This book had adventure and characters with such care for each other that you will be rooting for them from the beginning.

Beautiful artwork and strong storytelling. Felt drawn into the world of these characters right away and remained so.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of Elma: A Bear’s Life by Ingrid Chabbert and Léa Mazé for an honest review.

I was not expecting Elma: A Bear’s Life to make me cry. This short graphic novel is beautifully scripted and drawn. The chosen pallet colors for the book makes you feel safe and almost nostalgic about something. The art is truthfully my favorite; it's what made me want to request the book. I want to keep looking at the book and enjoy it once more.

The books talk about Elma, a girl who has been taken care of by Papa Bear since she was a baby. The story starts one beautiful afternoon as Papa Bear teaches Elma how to climb trees. As the day goes, Papa Bear talks with Elma about how they need to embark a journey somewhere away from home. Elma doesn't understand why or where they are going, but she follows along her Papa Bear, who she loves dearly.

As the journey starts, we see them go through obstacles with dangerous circumstances. Papa Bear along the way, teaches Elma not to fear what's to come and supports her through it all.

We never get to know what happens or where they are going. It ends abruptly; I would say it could be disturbing for children not to have VOL 2 if there’s going to be any.

This story is about unconditional love and trust.

Elma: A Bear's Life is a beautiful children's comic, and it is the first part of a series. I can't wait to find out what happens next. :) The graphics were amazing, loved every part of it. I would recommend that to everyone interested.

This is cute little book. It shows how love traverses all boundaries and how even most savage beasts can have deep longing to love and protect.
Elma and his great bear papa face the ultimate reality that they have to part finally after all these years of togetherness.
They set upon a long arduous journey to reach place where Elma will finally have to submerge into civilization.
Artwork is great and innovative.
Story is heart touching and it is going to be completed in next volumes.
Very good comic for cozy, entertaining reading to kids and adults equally.
Thanks #netgalley and publisher for review copy.

The artistry is beautiful in this short graphic novel. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer.

This. Was. Amazing.

This short graphic novel made me feel things and I was not prepared for that. The illustrations are GORGEOUS! The story was compelling and has left me wanting so much more of this.

My only issue with this is that it ends on a massive cliffhanger and I want to consume as much of this as I possibly can.

Would read again, will recommend to everyone I know, will buy for all of my friends.

I love this!

Loved this book so much! The artwork was fantastic and beautiful, and the story kept me so engaged I straight away preordered the second volume. Some parts made me smile and reminded me a lot of the Disney version of the mowgli tale. I also enjoyed the more serious aspects of the story and tensed moments which increased the intrigue of the captivating tale.

WOW! This was a visually beautiful story! I wish it was a full length - I am completely intrigued as to where they are going and why! There are so many questions.

4.45 stars ⭐
This was so cute! I loved seeing the relationship between Papa Bear and Elma, you can feel the love that they feel for each other.
I was a little anxious while reading this though, I felt like something was going to happen(something bad), and it very likely will in the next volume...
I'M DYING TO KNOW THAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!
PS: there was something that I wasn't expecting which was Elma naked, but honestly it felt so natural that it really didn't bother me and given the fact that this is a European Comic, they are really more okay with this types of things than the rest of us so I respect that.

'Elma, a bear's life Vol 1: The Great Journey' by Ingrid Chabbert with art by Maze Lea is a story about a young child being raised by a bear. It has a resemblance to another familiar story.

Elma is a sort of wild child being raised by a giant blue bear. One day fox comes to bear and says that it is time. Papa Bear and Elma begin a long journey, but Elma doesn't know where they are going. Elma thinks it is all great fun, but Papa Bear is somber. We don't discover where they are heading. That is for a later volume.

Elma and Mowgli seem to have some similarities. I could be wrong about where Elma is going, and I'm curious to know if I am. The story is sweet and bittersweet, but the real reason to pick this up and read it is for the absolutely breathtaking art by Maze Lea. There are gorgeous drawings to behold here.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

e-ARC received from NetGalley

5 Stars

Elma: A Bear's Life is a graphic novel about a seven-year-old feral girl, Elma, and her bear papa as they journey...somewhere.

I'm so annoyed at myself for not realising that only volume one was available to read on Netgalley - I've become too invested and need the next volume immediately! The art style in this is absolutely gorgeous and I love the relationship between the two main characters. There isn't too much else to say as this is a very short volume but the fact I developed an emotional connection to the characters and story almost instantaneously says a lot.

Though I imagine this will be aimed mostly at children, it is very much a story for all ages.

Thank you to Europe Comics for making available a digital edition of ‘Elma: a Bear’s Life: 1. The Great Journey’ in exchange for an honest review. It was written by Ingrid Chabbert with art by Léa Mazé. It was translated from the French by Jessie Aufiery.

This graphic novel for children is reminiscent of stories such as ‘The Jungle Book’. It is a charming story beautifully illustrated.

Elma is a free-spirited child who was abandoned as a baby in the forest and is being raised by a bear that she considers her father. Yet Papa Bear is keeping a secret. In this first volume Elma and Papa Bear begin a long and perilous journey to an undisclosed destination. Along the way it appears that a mysterious force linked to water is seeking to stop them. It ends on a cliffhanger.

The art work and especially the colour palette for this short graphic novel was excellent. I loved that Papa Bear’s fur was blue as was Elma’s hair; though in some panels when they are startled or in danger both change to an orange-brown hue. The art does have some elements of manga in its style.

The second and final part of ‘Elma: a Bear’s Life’ is subtitled ‘Behind the Mountain’ is listed as ‘Coming Soon’ on the Europe Comics website. I look forward to seeing how their story plays out.

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. Elma is being raised by Papa bear and in this first part of the story they are on a great journey that Papa will not tell her about. I honestly was so bummed when the story ended and realized I would have to wait for the next story. It went all to fast and I'm looking forward to the next. Great illustrations and a funny story will have readers looking forward to what happens next.

I have such a soft spot for caring Fathers and Papa Bear does more than fit the bill. The relationship between Elma and Papa is so sweet, and though this volume is very short your heart still aches for the next one at the end. I really adore this art style, and the whole vibe is akin to something I'd want to read with my kids. The author definitely takes care in making you love these characters in the limited space she's given. Definitely be on the lookout for the next installment! Such a goofy, sweet story so far.

Elma, a Bear's Life is charming, beautiful and oddly sad. It's about a little rascal girl named Elma, who lives in the forest with Papa Bear. The bear found her when she was just a baby and they have to make a secret journey that seems dangerous and the bear's sadness is carved on it's face. The comic reminds me of Luke Person's Hildafolk and Cyril Pedrosa's Three Shadows. The atmosphere is hollow and perfect, just waiting for the upcoming storm. The rhythm is wonderful in it's slow and simplistic pace. The story is small in a sense, but fits the comic so well. There's hardly any text, just facial expressions, colors and whatnot. A very artistic comic and works for kids too, which is great.

The art line is sketchy and light, but with humor and warmth. The comic feels distant and odd at times, which is wonderful, since it makes you wait for something. There's something looming all around, which makes the comic electric almost. I love the bear and how his character is so multifaceted. Elma is a complete opposite and they still work so well together. I so want to keep reading to know more and what happens, since Elma, a Bear's Life is exciting and heartwarming.

This is the story of a small girl and her papa bear. Elma was found and raised by a bear in the forest. But their 7 years are up and it is time. So, Elma and papa bear set off on a long journey.

The story is sweet. It has a similar feel to jungle book. We aren't told where they are going, but the journey is dangerous and long. This gives us lots of sweet bonding moments between the two.

The art is beautiful. I love the oranges and blue combination. The love the two characters feel for each other is clear in their expressions.

Adorable, I can't wait to see where they are going next.

Elma: A Bear's Life by Ingrid Chabbert and Lea Maze is like a female version of the Jungle Book. It has beautiful illustrations and I like the adventurous feel of it. After reading the description, I did expect for this book to cover the entire story and felt that the cliffhanger was a little early in the story. I felt it would be better if there was something more exciting right at the end that left us wanting more.

4.5 stars!
Um, OKAY. How dare this graphic novel end on such a cliffhanger!? Nooo... I want to know what happens to Elma and Papa Bear! Do they make it?! Where are they going? Is he bringing her back home? Why is the forest and nature seemingly conspiring to take Elma away from Papa Bear? SO many questions! I kind of feel a little bit like Elma right now because the curiosity is strong!

I loved this graphic novel. First of all, that cover is a wonderful representation of the stunning art work that you'll find inside the pages. The colours are autumnal, so they're warm and very comforting. I could seriously just look at the pages all day because the work is beautiful, and I enjoyed that there was limited dialogue so it didn't detract from the art. This is targeted at children, however, at one point Elma does lose all her clothes and her full body (including genitalia) can be seen. It's one scene and then she's covered up again in the next. I don't think it was done distastefully, but I just thought I'd leave a warning anyway.

I found the start of the storyline just as enjoyable as the art. It obviously has "Jungle Book" vibes (of course, abandoned child in forest raised by an animal that's meant to be a predator) and although I admittedly am not the biggest fan of that story, I'm enjoying this one! I'm a little sad this was only the first volume/chapter, as reading the blurb led me to think it might be the full story. Still, I'm glad I stumbled across it and read it because so far it's a sweet story, although it does raise many questions I hope will be answered in the next volume! The relationship between Elma and Papa Bear was very sweet, and you can feel through their dialogue, interactions and the art that they really care for and love each other like father/daughter. I love a story where animals can talk and this was definitely no exception!

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on more of this graphic novel! I would 100% add this to my physical shelf because I love the art work so much! Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing the e-ARC for an honest review.

A beautifully drawn and illustrated young graphic novel that I wish was the entire idea because I hated the cliffhanger it ended on. Please give me the next one, ASAP!