Saturday, August 20, 2022

The Bear who Wasn't There by LeUyen Pham


"Dear reader you will find the bear on page 9. Signed Anonymouse"

"We have to get away from this duck! Turn the page."

"Wait! Look! There is the Bear! He's hiding behind the next page! Turn the page, quick!"

These text samples might give you a tiny idea about the writing in this book which contains multiple voices  - a duck, a narrator, a mouse, assorted animals and the author herself! And there is regular text and assorted speech bubbles along with very zany cartoon characters. 

Here is the text from the last page:

"Well that does it. We've reached the end of the book. I guess there really IS no Bear her. Unless ... "

Hint check under the dust jacket. Oh and do look at the back cover - it is funny too!

Readers are encouraged to explore, pore over details, and follow the comical clues. The wordplay is delightfully nonsensical. Look—and laugh out loud. Kirkus Star

Publisher blurb: Bear has gone missing! When he doesn't show up in the book he's supposed to star in, his friends rally to find him. Who will find him first? Will it be Giraffe, who himself seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or Cow, or even the author herself? Duck doesn't seem concerned that Bear is missing. In fact, he seems to be trying to steal the show for himself! But after pages of searching high and low and everywhere between, Bear appears after all, somewhere utterly unexpected. LeUyen Pham's latest picture book invites readers to join the hilarious search for the titular missing Bear.

The library I visit each week has a large selection of ToonToon books represent a whole new approach to books for beginning and reluctant readers—a rethinking as radical as the first time Theodor Geisel put a hat on a cat. Each book is just right for reading to the youngest child, ... (they)  offer early and reluctant readers comics they can read themselves.

Read about LeUyen Pham here. She is the illustrator of the popular Princess in Black series. The Bear who wasn't There is listed in hardcover for an amazing price right now (August 2022) so I can recommend you consider adding this funny book to your school library - it is sure to be popular. 

The Bear who wasn't There can be classified as a 'Meta" book. Here is a definition: Meta books acknowledge the structure of a story. A character may even acknowledge they are in a story and realize they are playing with its structure. In THE BEAR WHO WASN’T THERE, the narrator and the animal characters all realise they are part of a story. The duck keeps trying to interrupt the story and make it about him. Sings are left for the reader and the narrator talks to the characters.  Picture Book Summit How to Build a Book: 4 Things You Can Learn from LeUyen Pham

You could pair this book with:



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