Visually stunning with warm illustrations that took me back to my own childhood, this storybook will become a firm favourite with little ones (and big ones too!)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I absolutely love the illustrations in this book, but was less wild about the writing itself. A bear ends up on a strange adventure through a series of misadventures. The text reminded me of something a child would write for school. I have a cloth bound picture book that I wrote in 4th grade about a friendly dog who inadvertently catches a burglar who breaks into the house, and it reminded me of my writing in that. That's not to say it's not well done. It's just less strong compared to the tone, rhythm and vocabulary of a really well written children's book. That said, my 7 year old daughter enjoyed it and I really did love the colorful and engaging art.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

Bear’s adventure is a brightly illustrated book about the wild adventures a bear ends up taking purely by accident.

This book just didn’t stand out for me. The images were bright and colourful but the story was not keeping me drawn in.

The cover was so pretty and I liked the rough illustrations.

This is a story about Bear. One day, Bear stumbles upon a hot air balloon. Thinking it is a den, he curls up inside and falls asleep. He awakes to find he is aloft, but not for long. A bird ends up puncturing the balloon. Bear ends up in a series of unusual adventures that include a parade, a taxi ride, an interview, a motorcycle ride, a race, a helicopter ride, a concert and more!

This book doesn’t seem to have any underlying message or lesson, other than the adventure. It left me wanting more depth or relationship. There is no emotion and no real friendships were developed. It’s just a series of events. The illustrations are colorful, but again, did not really draw me in.

I was provided a digital Copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Bear’s afternoon nap turns into the wildest of adventures, especially for a bear! Though Bear thought he found the perfect little den for a quick rest, he didn’t realize he was actually curling up in the comfortable basket of a hot air balloon.

He finds himself in the craziest of situations, one after another, without having uttered a single word. He’s a bear! The humans don’t realize this, of course, or they’d likely be terrified. Bear goes with the flow, and after a most unlikely series of events, finds himself back at home wondering what happened.

Bear’s Adventure is written and beautifully illustrated by none other than the talented Brian Wildsmith. It’s a colorfully amusing and timeless book that I recommend to everyone.


Thanks to Star Bright Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #Bear’sAdventure

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Thank you to #netgalley for giving me a copy of #Bear'sAdventure to review. The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I love all the colors and the use of watercolor. Bear stumbles into a grand adventure into the city. I loved bear's antics and everything he got to do on his adventure. This is a cute storybook that I will be sharing with my students and my kids.

This book was so colorful and fun. I could see myself taking pages from the book and framing them.
The artwork is gorgeous.
It is a cute story that my little one loved. It is certainly a book I could see my self buying in the future

The illustrations are super colorful so I'm sure children everywhere will love them, but it almost bordered on gaudy and their sort of unfinished quality was not my cup of tea. Then, the story seemed a bit stilted - like the illustrations came first, and he had to make the story fit. The plot was hilariously improbable (poor Bear!), but the writing just didn't flow well and seemed to lack segues from one scene to the next.

Brian Wildsmith is great at creating stunning colorful illustrations, but not as much as writing stories. This one was long, improbable, and I only felt sorry for the bear all along. Let's leave the bear alone and happy.

After two men land their hot air balloon to have a snack, a curious brown bear wonders over. Bear finds the balloon's basket interesting and climbs in for a nap. While he sleeps, the hot air balloon whisks him away high in the sky. While the balloon flies high over a city, bear awakens, and eventually floats to the ground below where his adventure begins.

We thought the story was interesting and funny at times, however, what really caught our attention were the illustrations. The book is so colorful. I thought parts of the story were a little over the top and a little confusing, but it's a children's book and a bear flying in a hot air balloon isn't really realistic as it is, so I was willing to overlook the outcome at the end even with its unlikeliness. Overall, this is a cute children's book, perfect for young readers.

4****

I'd like to thank NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was cute! I loved the bears adventure first in the balloon, then leading the parade. Too, too funny! Bear was so confused by what was happening to him. And I loved the reaction of all the people he encountered! Kids are going to enjoy this story. The illustrations were so detailed and lively. Great story!

This is a great bedtime story for young children and a good intermediate reader book. This is the story of Bear. One day a balloon lands near him and he goes in it thinking it was a good den to take a nap. While asleep the balloon takes off with Bear in it. When he woke up he was floating over a city which he thought was strange trees,. A bird puctures the ballon and it lands in a costume party where they think he has the best costume. Being scared of all the noises he gets into a cab with a tv reporter and winds up on television. All the while people thinking this is a costume and he is not a real bear. Bear has more adventures more places and the story goes on from there. Illustrations are very cute and rough which goes with the story. I recommend this book to 3-7 yr olds.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A bear goes on a grand adventure when he stumbles into a hot air balloon. This leads to a meandering that gets him on TV, in a foot race, and eventually a concert. Everyone thinks he is a man in a suit, instead of a real bear. The story is long and winding. The idea is nice, but very improbable, but not in the funny slapstick way, more the depressing “poor bear” way.

THE. COVER. OF. THIS. BOOK. Is so beautiful. I am a huge bear lover so a bear in a bright and colorful basket? I'll take it.

When two strangers make a stop in their hot air balloon to grab some food, Bear finds their den pretty cozy. He wakes up to find himself floating over a very odd forrest indeed and has a grand adventure, making a commotion in the human world.

When he's had enough, he mysteriously meets back up with the two men who decide to go back to the forrest to grab another bite to eat, dropping Bear right back where he started.

This isn't a book with a moral or concept to it, it's just a fun, beautiful adventure book. We've covered a lot of concept books on Mrs. Motley's Bookshelf, so this was a refreshing break. Bear finds a cozy basket, goes on a wild adventure, and somehow ends up right back at home. It's very reminiscent of a dream.

There are quite a few words per page, so it's for a reader that can be more attentive to the story, but the word choice makes the flow of the book a breeze to read through. A five year old should have no problem listening attentively.

The illustrations are stunning. If there's any book that you'll want to showcase, this will be one of them. The colors and illustrative style lend themselves well to a magical setting and I could honestly frame any given page, that's how beautiful it is.

I had a lot of fun reading Bears Adventure. Right from the beginning, you get taken on an amazing adventure. Bear gets to visit all kinds of places all because people think he is someone in a costume. He rides in a taxi, partakes in a race, goes on TV, and even takes a ride in a helicopter. Kids will have a blast seeing all the beautiful illustrations and joining him on this journey.

Bear mistakes a hot air balloon for a cozy den. When he wakes up, he finds himself on the adventure of a life time across a bustling city.

So much of this book was whimsical and fantastical from being a part of an animal themed parade to being chauffeured to a news station to do an interview to being driven on the back of a motorcycle. It was definitely an adventure of grand proportions. Also, the watercolor art in this book was absolutely beautiful!

After my interaction with this glorious picturebook, I looked for more of Brian Wildsmith. And why I look for more when I take a bite of something so savory, is because I might just find an old friend I didn't recognize. Two of his many books, Cat on the Mat and Squirrels are in my collection. I share them on the Autumn book shelf, and even use my multiple copies of Cat on the Mat for emergent readers during their guided reading groups. So back to Bear's Adventure...The illustrations are stunning. Each page is like a painting or a one of a kind greeting card, sharing beautiful animals, prints, textures, and colors. I have read other fictional tales about bears ending up in the city and confusing man made purposes from the natural world, but I haven't before this book, watched a bear be mistaken for a man in a costume after falling asleep in a hot hair balloon and ending up in a parade. Nor have I seen an urban environment displayed with such colorful and gentle texture and delicate care. This picturebook has adventure, humor, and reminds us that even a moment spent among chaos, has perfection. Bear just goes along with every unraveling mishap, seeming to be led a step closer to where he is suppose to be- no matter what direction he takes to get there.

Bear finds a recently landed hot-air balloon and takes a nap in its basket. As he sleeps, the hot-air balloon takes off, and Bear's adventure begins. Landing at the beginning of a costume parade lets everyone assume that Bear is just a man in a costume, so he is able to go from event to event (from being interviewed by a reporter to riding on a motorcycle and more). Bear, however, is still a bear and is easily spooked by loud noises and too many people around him. He eventually makes his way back home, but truly has an adventure along the way.

Overall, Bear's Adventure had potential but something was a bit off. It may be the longer text or the odd situations bear found himself in, but I was hoping for more out of the text. The illustrations, on the other hand, are quite unique and interesting and helped carry the story.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the style of pictures in this book. They were very colorful and unique. The story started out pretty well, but it got bogged a little in the middle. It was cute, just maybe a little long for smaller kids.

It is almost as if this story was written to showcase the illustrations. Bear climbs into a hot air balloon that floats away when he accidentally falls asleep. He ends up landing in a town and then has all sorts of exciting things happen to him along the way. Of course, the people who live there think he is a man in a bear suit. He gets picked up by two men in a hot air balloon (the same ones? How did they get the balloon back?) and taken back home. That is about it. Not sure what I think as far as a rating goes. The pictures held the attention of my grandson and he talked about them, but he didn't seem to be impressed with the story. I give it 3 stars because of the illustrations.