Little Cub by Olivier Dunrea

"A little cub lived all alone near the forest. He did not like being alone. He did not like the dark nights. There was no one to take care of him."

In a different part of the same forest Old Bear lives all alone. He would love to be able to share the fish he catches and the honey he gathers from the tall tree.

"He did not like to be alone all the time. Being alone made him grumbly and grumpy."

Then late one day Old Bear finds the little cub. And yes we have the happy ending. Old Bear takes the little cub home and he even reads him a bedtime story.

The forest is beautiful, and the bears’ physical and emotional place in it is carefully indicated through perspective and body language. The universal need for love and companionship is conveyed sweetly and poignantly. Kirkus

This is such a warm story.  Showing the way that Little Cub and Old Bear came together to be a family is honey rich.  Dunrea takes him time showing the parallels between the two bears’ lonely lives.  Though they are different in age, in being able to care for themselves, they are alike at heart and searching for something new. Waking Brain Cells

I continue to be amazed by the wonderful book treasures that I discover in the library I visit each week. I have talked about Olivier Dunrea on this blog previously but Little Cub is even better. I would most definitely gift this book to a new baby - the illustrations are sweet but also filled with emotion, I love the soft brown, orange and olive green palette and the ending of this story is so warm and satisfying. This story was released as a board book in 2014 and, while it is true that not all picture books work as board books, this one is sure to be perfect.

Very sadly I have to report this book from 2012 is now out of print. Here is the bookseller blurb: What's an Old Bear to do when he finds a Little Cub all alone and afraid of the dark? Adopt him, of course! And help him try to get over his fears. In this book we see the father and son from Old Bear and His Cub meet for the first time--and grow to love one another. With the same bold art and humorous twist on parenting, Olivier Dunrea's tumbling bears will melt your heart and show how strong the bond is between any father and son pair.

So Little Cub is actually the second book in this series. I do hope the library has the first book Old Bear and his Cub (I'm fairly sure they will!). Read more here on Olivier Dunrea's web page. I think Olivier Dunrea had a plan to add two further books to this series but as far as I can discover these were not published - A Bed for little Cub and Little Cub and the fireflies.

Essential companion reads. The whole series of Little Bear books by Martin Waddell:

Bye Bye Baby