 A very positive bear, who is nice and handsome, too, sets out on a journey to find himself. With the help of Turtle Taxi, he travels through the Fabulous Forest that has eight directions – north, south, east, west, breakfast, lunch, right, and wrong. He meets Convenience Cow, Lazy Lizard, and Penultimate Penguin. In the end, he finds that he himself is just what he has been looking for all along. The musical wordplay and unusual illustrations in this absurd, clever, and philosophical story will remind readers of Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. mjw |
| Title: The Bear Who Wasn’t There: And The Fabulous Forest Author: Oren Lavie Illustrator: Wolf Erlbruch Publisher: Black Sheep/Akashic Books Copyright: 2016 Original Language: German Original Title: Der Bar Der Nicht da War Original Publisher: Verlag Antje Kunstmann GmbH Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-1-61775-490-6 Hardcover pages: 48 Age range: 4-10 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in Tel Aviv Author’s residence: Tel Aviv Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Germany Awards: Illustrator has won the German Children’s Book Prize, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, and the 2017 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Subjects: Bears, Identity, Nature |
The Bear Who Wasn’t There: And The Fabulous Forest
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German eighth grader, Mike Klingenberg, is a boring kid with no friends. He is left alone for two weeks while his mother is in rehab and his father is away on a “business trip” with his attractive secretary. Andrej Tschichatschow, aka Tschick, is a Russian immigrant, the new kid in school, and also not popular. When Tschick shows up in a stolen beat-up Soviet-era car, the boys head out of Berlin on a road trip adventure across Germany. They have no map, no cell phone, and no plan. They meet some bizarre characters, dodge the police, and travel the autobahn. This is an insightful, exuberant, and highly engaging coming of age novel. mjw
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Death, a cute, robe-clad skull figure bearing a deep red tulip, comes to visit Duck in this quiet and strange picture book. They develop an unusual, but beautiful friendship. At the pond, Death gets chilled, and Duck comforts him. They climb a tree. Duck wonders about dying and the afterlife. She is not afraid. In the end, Duck dies and Death gently lays the tulip on her. Surrealistic mixed-media artwork and deadpan humor extend the tender treatment of this difficult topic. mjw
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