Bear Hunt Anthony Browne

Tuesday Treasure

You may have heard of the idea of a picture book 'breaking the fourth wall'.  Back in 1979 when Bear Hunt was written I don't think we were using this term but if you need an example of this idea then pick up Bear Hunt and the companion volume Bear goes to Town by Anthony Browne. Of course Harold and the Purple Crayon also did this much earlier back in 1955.  Here is a blog post that explains what we mean by 'breaking the fourth wall.'

One day Bear went for a walk. 
So begins a ordinary day for bear perhaps but you might notice he is carrying a pencil. Bear is a bear and Bear is his name - notice the capital letter.
Two hunters were hunting. They saw Bear.
Now the reader becomes involved.  We hear a voice. An off stage narrator calls out:
Look out! Look out, Bear!
Bear takes his pencil and draws something - a post with a rope. Can you guess what will happen to the hunter? Yes, one hunter down but there were two hunters and the other one is still following our bear. The second hunter has a lasso.
Your turn again. You need to shout out:
Run, Bear, run!
What will Bear draw this time? He has to capture that lasso before it captures him.

And so the story continues. The hunters do not give up, but each time it seems he will certainly be captured, Bear takes his pencil and draws something clever or inventive or simply practical.

When you look at this book read it right through with a young child helping to warn the bear and then go back and look at the jungle plants. Anthony Browne loves to add smile moments - plants wearing ties, a blue finger hiding the leaves, shoes as leaves, ocean fish swimming between the plants, eyes are everywhere, hats and even some tiny socks and undies hanging on a clothes line. On the final page the plants are laughing as Bear flies away having completely foiled those hunters.

Goes to Town continues this style but with a slightly more sophisticated, even sinister story line.
One day Bear went to town.
He is still carrying his trusty pencil and wearing his smart polka dot bow tie.
Bear meets a cat and he kindly draws a great selection of foods when the cat says he is hungry.
Bear enjoys looking in shop windows especially the toy shop which is filled with bears -
I wonder if people eat them?
Then a voice calls:
Look out, Cat!
An animal catcher has picked up Cat. Bear grabs his pencil and draws a pair of roller skates so he can chase after the van which has a sinister skull painted on the side. The van is rushing down "Dead End Street".
Bear arrives at a building and sees Cat locked into a shed so he draws a ladder and a saw and climbs inside where he discovers farm animals - a cow, a sheep, a pig and a rooster. I think it is important to notice the animals are not "cartoonish" - they look like real farm animals. Is this place an abattoir or something worse?
Bear uses his pencil to organise their escape. Te guards come out in force and chase the animals but bear is able to stop them easily when he draws some banana skins.
Our group are not safe, though.
Look out behind you, Bear!

If you like the illustrations in these books with their surreal images another Anthony Browne book I highly recommend you hunt out is The Visitors who came to Stay by Annalena McAfee.

In 1988 a new edition of Bear Hunt was published with a different cover.