Bear by Natalia Shaloshvili

"Bear thinks. I love being a bear. I love my cookie. I love my book. I love my balloon. I love siting on my bench, all by myself."

But what will Bear do when other animals arrive wanting to share his bench seat, wanting to have a bite of his cookie, take a look at his book and even ask for his balloon? Finally, it all gets too much, and Bear lets out a loud roar. The animals all flee but then Natalia Shaloshvili gives her readers one more scene where perhaps there is a way for Bear to feel better but now poor Duck has to give away his cookie! You and your young reading companion will now want to talk about what might happen next. 

Holding in your feelings can have unintended consequences. Kirkus

There is a fine line between a book that is written to 'teach a child a lesson' - heavy handed versions of this can be labelled didactic - and books that explore an aspect of life that might be familiar to a young child which shows familiar feelings and reactions.

Bear is a book that is filled with big, big feelings and it all feels so real watching the way Bear reacts to others. We are privy to the narrative in his head as he navigates situations with his friends. AND his facial reactions are perfect.

While Bear's words say one thing, his expression and the clever use of font say another, giving the reader the opportunity to consider his body language and speculate on what he is really thinking, offering yet more lessons in how to "read the room", particularly if the adult sharing the book begins a conversation about these sorts of non-verbal cues and clues. Read Plus

Let’s talk about those illustrations—because wow. They’re gorgeous. Natalia Shaloshvili brings Bear’s world to life with a whimsical, textured art style that feels both magical and totally unique. Each page is a little work of art, with rich colours and soft details that invite young readers (and their grown-ups!) to pause and explore. Mummy is reading Books

I highly recommend you look for Bear and add it to your Primary School or preschool library collection. 

Bookseller blurb: A hilarious and heartwarming picture book about sharing, big feelings, and learning how to speak up! Packed with vibrant illustrations and laugh-out-loud moments, Bear is a delightful story that little readers will want to revisit again and again. Perfect for bedtime, story time, or any time! Bear is ready for the perfect day - blue skies, a cosy bench, his favourite book, a delicious cookie, and a bright balloon. Bliss! But just as he settles in, Fox wants a spot on the bench. Then Wolf asks for a bite of cookie. Rabbit wants a turn with the book. And Elephant? Well, he has his eyes on that balloon...Before Bear knows it, his peaceful day has turned into a chaotic whirlwind of sharing, and he's about to explode! AAAAAARGH! From the brilliant mind of author-illustrator Natalia Shaloshvili, Bear is a laugh-out-loud, beautifully illustrated story about learning to say what you really mean before your emotions take over.

Natalia Shaloshvili began her creative career as a fashion and editorial illustrator, working with a number of international magazines and creative agencies, including Grazia, Women's Health, and Gala. Later, she found her true passion in children's books and paintings. Her original work can be found in private galleries and homes around the world. She lives in London, England, with her family. Find her on Instagram as @nataly_owl. See inside Bear here.

Here are other books by Natalia Shaloshvili. I will be heading off to my library to hunt for these:

Companion books:

Five Bears You could also look at Otto The Top Dog

Something's wrong

Norton and the borrowing bear

Two for me, one for you

Good for you, good for me

Sidney makes a Wish by Lisa Thompson illustrated by Jess Rose

The books from the series Little Gems are gems - in this one Sidney seems to have lost his friend. Billy is now more interested in Austin and poor little Sidney is left on his own at school.  

One morning Sidney discovers an old wishing well. His mum explains how they work. 

"When I was little, I threw a penny into the well and made a wish ... 'Did your wish come true?' Sidney asked."

Sidney gathers four coins and each day for four days he closes his eyes, makes a wish and tosses his coin in to the well. 

"He felt a little tingle in his toes, and he grinned. The wish must have worked!"

Sidney wishes for a trampoline then Billy could come around and play and then "Billy would think that Sidney was the BEST friend in the world."

Sadly this wish does not work. Next Sidney wishes for an ice cream machine. If he had an ice cream machine he could invite Billy over and they could eat delicious ice cream and be "best friends forever". Alas there is no ice cream machine in the kitchen when Sidney arrives home. And the next day the robot dog he wanted is not there either. Is the wishing well broken?  

While all of this has been happening a new girl called Carrie has been watching Sidney and Carrie's dad and Sidney's mum have begun to form a friendship. Can you guess the real wish and how it does come true just not in the way Sidney would ever have expected.

Read this review from Just Imagine:

The book offers lots of opportunities to discuss how children feel when someone doesn’t want to play with them or is unkind to them. It also shows children who may have behaved like Billy what impact that might have had on others.

Here is the web site for Lisa Thompson. I have previously talked about Goldfish Boy.

The Go-Away Bird by Julia Donaldson illustrated by Catherine Rayner

The Go-Away bird rejects every offer of friendship from her rain forest companions. 

"I am the Chit-Chit bird. Will you chat with me? We can talk of the weather and other things like the colour of eggs, the the ache in our wings."

"I'm the Peck-Peck bird. Will you eat with me? There are juicy berries on every twig. We can peck, peck til we both grow big."

The four potential friends are each rejected and then along comes a huge brown bird - the Get-You Bird. This huge bird will not go away simply because the Go-Away bird demands this. Luckily the rejected friends see the danger. They form a team and save the day. But what of the Go-Away bird? Her life has been saved - how will she react? How should she react? I love stories that contain a life lesson but not in a didactic way. With an older group you should take a look at Shelter which is a perfect book if you want to talk about rejection and forgiveness. 

Everything about this book is of the highest quality as you would expect from the team of Julia Donaldson and Catherine Rayner. Too many authors attempt rhyme and it just fails but rhyme in the hands of a master like Julia Donaldson can sing. In fact in this book the words do feel like a song. The rhyme is not used for every line and the repetition of "go away" is simply a perfect way to engage young children.  This is a book that should be added to preschool read aloud program.

Make sure you take time to notice the fern leaf pattern on the end papers which is repeated on the title page and then used in various ways throughout the book. 

This is a delightful story about the value of friends especially in times of need. Kids' Book Review

A lovely tale about needing time to oneself, but also the value of friendship and teamwork. Lovely. Rogan's Books

This is a stellar author/artist partnership. Julia’s witty, bouncy rhyming text is pure pleasure to read aloud and highly join-in-able; and Catherine’s art is simply awesome – richly coloured and textured, superbly expressive: every spread is a joy to linger over – after you’ve read the story aloud once first. Red Reading Hub

Companion reads:

The Bad Mood

Oddbird

Little Wise Wolf

Welcome

Elmore