I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cute book with an interesting premise. Many children have fears they need to overcome and this shows this through an animal character.

A book about a little bear who is trying to overcome his fear of water. As a parent I appreciate what the concept of this book was. As a parent I was annoyed by the bear.

Don’t Let Go! By Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal tells a story that resonates with kids and adults. Parents will understand and kids will giggle at the young polar bear cub that isn’t ready to let go of his dad.

The illustrations are humorous and colorful. Everyone in the polar bear family is doing something that kids can relate too.

It’s the fun phrases that make this book such a delight to read.

Whether it’s the two older brother bears fighting over a toy or the mama bear on her phone. Throughout all the family interaction, is the constant plea from the baby beat to his father “don’t let go”.

This book is a reminder to parents to enjoy the time they have when their kids need them. It also teaches kids that it’s okay to want to stay close to mom and dad. It also has a final message, that kids can do things on their own, as the papa and mana bear point out to their son as he’s watching the boat float by. “….and see how it floats! Just like you!”

Any parent or grandparent looking for a fun book to read to their toddlers will enjoy spending the day at the beach with this polar bear family.

This is the story of a young polar bear who is afraid of the water. The rest of the family are all having fun swimming and playing in the water, but he won't let go of his father. Eventually, after having some fun and watching his siblings, he realizes that he has let go of his dad. the illustrations are cute and detailed. The text is told in speech bubbles and could be read around the page. My granddaughter thought it was all pretty funny. I was a bit worried about the behaviour of the young bear as he hit, poked and abused his poor father with the various toys, as well as being rather grabby. I hope that part was not noticeable to my granddaughter, she just thought it was funny. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

The little polar bear was afraid of the water but had 100% trust in his dad.

As he clings to his dad, the little polar bear is encouraged to slowly get used to the water using toys. Dad gets the brunt of the little bear by the little bear poking him and holding on. This confirms that dad won’t let go.

This is a funny, laugh out loud story for young children. It reinforces that parents will be there when the child is scared. It also shows that the parent can be trusted to keep the child safe while encouraging new activities. The illustrations are pretty and appealing.


I received an ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Thank you Owl Books and Netgalley for access to this arc. I'm afraid I'm with the reviewers who were not overly impressed with this story. The illustrations are overly busy, the story is repetitive, the little bear ends up being annoying rather than cute and as the story closes, he doesn't appear to have gained any independence or courage. I didn't see the point of the book.

Don't Let Go is such an appealing and charmingly illustrated story that both children and parents will love.  The polar bear family goes to the beach.  One young member of the clan does not want to go into the water independently.  Watch as he is encouraged to get into the sea using a variety of toys.  See what happens to his dad in the process! 

This is a fun story. It is also sweet as it shows how parents care for their children. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

The illustrations were cute + pretty and the antics of the little polar bear were cute but felt overly annoying and too much even for a very patient polar bear daddy to handle. Kids might still like the antics and little unfolding details.

This is a picture book done in graphic novel format featuring a little bear who won't let go of his father.

While I appreciate that this might be true to life and give parents a chuckle, I wasn't really impressed by the premise. The little bear is annoying, and the repetition just reinforces his obnoxiousness. I kind of wanted the father to just toss the kid into the water by the halfway point. It's not that he can't swim; he's just super clingy (and, as is shown on the last pages, he's simply being a manipulative brat).

The pictures are kind of unintentionally hilarious. The polar bears look pretty much like humans with bear heads, leading to an uncanny quality that put me in mind of the title character in Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present. (If those illustrations freak you out, you might have issues with Don't Let Go!).

For readers who like repetition and quirky pictures of overly anthropomorphized bears, this might be a winner. There's really nothing wrong with it; I just personally didn't like it all that much.

Don’t Let Go!
By Elisabeth Eudes- Pascal
The idea of this book inspired me to read it. What parent hasn’t felt the frustration of their child’s clinging bodies to them while trying to convince them they can manage a task on their own. The illustrations however were too busy and the verbiage not helpful. It felt like a snapshot of a meltdown rather than a tool to help parents and young ones navigate the journey to independence. Overall it was not something I would recommend.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

A family of bears head out for a day of swimming. The youngest cub wants to hold on to dad instead of going in the water on his own. This can be your family at the beach. Any parent can likely recall a time when they were the dad in this story. It was a cute story. There are other things going on aside from the cub. If you’re reading aloud to kids, it’s a great way to open up the conversation with them and ask questions. The water color illustrations are beautiful. I would recommend adding this to our collection and using it in a future story time with pre-school aged children.

The Polar Bear family decide to spend a frosty day at the beach together. The older bear siblings dive right in but the youngest wants Daddy to hold on to him. He is nervous and lacks self-confidence when it comes to being an independent swimmer. Daddy cuddles him close hoping to give him a sense of safety and security and then the plan is to release the little guy into the cold icy water to swim all on his own. Little cub has a different idea. Despite Daddy's encouragement to let go his son keeps on insisting : "Don't let go!"

Dad tries everything to appease the little guy's fears: a lifesaver, a flutter board, a pool noodle, and even a rubber ball ( all excellent vocabulary builders by the way), but little cub only wants to cling onto his Daddy.

Will little bear finally be brave enough to go swimming on his own and let his poor exhausted Daddy have some fun in the icy water by himself?

This simple and relatable story is told in speech bubbles ( great for introducing graphic storytelling) and wonderful, humorous illustrations that greatly enrich the storyline.

I love the way that Mommy Bear seems totally detached from the drama that is going on between her mate and their son. She is having a lovely relaxing beach time enjoying the sun, reading, snacking, taking photos and accepting calls and chatting on her phone. Daddy, on the other hand, is being poked, prodded, and weighed down with his youngster's unending demands and loads of toys. Can Daddy ever escape and leave his little one to float on his own?

The colourful illustrations are lovely. They are full of action and expression. I highly recommend this book.

This was a cute story about a young polar bear trying to overcome his fear of water. He and his family are going to the beach, but he wants daddy to hold on to him. This book had a lot of cute moments where my daughter giggled. Full of nice illustrations as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Poor daddy polar bear! He's visiting the beach with his family and everyone but the littles in the water. The little wants only to hang on to him! Very cute and humorous story of a little polar bear overcoming his fear of water (and poor old dad being poked, prodded, and bonked, o the way!). Cute illustrations!