Big Bear Hug (Life in the Wild) - Hardcover

Oldland, Nicholas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 155453464X ISBN 13: 9781554534647

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2009

Synopsis

A huge bear is wandering through the forest - but wait a minute! Who's that he's hugging? A beaver? And a moose? And a bird? And a tree?

Welcome to the world of Big Bear Hug, a contemporary fable about a bear who has an appetite for hugging everything in sight - even creatures that bears have been known to eat. One day, the benevolent bear meets up with a human. This human proceeds to do something the bear cannot understand: he raises his axe and begins to cut down a tree. Suddenly the bear doesn't feel like hugging anymore and must make a difficult decision on how to stop this destruction in his forest.

The environmental message of Big Bear Hug is both funny and powerful, while simple enough to engage very young children and show them the awesome power of a hug.

About this title

About the Author:

Nicholas Oldland earned a degree in fine arts at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada, and enjoyed success as a commercial artist and filmmaker before taking up the role of creative director at Hatley, a popular apparel company. Big Bear Hug is his first picture book.

Nicholas Oldland earned a degree in fine arts at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Canada, and enjoyed success as a commercial artist and filmmaker before taking up the role of creative director at Hatley, a popular apparel company. Big Bear Hug is his first picture book.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 2—"There once was a bear so filled with love and happiness that whenever he roamed the forest and came across another living thing, he would give it a hug." The joke follows when a page turn reveals a shocked and terrified bunny caught up in his big arms. The sweet but deadpan text paired with the almost slapstick cartoon art makes for an entertaining conservation story. This large, lovable, dopey-looking bear loves hugging trees—all kinds of trees—most of all. When he observes a man staring up at one, he thinks he has found a kindred spirit—until the man takes a swing with his axe. The completely enraged animal must then find a way to stay true to himself and save the tree. Flat illustrations done in Photoshop feature simple shapes in blues, greens, and browns with plenty of white space. While ultimately the message here is a little heavy-handed, the book's quick humor makes it easy to embrace.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA END

About this edition

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 155453464X
• ISBN 13: 9781554534647
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Oldland Nicholas