I love books about books, so when I saw this book about a bear who loves her book, I had to read it to my grandkids. In this book, bear wants to see the world, but she can't go anywhere without her book. And what is the name of her book? Bear's Big Book of Being Wise It's a good thing Bear has this book, because along the way she met many animals that needed help and she found the answers in her book. I really liked the idea that she found the answers in her book. Of course I keep telling my grandkids to find the answers to their questions in books, not on the internet because anyone can put stuff on the internet. This is a cute story that along with sharing the love of books, it shows bear helping others and exploring. The illustrations are realistic to a degree and add to the story. All three of the grandkids enjoyed this story.

Beautifully illustrated and so lyrically written. Such a cute and engaging read for little readers! Definitely will recommend this one!

This is a review of the text and story of this book, as my particular advanced copy did not seem to have illustrations readily available.

The Bear and Her Book is about a Bear that wants to see the wide world and takes off with a book to travel. Along the way she meets multiple creatures, and the wisdom of her book allows her to help the creatures. Eventually she arrives in a place with many books recognizing that you can explore the world through books as well as through travel.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and this is definitely a book for book lovers, and would be a fun read aloud to share with children the joy and possibility of books and libraries.

This is such a lovely book! The words and illustrations are beautiful and engaging, and I really like the message of the importance of books to everyone (even bears!) Definitely recommended.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The Bear and Her Book written by Frances Tosdevin with gorgeous art by Sophia O’Connor is a gentle and easy-to-read story filled with adventure and kindness.

An inquisitive and book-loving bear sets out on a journey to explore the world. The only thing that accompanies her is her special book “Bear’s Big Book of Being Wise.” Bear’s adventures take her to amazing locations. She travels from her beautiful home in the mountains to the seashore where she helps a wounded crab and then to the jungle where she helps a sick crocodile. She also goes to the desert and meets a lizard in need. Bear’s final stop is the world of people. She soon discovers a wealth of exciting books and realizes that is exactly where she wants to be!

This is such a serene and calming book! The rhyming and easy-to-read sentences are excellently done with great word choices so that everything flows seamlessly. The rhymes effortlessly move the story along and they really are fun to read out loud. Kids will particularly love the repetition.

Bear is a lovely, kind, and helpful character. I love her sense of adventure and desire to experience new things. I also love that she makes friends wherever she goes. I do wish she had a name but the lack of it doesn’t negatively affect the story for me.

I love the uniqueness of an adventuring bear who loves to read. I really like that Bear’s beloved book helps her gain knowledge but also leads her to new friends and adventure. I particularly love the book’s ending with a promise of more fun to come! This book gently encourages little readers (and us adults!) to be kind, be open to wonder and adventure, and to enjoy all the experiences that books can bring.

I am in absolute awe of the full-page and full-colour illustrations. They are so soft and eye-catching. Bear is very cute with her pleasant and friendly face. I love her ever present little book bag around her neck! I also love that she looks very much like a real bear and not a cartoon bear.

The animals and the scenery aren’t painstakingly fully detailed. However, that doesn’t really matter because I really appreciate the softness and whimsicalness of the art with its serene and breathtaking scenery. The many animals like the crocodile and lizard still do show some great personalities.



🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻 out of 5 book-reading bears!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great picture book about bear who sets off to see the world and meets lots of new friends along the way.

‘The Bear and Her Book’ by Frances Tosdevin with illustrations by Sophia O’Connor is a picture book about a bear with a special book.

A bear and her book titled ‘Bear’s Book of Being Wise’ sets out to see the world. As she travels, she makes new friends and her book helps in unusual ways. What waits for her at the end of her journey is sure to bring a smile.

I loved this gently rhyming story of a bear who loves books. The illustrations are lovely as well.

A fun story about being happy where you are. Lots of fun adventures! The preschoolers were thrilled that the happy place was the library/book shop.

Interesting tale. Bear traveled and found situations that need fixing. She found the knowledge in her book. I loved how it ended with her getting Volume 2. The illustrations were delightful. A good bedtime story with a little education thrown in.

I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

Sometimes, no matter how much you love your home, you want to see what else is out there. Bear can't help her wanderlust - she wants to see the sea, the desert, the jungle. There's so much to see in this big world, and she knows somewhere is the perfect place for a bear like her. Along the way she meets several critters in need of kindness and helpful solutions. Thankfully, Bear has a copy of Bear's Big Book to Being Wise to assist her on her journey.

Tosdevin and O'Conner have done a wonderful job with this delightful tale about kindness, knowledge, and adventure. The illustrations are lovely, the rhyming is perfection, and the characters are all lovable. Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. The Bear and Her Book is out now.

A big thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions/Jolly FishPress for the eARC I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a childrens book. This book is beautifully illustrated. The story partially rhymes. Such a nice thought that she is able to find her special place. Filled with books and more books. I liked this and anyone who loves books will enjoy. 3.5 stars

The review copy didn't have any illustrations and that's a big part of a children's book, hence the four-star rating. Just on the words alone, I love this book and plan to request it from my local library to see the complete story. I think my three-year-old will love it as well. Highly recommended for book lovers!

"The world is big, and there's much to see, and a bear must go where she wants to be."

Bear is looking for . . . something. So she packs her favorite book, and goes on a hunt. Along the way her book comes in handy for helping a variety of creatures. And, one day, she finds the perfect place - exactly where she wants to be.

Told in a pleasant rhyming text, and accompanied by lovely illustrations by Sophia O'Connor, this one is a treat for bear and book lovers alike.

A simply joyous advert for books, full of surprise if that phrase is all you know about this. Bear wants to explore the world, and does, armed with just one book, but what a book – it teaches her how to cure a crab’s claw, the sight of a lizard and a cold in a crocodile. But forever seeking a new environment is what benefits the bear the most – until the true consequences of that come to light in a way guaranteed to bring smiles. Lovely painterly artworks add to the merits of all pages here, and the simple truth of it is that this book, first out in the UK in 2021, should not have been left around for these publishers to find and resurrect it. It’s a story of interest and inquisitiveness, for interesting, interested and inquisitive young readers, and the final benefit is that it’s in verse. And not just any lumpen, poorly-rhymed verse, either – it takes on a most awkward-seeming “de-de-dit-de-der, de-de-dit-de-der” beat, and while I stumbled over that once or twice it is certainly there more often than not.

I know nothing about the creators here, from the pages I got to see, but neither could really have expected a greater calling card. Yes, the likes of I are obviously liable to over-mark a volume that proves the worth of reading and of books and exploration, but I didn’t see a fault in this, so five stars is the only natural response.

A bear who loves to travel & is who always wants to discover more finally finds her happy place. Join her on her adventure to discover the place she belongs. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is set in rhyme, your little one will love this book! I love how it shows the bear enjoying reading and encourages little ones to use books to experience adventure and joy.

Thank you to the author, Jolly Fish Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A bear who loves books - and who carries her copy of "Bear’s Big Book of Being Wise" with her wherever she goes - I am smitten. This children's book has lovely illustrations and text that is short but flows surprisingly well for being poetry, and tells the story of a curious bear who travels the world to find a place where she belongs. Very much recommend!

This is a beautifully illustrated and well written book. I love that it encourages children to read and explore. If a child can read, they can do almost anything.

This was such a sweet little picture book about a kind bear on an adventure! The rhymes were cute and I liked the emphasis on helping each other as she goes along - and the final message about the joy of books! I also really loved the illustrations - they're dreamy and I know it sounds strange, but very friendly. I want to hug this bear.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press, & NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this delightful book. Beautiful poetry and wonderful illustrations combine into this lovely book about a curious bear who wanted to travel the world and find a place where she belongs. Great for a read aloud or just because, I definitely recommend this book and am looking forward to using it with my students

This is *such* a beautiful book - at so many levels. I want to just say: Go buy it. Right now. No, seriously!

This is a story of a bear who wants to see the whole world. And, armed with her giant bear book of wisdom, she does just that, meeting and helping others along the way. The stop-sneeze tree was my favourite example of this.

The rhyming text is very well-done, and I particularly liked the refrain - which sums up the attitude to life which more of us should have and live by.

The punchline made me smile, along with the knowledge that the bear, like all of us, had finally found a perfect home for herself.

The illustrations are gorgeous and complement the text perfectly. Please buy a copy for the child in your life, along with the copy that you are of course going to need to keep for yourself!