest endearing picture book for children.

From scribbling on the walls of the nursery to upending the feathers from the quilt all over the floor, Bear lands Sophie and her older narrator brother in all kinds of trouble with their parents. After all, who would suspect the impishly cute Bear could ever be responsibly for such naughty deeds? But then, as mysteriously as he arrived, their new found friend Bear disappears...

For this review I enlisted the help of two experts in the children’s books field: Cameron, aged 3, liked the bit when Bear fell out of the sky best and the pop up on the last page. Jacob, aged 5, liked how naughty Bear was but how he never got the blame. Auntie, aged 20-something, liked the delightful illustrations (also by the author) and the ending which left the audience to make up their own mind as to what happens to Mike Inkpen’s lovable “Bear.”


A book and accompanying CD, narrated by British TV star Martin Clunes is now also available.