Brilliant book for young readers and their teachers to use with them. Students often have such a hard time with the blank page. This will be a motivating story to get them past that. Also, as a librarian, I can see having this be the used for a Bring you Writing Buddy to School Day!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Great book about writing with your friend bear. We really loved the illustrations too.

I love this book! It’s like a cross between a writing buddy’s how to be a cheerleader guide and a writer’s workshop tutorial! Adelaide cheers on her classmate Theo who is in a writing slump. With the help of Bear, who is the ideal writing buddy, Theo’s ideas start flowing again and he can’t stop filling his notebook with page after page. Bear has some great advice, including: Never run away from a blank page, Write the story only you can tell, Leave finger spaces, Take a break, Use the five senses, Write from your heart, Wrap up, revise...
Kudos to the author and illustrator for representing diversity in this book. It is so important for children not only to have a “window” into the literary world, but to see themselves portrayed in “mirrors” as well. The author and illustrator both honor all children when declaring that “There’s nothing you can’t say when it is from your heart. Because your voice is your voice - no two are the same.” All too often I find that new books take the easy way out of diversity by making all of the characters animals, but this pair went for it and it paid off! Keep doing what you’re doing.

Bears Make Best Writing Buddies by Oliver, Carmen

Adelaide loves writing. Bear loves writing. But Theo does NOT love writing. Thankfully, Adelaide and Bear are ready to team up and persuade the entire class, including Mrs. Fitz-Pea, that Bears make the best writing buddies. After all, who better to teach you how to fish and forage for new ideas than a bear? This third picture book in Carmen Oliver's Bears Make the Best...series is sure to encourage even the most reluctant writer to write a story.

As a young child I often struggled when it came to creative writing, for school or even in my diary! This is a great story for elementary students who are just beginning to read and write. I found it full of inspiration and encouragement to keep on writing even when you are stumped for ideas to put on the paper.

The illustrations are beautiful and really help bring the whole story together.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the Publisher and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is great for 1st-4th graders that need a little encouragement for their writing. Sweet and smart in the way it teaches some elements necessary for writing. Can't wait to pick up the other books in the series.

I know this is a book for children, but I think all writers will find this book helpful. I love how they made writer’s block, the creative process, and structure simplistic. Even with the minimal way of explaining, each part of the process is still important and well explained. I can see it helping children who need to write stories, as well as adults who want to go back to the basics. The illustrations are beautiful and help bring the entire book together. A must read for all writers, young and old!

Really, this is more advice than a story. A confidence builder. It tells the reader how to be freer in writing, illustrated with a bear. That narrows the use case for this book somewhat. It would be great to use in a group setting, as an introduction to a writing project. The illustrations are a lot of fun.

A clever book that incorporates not only the writing process, but hints on how to get over writer's block, even for young children or special education. It also demonstrates the proper writing style so teachers are able to read their students' work. This would also spurn on other high school or middle school students to mimic a book like this to be able to teach young students about subjects.

This is a sweet book that is appropriate for primary and elementary kids. A boy gets stuck in his writing and Adelaide and Bear have some wonderful suggestions. It briefly shows the Writing Process as well. Also, has great illustrations.

This book would be perfect for those young children beginning to read and write. It is filled with inspiration and encouragement to keep on writing even when you are stumped for ideas. The illustrations were super cute and complimented the story perfectly. T

This book tells as much as it shows why bears make the best writing buddies, and some of the advice on how to write––which is the theme of the book––feels like it could have been translated a bit better for kids; I'm not sure your average kid will understand some of the advice without a teacher or other adult explaining it to them, although that could provide a good learning opportunity in a classroom setting. And the general comparisons between burrowing, fishing, etc. with a bear and writing will appeal to kids. I just think the advice portions could have been integrated further into the metaphor and the story. Still, a potentially useful resource for teaching writing to kids.

Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a picturebook written by Carmen Oliver and illustrated by Jean Claude. Adelaide loves writing. Bear loves writing. But Theo does NOT love writing. Thankfully, Adelaide and Bear are ready to team up and persuade the entire class, including Mrs. Fitz-Pea, that Bears make the best writing buddies. After all, who better to teach you how to fish and forage for new ideas than a bear?

Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a fun and enjoyable book that encourages the reader to write their own story. I love that the book acknowledges that the process is hard. Even successful writers hit stumbling blocks and days when the words do not flow, so when books ignore that fact that it can be frustrating bother me. Here Oliver gives strategies to get words down on the page, to keep the story moving, and to figure out what happens next. I really like that the book also points out that first drafts are there to be reread, reworked, and reimagined rather than the final story. I think this book would be a great story to share with any young writer, particularly those that get caught up in the self doubt or cycle of thinking they have nothing to say. It would also be a great tool in classrooms before a writing assignment to help foster inspiration, courage, and perseverance in the class's writing.

I think this book may be helpful in the classroom to spur on reluctant writers. I kind of expected more from the book. Somehow the illustrations weren’t what I was expecting.

Bears Make the Best Writing Buddies employs an imaginative narrative to share some writing tips with children. From finger-spacing to using your senses, the ideas range from basic to some more complex strategies. This is the third in a series of pictures books “Bears Make the Best”) I look forward to sharing this book with my writing students!

I was given a copy of this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love books that bring the magic of the writing world to young readers. This book does just that with delightful illustrations and sweet characters. I didn't exactly understand the advice hidden in the metaphor, but it was cute.

For fans of The Plot Chickens. Definitely worth a look.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This story is a childrens condensed guide to writing a story and what they need to do and think about. It is a childrens book but more suited to a child who is interested in writing or learning to write a story.
The pictures were interesting and bright too.

Adelaide is a prolific writer. She sees one day that her classmate Theo is struggling with writing a story. She immediately kicks into action. She goes to retrieve her friend Bear who is relaxing in a quiet corner reading and says,

"Come on," she coaxed. "There's someone who needs our help."

Adelaide and Bear work together to help bring Theo success in his writing endeavours and also help to the entire class. She knows from experience that Bears makes the best writing buddies and goes on to tell why throughout the story.

Bear will encourage you to face your fears and write the story that belongs only to you, one written in your own voice. If you happen to get writer's block Bear takes you fishing and foraging for new ideas to help you create your story. Just stepping away, or standing up and giving a stretch, helps you regroup your thoughts thus making new exciting ones to start buzzing in your head. Bear shares some technicalities of writing and when they are implemented into your story he becomes a high-fiving, roaring cheerleader, always encouraging and giving positive feedback.

The illustrations are wonderful: colourful, expressive and very kid-friendly. This is the third picture book in Carmen Oliver's "Bears Make the Best" series. This would be an excellent resource to teach reluctant writers to become successful writers at the elementary school level. I highly recommend this book.

Bears Make the Best Writing Buddies is the 3rd book in a series for young readers by Carmen Oliver. Due out 1st Jan 2020 from Capstone, it's 32 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a beautifully written, engaging book with age appropriate writing prompts for young readers. The art, by Jean Claude, is whimsically appealing and invites readers to take a closer look. It's a silly and fun book, with a sweater-clad bear helping with a young friend's writer's block. The message is upbeat and positive and encouraging. The kids in the classroom are varied and representative with different ethnicities and abilities. They work together to encourage one another and solve their writing assignment.

This would be a fine selection for a classroom or library, as well as a good gift to introduce a youngster to journaling and writing for fun.

Five stars. There aren't that many books aimed at young kids which encourage writing on a personal level as a valuable activity which can be enjoyable and fun. This is a good one.

I love Carmen Oliver's "Bear" series, and Bears Make the Best Writing Buddies is perfect for that struggling writer. Bear will make you sit in your chair (or stretch a bit!), use your senses, and write your own story. Bear is your writing friend. Tips from the author herself (I'm sure!) and interesting illustrations by Jean Claude enhance the words on the page.

Reasonable story wherein a girl in school borrows the huge brown bear that just happens to live in the corner of the classroom to teach and inspire her classmate in a creative writing exercise. She remains its proxy as we learn how to keep at it and break out of writer's block. So it's bizarre, but well-meaning and probably successful to some extent. Next lesson, the class rabbits will prove the powers of multiplication…