Norton and the Borrowing Bear

Norton and the Borrowing Bear by Gabriel Evens is a cute picture book about friendship. Norton longs to have a neighbor and then one day, Bear moves in. Norton invites him to dinner. After dinner the bear asks Norton if he could borrow his slippers so that he can stay warm. Norton loans him his slippers. Then every day, Bear comes over and continues to borrow a new item but does not return anything that he borrows. Norton becomes very frustrated and wonders if it is so great having a friend.

Norton and the Borrowing Bear is a great story for preschoolers. The pictures are colorful and adorable. This story would be a great way to teach youngsters about how you should return items that you borrow.

Norton is thrilled when a potential friend moves in right next door, but not so happy when his new pal starts borrowing things. Many things. Many, many things.

Can Norton ask his neighbor to return his stuff, or will that ruin their new friendship?

This is a fun tale, made even more endearing by the author's sweet illustrations.

This is The Rainbow Fish of a new, and more mindful, generation. While it is important to teach children how to share and be accommodating, it is equally important to teach them to advocate for themselves. True friendship should be both give and take, and this funny little book shows just what it looks like to stand up for yourself and still stay friends.

This was a charming little book about dealing with confrontation with a friend and setting boundaries. As a bonus, it was also quite funny and the illustrations were sweet and detailed. While I wish we'd had a bit more insight into Bear's thought process and personal growth (who borrows so many things?!), the story takes us on a journey through Norton's frustration, deliberation, and problem-solving in a way that will foster discussion with little ones.

Norton's new neighbor keeps borrowing his things and it is really getting frustrated. This is the second Norton and the Bear I read and it teaches a lesson about borrowing and boundaries within friendship. I would like it more if Norton would address issues before he blows up every time.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

Having read Norton and Bear books before, I was excited to read this one. I enjoy seeing their friendship develop with each book. At first, I felt bad for Norton but happy he stood up for himself in the end. I think this is a great way to introduce how important it is to stick up for yourself when people are taking advantage of you.

Love that this book emphasizes being kind but also how to stand up for yourself if you’re being taken advantage of. I think the message is just right for kids. It’s done with great choice in language and sweet illustrations. This would be one I would want on my daughters bookshelf.

OMG, what a clever book for kiddos and adults alike! That bear is seriously someone in my family! :) I love Norton and his over-thinking. These illustrations are just glorious!

What a brilliant book for children about using your voice and stating your boundaries! You can speak up AND maintain a friendship. The illustrations are beautiful as well!

This is such a cute book. I loved how we look at these two friends. You can borrow things from others but you should not take advantage of their kindness.
Cute illustrations too

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a cute story about Norton, who gets a new neighbor who is keen to borrow...and borrow and borrow! But while it is cute, it feels incomplete. Why was the bear borrowing so much? It might have helped kids to have a model of more of a discussion instead of Norton just snapping and losing his temper and the bear changing with no explanation. I loved the concept, but it felt like critical bits of the story were missing.

FYI to US readers, this appears to be written in UK/Commonwealth English and therefore includes terms and phrasing that aren't as common in prose written in US English. There was nothing that wasn't understandable, but it may stick out to young readers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is about a friend borrowing stuff and never giving it back. It’s also about making friends. This is the second Norton and the bear book. In the first book bear was copying everything Norton was doing. Now they’re living next-door to each other, and bear is borrowing all of Norton’s stuff. What Bear really needs is a friend he can borrow all the time, not stuff. These books have grown on me. I think they have nice appealing power. Are they the best books ever written, no. But I think children will like them and understand the messages within the pages.