My Bear Grizz by Suzanne McGinness

McGinniss draws Griz in all his furry, naturalistic majesty, his warm coat a mass of scratchy brown ink lines, his heavy head as big as his owner Billy’s whole body. Griz dominates most of the spreads, his bulk echoed in the book’s extra-large type. 

Publisher's Weekly

My name is Billy and I love bears. My bear's name is Griz because he is a Grizzly Bear. 

Bookseller blurb: Billy has a bear called Griz. A Grizzly Bear. And the two friends have all kinds of wonderful adventures together. They go exploring, play hide and seek, eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches, share secrets and tell jokes. Griz is the best friend a boy could possibly have - whether he's a Grizzly Bear or a teddy bear... This is a stunning debut picture book about a boy and his bear, in which the short text and tactile, large scale paintings bring Griz and Billy magically to life.

Griz is striking, drawn in densely hatched and layered pen lines of browns and blacks, too big to fit on the page yet dominating the space. Griz has a wildness about him, an unrestrained vibe, but he never feels dangerous. Billy trusts Griz implicitly as they explore, share secrets and eat peanut-butter–and-honey sandwiches. Backgrounds are abstract, mellow watercolor, balancing the energetic lines of Griz’s fur. Billy’s enthusiastic, just-learning-to-write printing runs over the pages, crowing “Griz loves honey!” and “Grrr! Roar!” One aspect of Griz isn’t revealed until the final page, though discerning readers may note hints of make-believe in the fancifully colored forest trees (site of hide and seek) and the fluid size ratio of boy to bear. Kirkus

Art in this book is created with biro (and water colours). A really new book by Matthew Cordell has art also made with biro pens.

102 by Matthew Cordell

Clearing out old display materials in the library where I work as a volunteer I spied the dust jacket of My Bear Grizz and I was immediately drawn to the art.

This will seem very odd but up until the last page I enjoyed this book and especially appreciated the huge format and wonderful textured illustrations of the bear with his almost tactile fur. What happens at the end I hear you ask. Well, the story uses that old trope of "it was all a dream" or "this was all my imagination" and while I do appreciate other books that follow this form I somehow felt dreadfully let down here although I think all preschool children will love this 'twist'. My reaction probably came from reading this book way too quickly and not stopping to think about the visual clues. 

It’s a tribute to the imagination of children, simply chronicling one day in the life of young Billy, who loves bears and whose bear’s name is Griz, “because he is a Grizzly Bear.” They explore, snack, play hide-and-go-seek, share secrets, nap, and much more. In the final spread, we see proof that this boy’s imagination is as big as his imaginary friend, though discerning readers will notice other clues before the closing illustration. Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast

The other delightful aspect of this book is the way the author/illustrator has included graffiti - as a commentary on the action. The end papers are also covered with Billy's scribbles.

Using a pen for the art and the graffiti could be ideas your art teacher might like to include in their program. Of course this book from 2011 is now out of print but you might find a copy in library.

If you want to find another book where the last page is a good surprise try to find this one: