Book Review:Wonder Bear

Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu. Illus. the author.

2008.48 pg. Dial, $17.99 (9780803733282)
 

Format: Hardcover
Age Group:Preschool to Gr1
Genre: Fiction

Awards: Society of Illustrators' Founders Award

Subjects/Themes: Imaginary Creatures, Bears, Dreams
ELS promoted: 

Print motivation, print awareness, narrative skills  
 
Annotation: 

A young boy and girl plant seeds before they go to bed.  They dream about a bear that shows them magical places and creatures.

Reactions/Observations:

Reminiscent of Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, two young children travel into a magical world accompanied by a new friend (in this case, it’s Wonder Bear). In Nyeu’s wordless picture book, a young boy and girl plant a garden which grows overnight into gigantic blossoms that bloom Wonder Bear. Wonder Bear is an enormous white bear with a magical top hat that creates surreal mischievous monkeys, lions made of balloons, and flying sea life to entertain the children.

The artwork is phenomenal! The composition of the illustrations further emphasize the movement of the characters and the narrative. The book’s color scheme has a retro feel to it which adds to the whimsical nature of the imagery. The illustrations alone make this a personal favorite! Although this book is wordless, it provides an opportunity to practice narrative skills through book talking.  It’s unfortunate that the story line is weak in comparison to its strong imagery. Nyeu also authors and illustrates Bunny Days (2011) which shares her light hearted sense of humor that is only touched upon in Wonder Bear. Children will enjoy retelling and re imagining this dreamlike tale.