Member Reviews
I liked the idea behind this book and I thought that the illustrations used were really nice too.
The book would be good to encouraging younger children and little minds to write and to keep their focus to complete the task as I can imagine there is a lot that can take your attention away when you are just starting to learn how to do it. The idea is delivered in a good way that is easy to follow.
The illustrations were definitely the highlight of this book, as the storyline was kind of bland. It did, however, contain some good writing advice.
After I finished this book I want a Bear writing buddy. Maybe he can help me write these reviews. The story follows Adelaide who is in her writing class and decided to help her classmate with his assignment. She finds Bear who is reading a story and proceeds to explain why bears make the best writing buddies. The story teaches us that the possibilities are endless and that we shouldn't give up on what we think we want to do. That we can take from our own life, or from our imaginations and create wonderful art.
It's a helpful book to encourage younger kids to write. However, since I didn't read the first two books in the series I feel like I missed out. I thought it wouldn't matter since the topic is different: reading, math, writing. It's useful, but it didn't make a lasting impression.
Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for providing me with an ARC of this book. I had a great time reading it and it was such a quick read for me. I think it is vibrant, colorful and inspirational at the same time. The book is filled with positivity and urges you to be creative and not let go. It makes you want to try and keep trying and encourages you to write despite your hesitancy. I loved the lyrical way it was written. The illustrations were stunning. The multi-cultural representation is also notable in the book. I think this would be a fun read for young kids who are in Grade 1 and Grade 2. I'll be trying to get a copy for my kids as well. I gave it 5 stars. I highly recommend it and definitely check it out.
I'd give it a 2.5 star rating if I could. It's not bad, but the whole premise of a bear being the best writing buddy didn't really make sense and then the author lists a bunch of writing tips that are kind of in a story format but not in an artful way. The illustrations are fun and the idea is good, the story just fell flat for me overall. However, it could be a good starting point to get kids talking about how to approach writing.
Bears Make the Best Writing Buddies is about a boy who is struggling with writing until a classmate notices and decides to help him by going to bear because “bears make the best writing buddies”
Together the bear and the girl help him to grow his confidence in writing. The bear gives various strategies and words of encouragement.
I think this book would be a nice supplement for when children are first learning how to write. Although I think that may be the only context in which this book would work.
The flow of the writing/ plot felt a bit stiff or awkward at times. It didn’t quite have that rhythmic flow that I love in a children’s book.
What I like most about this book is the message that everyone struggles with something at some point, in this book it is writing, and that’s okay. It’s okay to need help, and you’re not the only one having a tough time. I also loved that on one of the illustrations the characters were diverse- different races, genders, and abilities/ disabilities.
This book is good at encouraging little minds to write. It's really sweet and delivers its message in a good way. And illustrations are so cute.
ARC Copy...creative way to spark the writing juices or/and undo the writer block syndrome with the help of a friendly, book loving bear! I did find the illustrations cute and creative, matching the creative themes.
This book was received as an ARC from Capstone - Capstone Editions in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
I loved this book so much that I kept asking myself the question as I was reading each page "where was this book when I was a kid?" I know a lot of children will not only love this book but be inspired by this book to complete writing assignments and inspire to be young writers themselves. The illustrations were adorably breathtaking as well and very eye-catchy so children will be drawn that way as well. The story was very creatively descriptive which will make children so intrigued with this book that they won't even realize they are learning.
We will consider adding this title to our Picture Book collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.
What I Loved: The idea of helping children understand how to write something is great. I loved the tips that are given in this book and I loved the support that the bear can give to the child trying to write.
How I Felt: Bears Make the Best Writing Buddy is a book marketed to children, and yet I felt that it was really for an adult writer. It spoke of writer’s block, which I don’t think that a young child understands and deals with. The book had a cute concept with the bear being the support for the writer, but I’m just not sure how helpful it is for a child. The book overall kept my daughter interested however, and she loved the illustrations. This is the third book in a series of “Bears Make the Best…” and I would like to check out the other books.
To Read or Not To Read: This is a good book for schools. I think that a teacher working on a writing segment would enjoy reading this to the class. It would get them excited to write.
What’s This Book About Anyway?
A young boy is struggling to write his story and a friend introduces him to a bear. She explains all the reasons that bears are the best writing buddies, giving the boy ideas on how to solve writing problems along the way.
I adore this entire series and think that it's an excellent gateway to getting kids interested in various academic subjects. Bears are major with younger kids.
Fantastic book for early writers. This is a step by step method to write a story with you Bear writing buddy. I think this is fun and very encouraging for young students. I would recommend this to family and friends.
Thanks to netgalley for complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a cute story about a bear helping a child get his story writing started.
In this story, you will meet two children, Theo and Adelaide. Theo is stuck with his writing assignment. He has no idea what to write about, so he just sits. As he stares at his blank page, Adelaide notices her friend's struggle. She leaves her seat to grab their friend, Bear. After all, Adelaide knows that bears are the best writing buddies.
Together, Bear and Adelaide help their friend Theo through the writing process. They remind him to leave finger spaces, add details, and tell the story from his own voice. They even coach Theo through creating new drafts after his first draft. Because, after all, writers always revise and edit their work.
Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a picture book that will be a great resource for any primary teachers that are embarking on teaching their students about the writing process. All of the elements are there. If I were teaching younger grades, I would absolutely utilize this book to help explain the importance of the writing process.
As a 4th-grade teacher, I would likely not pull this book into my classroom. It was beautifully-designed for younger grades, and I think that is where it will shine. 4th-graders have outgrown this story a bit, so it doesn't fit our curriculum as well as it would fit the younger grades.
If you love Bears Make Best Writing Buddies, be sure to check out the other books in this series. Currently, you can also purchase Bears Make Best Math Buddies and Bears Make Best Reading Buddies.
This was a very cute story and I enjoyed the illustrations! Would be very fun for little ones who are trying to write.
Bears Make Best Writing Buddies was very cute and a great tool for children learning about how to start creative writing. I also really appreciated how inclusive the artwork was.
Bears Make the Best Writing Buddies is a perfect book to introduce the writing process and eliminate some of the fear surrounding it. It was fun, encouraging, engaging and entertaining. I would love to see this book in every 2nd grade classroom as an introduction and reminder of the writing process.
Delightful book! The art of writing is conveyed in a whimsical manner while, at the same time, presenting it in a purposeful way. The play on words will attract young readers and encourage them to become young writers as well. The illustrations add to the text and fun!
Requested because my own small human has often been curling up on her bear to write lately; read likewise. We concurred in finding the art adorable, the writing advice variable, and the plot negligible.
(Netgalley ARC)
Although this book has a basic fictional framework in its story about Adelaide, Theo, and Bear, it's almost a non-fiction title with tips for kids on how to be a good writer.
Ironically, however, the writing itself is mediocre. The punctuation is also incorrect in parts of the book. Adelaide tells much of the story with dialogue. Unfortunately, the paragraphs aren't punctuated correctly. (When there is more than one paragraph of dialogue, opening quotation marks should be used on each; that isn't done here.)
I'm not usually a fan of anthropomorphized bear stories when the bears interact with humans. But Bear in this case is obviously fictional; when we first see him, he's reading a book and wearing an alphabet sweater. The illustrations are a bit too basic for my taste (especially Bear, whose paws are drawn so simply that it looks odd when he's "holding" a pencil). The illustrations are really secondary to the text, anyway. This is a book about writing, and the characters and setting are almost irrelevant.
I almost feel like I'm missing something here. That could be because there are two previous books in this series. Maybe they do a better job of explaining Adelaide and Bear's relationship. As it is, I feel like I've been dropped into the middle of a story, and I have no idea why there's a bear sitting in a quiet corner of the classroom.