Anyone But Bear is a beautifully illustrated picture book based on the biblical story of The Good Samaritan. Rewritten with cute and original animal characters it shows readers that kindness and caring can be found in the most unexpected places and that judging others by how they look can lead to false impressions.
The Story: Fox is planning a party and decides to invite his friends, Deer and Squirrel. But he’s definitely not going to invite fierce-looking Bear who lives on the other side of the forest. As Fox goes for a walk and makes party plans he is injured by a falling rock. Deer and Squirrel, leave him lying on the path but then Bear stops next to him…
This easy to read, gentle tale includes a beautiful deer and a busy squirrel. Fox likes them both but although both of them walk past him after he is injured they aren’t prepared to help him.
As the story unfolds and Fox lies in the snow waiting for help we really sympathised with his plight and couldn’t believe how selfish his friends were. But we absolutely love big Bear in his little bobble hat, his role as good samaritan goes much further than taking care of Fox as he lies injured on the path.
We absolutely love Dubravka Kolanovic’s whimsical illustrations, they complement the story perfectly. Her animal expressions brilliantly convey their emotions and we love the extra woodland creatures she includes – the spider, the owl and the snail.
Anyone But Bear’s endpapers are beautiful too 🙂
Anyone But Bear is a lovely book to read in an Early Years / Key Stage One classroom to stimulate discussions about being kind and helping others even if you don’t know them that well. Its message is subtly conveyed using language and characters that young children will easily relate to.
Age Range: 3 +
Author: Suzy Senior / Illustrator: Dubravka Kolanovic
Thank you to Suzy Senior for sending a copy of Anyone But Bear.
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