This is the story of a small girl and her papa bear. Elma was found and raised by a bear in the forest. But their 7 years are up and it is time. So, Elma and papa bear set off on a long journey.

The story is sweet. It has a similar feel to jungle book. We aren't told where they are going, but the journey is dangerous and long. This gives us lots of sweet bonding moments between the two.

The art is beautiful. I love the oranges and blue combination. The love the two characters feel for each other is clear in their expressions.

Adorable, I can't wait to see where they are going next.

Elma: A Bear's Life by Ingrid Chabbert and Lea Maze is like a female version of the Jungle Book. It has beautiful illustrations and I like the adventurous feel of it. After reading the description, I did expect for this book to cover the entire story and felt that the cliffhanger was a little early in the story. I felt it would be better if there was something more exciting right at the end that left us wanting more.

4.5 stars!
Um, OKAY. How dare this graphic novel end on such a cliffhanger!? Nooo... I want to know what happens to Elma and Papa Bear! Do they make it?! Where are they going? Is he bringing her back home? Why is the forest and nature seemingly conspiring to take Elma away from Papa Bear? SO many questions! I kind of feel a little bit like Elma right now because the curiosity is strong!

I loved this graphic novel. First of all, that cover is a wonderful representation of the stunning art work that you'll find inside the pages. The colours are autumnal, so they're warm and very comforting. I could seriously just look at the pages all day because the work is beautiful, and I enjoyed that there was limited dialogue so it didn't detract from the art. This is targeted at children, however, at one point Elma does lose all her clothes and her full body (including genitalia) can be seen. It's one scene and then she's covered up again in the next. I don't think it was done distastefully, but I just thought I'd leave a warning anyway.

I found the start of the storyline just as enjoyable as the art. It obviously has "Jungle Book" vibes (of course, abandoned child in forest raised by an animal that's meant to be a predator) and although I admittedly am not the biggest fan of that story, I'm enjoying this one! I'm a little sad this was only the first volume/chapter, as reading the blurb led me to think it might be the full story. Still, I'm glad I stumbled across it and read it because so far it's a sweet story, although it does raise many questions I hope will be answered in the next volume! The relationship between Elma and Papa Bear was very sweet, and you can feel through their dialogue, interactions and the art that they really care for and love each other like father/daughter. I love a story where animals can talk and this was definitely no exception!

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on more of this graphic novel! I would 100% add this to my physical shelf because I love the art work so much! Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing the e-ARC for an honest review.

A beautifully drawn and illustrated young graphic novel that I wish was the entire idea because I hated the cliffhanger it ended on. Please give me the next one, ASAP!

Elma's father is a big bear. She likes him to tell her the story of how he found her years ago, every evening if she can persuade him to. Quite often she can.
And now they're going on a journey.

This was <i>so</i> cute and gave me all the fuzzy feelings. She even calls him papa bear, and he teachers her to climb and growl and now I want to re-watch the Jungle Book again.

The colour palette you see in the cover is used throughout the book, the forest and all things belonging to it are autumnly red, brown and yellow while papa bear and his charge are blue. The colours are more muted than vibrant, which gives a melancholic feel to the scenery.
All panels are so beautiful! Some of the bigger pictures I'd hang on my walls.

Then there is the cliffhanger. I went from not knowing anything about this to liking the artwork to be baffled I know have to wait to find out where they are travelling to, and for which reason.

I'd recommend this book to either people who have a soft spot for papa bears with human charges, or young readers that are old enough to make the leap from picture books to picture books with more plot. If you have enough attention to last through 40 beautiful pages, you should be fine.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This kind of graphic "novel" really irks me. It's not a self-contained story, despite what the synopsis might lead you to believe. As far as I can tell, the synopsis describes the whole series, not just this one book. Because what you get in The Great Journey is simply one chapter that ends on a cliffhanger. There are hints about what's going on (I'm guessing Papa Bear is taking Elma home to her people), but aside from a couple of perilous situations, there's really no plot. At least, there's no plot that's satisfactorily explored in this volume. It's simply a setup for the rest of the story.

NetGalley stuck this in the children's category, so I feel I need to mention the illustrations. This book really puts the "graphic" in "graphic novel". At one point, Elma loses her clothes. At first, everything is strategically covered, but then she's drawn... well, completely. I'm not even sure if depicting children's genitalia in drawings is even legal in every country, so that's something to be aware of.

I'm not generally a fan of anthropomorphized animals interacting with humans, but in this case, Papa Bear is so human-like that he's barely a bear. He's protective and growly and snores, but he also carries his belongings around in a shoulder bag and can make fire by striking two rocks together. At the very least, he's smarter than the average bear.

I just can't get excited about what is, essentially, a chapter. Maybe if there had been a little more story here, I would've been sucked in and wanted to keep reading. As it is, though, I wasn't... so I don't.

Devoured this adorable graphic novel and was crushed when I got to the end and did not have the next part of the story. I need more!!! Ended on a cliffhanger and my daughter read over my shoulder and was bummed to not have more right away. Beautiful artwork! I need to own this!

Elma was a wonderful read and I can't wait to read more. The first volume introduces us to Papa Bear and his human child, Elma. You have to admit, this already sounds a lot like The Jungle Book. However, the setting is quite different and I can't say it's really repetitive of the classic tale. The artwork is beautiful and the characters are very well developed. In just a short first volume, I already feel incredibly connected to these characters and their story and I'm dying to find out what happens next. I do hope I'll be able to read the next volume soon, giving that this one ended in a cliffhanger and it's so unsatisfying to not know how a story ends. Overall, I'd say this is a great start to a loveable and rich world and I can only hope that the sequel(s) live up to the charm of the first instalment.

I had the privilege of reading this book thanks to NetGalley, who offered me a free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely beautiful. The art is captivating, the story mysterious and leaves you wanting more. I wouldn't recommend this to young children since there are some delicate moments, but I think teens and everyone older who can appreciate a lovely piece of art will enjoy this little book.
*contains child nudity

I thank Netgalley and Europe Comics for an ARC to read and review.

This graphic novel tells the story of Elma, a young girl raised in the wild by bears until she is seven years old. She is then supposed to journey to a location that Papa Bear will not tell her. They set out and face different obstacles in the wild. However, this volume ends before there is any resolution or even an explanation of where/why they are going. I'd say this needs a bit of plot work.

A sort of Jungle Book redux, with a foundling human girl brought up by a bear, until something happens and they set off on a journey. Unfortunately they never get to the end, for this is the first half of the story, needlessly split into two as is the French way/these publishers insist on doing. It looks alright, but never really grabbed. And only having half a story is worse than having none at times, especially when judging for review purposes.

This was a sweet little comic about a girl raised by a bear. I liked the unique take on a blue bear and a girl with blue hair, that was cute. Elma is a wild little girl and Papa Bear makes a tough decision. Very cute story but you are left with such a cliffhanger.

The art is absolutely beautiful! I love the bluish tones. I love the relationship between Elma & papa bear. It’s just so sweet! It ended so quickly but I really want to know what happens next. I’m interested to see where the next volume goes.

Chabbert's story is super exciting, and the art is captivating. I hadn't realized it was only part one or book one, but I would definitely be interested in the follow-up. It was well written, and I think the graphic novel format suites the storyline. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to fellow parents for their children.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the art style. Plot is good so far although it is difficult to review as really it's not that long and ends rather abruptly, especially for a children's comic. A solid beginning and I would like to know what happens next, so i believe it accomplishes what it probably sets out to do if your an adult. I think a child would lose interest as they would not have enough time to become attached. If you like the synopsis then that is what you get.

Elma: A Bear's Life is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This book is in comic book fashion and the art is great! The story line has some underlying trouble to come. But it doesn't come because it ends in a cliffhanger!!! I hate cliffhangers for adult books but I don't believe a children's book should ever have a cliffhanger! That is not right for a kid! Some parents barely can afford the prices of the books the add a cliffhanger on to it! Pluss, it's just not right! They are too young to do that to. I would have given it a 2 star if it wasn't for the great artwork!

From the description of this graphic novel I knew there were going to be feels and I RECEIVED MY FEELS!!

Elma: A Bear’s Life is about a human girl who was found by a bear and that bear became her father. However, there’s a secret that Papa Bear has and is very reluctant to share with his daughter.

There were a lot of things I liked about this graphic novel. I love the cute and colorful art style. The father-daughter relationship is SO ADORABLE!! For me and for the targeted audience, this first volume will keep the reader interested and want to read the next volume, despite it being a fairly short graphic novel; only 50 pages.

I would recommend this book if you or a child is interested in a different kind of story that involves a bear taking care of a human and their bond is tested through the secrets that Papa Bear holds!

Elma: A Bear’s Life is a lovely visual story. The art has a unique and attractive look, the design is colorful, and the story is quite sweet. Great graphic novel!

A large bear does his best to look after a small rambunctious human. The scenes of them hugging and enjoying sunsets are drawn adorably enough that even people for whom this isn't essentially their home life may also find it very cute.

(Netgalley ARC)

I really enjoy the colors in the artwork here. The story was cute and I really enjoyed the sweet relationship between Elma and Papa Bear; there is a bit of intrigue in it so while I won't be continuing with any sequels I think it ends on an appropriate cliffhanger for a young reader.