Written by: Jory John
Illustrated by: Erin Kraan
Approximate read time: 9 minutes
Age group: 3 – 6
Rating: B+
The dialogue and the illustrations are sure to make you smile in this cute story. The reading is light and ideal for a bedtime story, following a structured plot with a funny climax. Our protagonist is a hilarious, self-dialoguing bear, who finds himself on a quest to find out just what is off about his day. The book has a modern feel, with exchanges you might expect from a comically-inclined writer. The dialogue reminded me a bit of this generation of animated movies, like Rio and Luca. While there is a theme of the appreciation of friendship, the story isn’t strongly driven by a moral lesson. The colorful illustrations are masterful; facial expressions on the characters are so beautifully done. This is a book you could easily pick up again and again.
In addition, there is a mention of a gift from Grandmother. This makes the book great for inside joke potential. What did your little reader think of the final pages? We were all giggling!
Excerpt:
“Just be cool, man. Play it cool. Just another day. Don’t let them see you sweat. Um, why am I sweating so much?”
Other information:
Published by:Â Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Number of pages: 40
Language: English