This is a great book with beautiful illustrations about the first day of school, the fears you have, and the friends you make.

a cute children's picture about the first day of school complete a sweet bear. Adults and kids a like will love this one.

This book has beautiful artwork and a sweet story. It tells the story of Max, who's nervous about his first day of school and whether or not he'll fit in or make friends, so he brings along his stuffed bear as protection (and overcompensation). Soon, he discovers that he doesn't need to be so afraid and opens up. Very cute and great for kids starting school and making new friends.

Bear with Me is a cute story for children who are intimidated about their first day of school. I think it’s a good way to start a dialogue with your child or grandchild about how they are feeling about this new experience. I would definitely share this story with the children in my life.

This was adorable!! I loved seeing the perspective of the kid's imagination and the difference to what others saw. It was completely cute. At first my son was confused as to why he brought a real bear to school then giggled when he figured out what was going on. I love this story, cute to see the kid's imagination and how kid's use their stuffed animals to help them through new situations.

I thought the book was very cute and had a good moral behind it. My 4 year old, on the other hand, didn't quite grasp that the bear was just a teddy bear and that the little boy was actually acting out from fright or nervousness. Other than a cute story to read, the premise was lost on a younger child. Would definitely refer this to parents with older children though who could possibly grasp the concept easier.

This is a cute and helpful story. My son and I read it together - he's 7 - and he enjoyed it. It also helped him think about his situation a bit - he's been in school for a while but even after weekends there can be the anxiety of going back. I love books like this that help them think through problems/concerns.

The story of a boy's first day of school, who was quite unsure of how his day will go, and brought his stuffed toy bear with him. It is important to understand kids' fear of their first day of school, the uncertainty and mostly the grace they need to adapt to school life.

Max is nervous about his first day of school . He insists on bringing Mr. Kalamazoo (his stuffed bear) with him. But Mr. Kalamazoo acts out throughout the school day.

My 4-year-old twins enjoyed the alternating pages of the stuffed bear turned real bear acting out the imagined bad behavior, and then Max holding the bear acting out the real life behavior. The drawings were beautiful and vibrant, and my twins loved how Max and Mr. Kalamazoo made new friends who also had a hard first day. They learned that it’s ok to struggle at first. There’s always tomorrow.

This was a cute story and a great book for any young child dealing with transition such as a new school. Thank you to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This sweet and amusing children’s picture book is about fearing the first day of school. It is common for children to experience fear and anxiety when school starts. The author uses the humorous “Wild Bears” to make the story relatable to young children, and to show them that other children are feeling the same way.

I can vividly remember that ‘first day of school feeling.’ I’d be excited about my new supplies and clothes, but my belly would be full of butterflies because I was scared that the other children wouldn’t like me.

The illustrations are bright, fun, and amusing. I love the expressions on the faces of Mr. Kalamazoo and all the children.

This book would be an excellent resource for parents to read to their young children several days prior to starting school. Reading the book creates the opportunity to discuss the child’s questions and feelings.

I want to thank Author David Michael Slater, Illustrator Davilyn Lynch, Publisher Clavis Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this Advanced Reader’s Copy. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

I requested this book off @netgalley hoping to see if it would be great to use for a possible future read as Mr 4 will be attending school next term- which Mr 4 is super excited about of course.

I thought Mr 4 would be able to resonate really well with this book, as Max has a cuddly toy called Mr Kalamazoo while Mr 4 has a lion called Mr Lion and two bunnies- they are just called green and blue bunnies for now. Mr 4 loves taking his three toys with him everywhere.

Mr 4 found the book funny and loved that Mr Kalamazoo came to life and “acted out” things that cuddly toys don’t normally do (as it was Max who was doing the things not Mr Kalamazoo 🤭). I found the idea was similar to the book called There is a Monster Under My Bed Who Farts! So if your child likes that book they are bound to love this as well.

We loved that Max found a friend at the end of the story and so did Mr Kalamazoo. We hope there might be a future book with Max and Mr Kalamazoo as we would love to read more about them again.

Bear With Me by David Micheal Slater is out now.

Thank you Netgalley and Clavis for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Max has the first day of school nerves. He's nervous and scared and has his trusted bear with him to help him get through the day. I thought this was a cute story of a young boy dealing with those nerves and the young kid I did read this too enjoyed it as well.

But, I do think it could cause a lot of confusion with kids about whether the bear is real or not or how to really deal with the feelings, so conversations I think would be important here.

Does your kid act like a bear sometimes?

This one was really enjoyed and appreciated by both the reader (me!) and my kids. In this story, Max endures his first day of school with Mr. Kalamazoo, his teddy bear. Max imagines Mr. Kalamazoo has a pretty horrific day, but in reality, it is Max who is struggling to deal with the transition. Max ends up meeting a new friend after school who also has a bear, which makes the next day go a bit more smoothly. Life is better when we have someone we belong to, after all. This book has excellent illustrations and I love the message, and would recommend it to anyone who has a kid who struggles with change (so, like, anyone with kids).

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

On the first day, the school could be different for a child who did not know what to do on his first day until he met a girl who had a bear too.

It was so cute when the girl had that bear too and they were friends because they are both have a backpack bear.

4.0

Thank you to the author, Clavis Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful illustrations and a simple but funny story - addressing the anxiety children can feel before the first day of school, or other things that are unfamiliar, or where they feel shy and uncertain. The pre-schooler I read it with enjoyed it and made the connection to their own experience, which is exactly what should happen, so mission accomplished.

Max is very nervous about his first day of school, but luckily he has his bear, Mr. Kalamazoo, to protect him. Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan and Mr. Kalamazoo's approach isn't quite as successful as anyone had hoped. Luckily, supportive adults and an understanding friend help Max realize that he's not alone and can try again.

This is a very funny and relatable story for young kids. The illustrations are vivid, lively, and detailed--they'll definitely capture kids' attention! The text is full of fun expressive language too. This would be a very enjoyable circle-time read for pre-K and would be a great addition to school and classroom libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

The cover and title are what drew me in to review this story. I loved the illustrations—such a cute story for a child going to school for the first time.

Beautiful illustrations to go along with a story that could help a child with their first day fears of going to school or at least show them that they aren't alone in being afraid. Part of the ending is beautiful that shows how friendship can go a long way towards lessening some of those fears. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS. Visually this book was just so cute and whimsical and absolutely lovely. And I think little kids would love the silliness of this story.
As a parent, though... the story itself confused me. Maybe I'm overthinking things, but hey, I'm a literature major and that's just how I read things, and I think I would be irritated if I had to read this book a million times over. I couldn't figure out if this was a fantasy story where teddy bears actually come to life, or if Max was causing all the mischief supposedly caused by his bear. If the former... that's both a bit terrifying and a bit unfair that Max got kicked out of school for it. If the latter (and I think this is what's intended, though I'm not sure littles will get this), the fact that Max acted out badly enough to get SENT HOME as... a preschooler? is really underplayed, and not well matched to the whimsical tone of the book. What did he do? It looks like maybe he made a mess? (It's hard to tell what's real, because half the pictures have the bear doing things, and all of them have kids fleeing Max, even though he doesn't seem to be doing anything particularly terrifying). Did the teachers try anything before just sending Max home? And there's no apparent lesson, he just gets sent back the next day with an, "It's okay to have a little trouble at first"? I'm just not sure what the point of this book is.
I was also a little confused by the repeated use of "tickled pink" (emphasized by being printed in a special font). It was clearly intended to be a Thing, but it was neither frequent enough nor plot-relevant enough to be funny or meaningful or educational or anything I can think of. It was just sort of there,
I did appreciate the pun in the name though. I don't think kids will get it, but it's still relevant in its literal sense, and it's a fun inside joke sort of thing for parents. Although, for anyone wondering, no, it is not ever actually referenced in-text.
3.5, mostly for the art

It's the first day of school and young Max is terrified to attend. He brings along his stuffed bear whose name is Mr. Kalamazoo for moral support and protection. Mr. Kalamazoo is an extension of Max's own feelings and actions in reality. Max yells at people on his school bus:

"KEEP AWAY!"
Max warned everyone on the bus
"Wild animal up in here!
He gets nervous around strangers.
And he gets hungry when he's nervous!"

In homeroom Mr. Kalamazoo gets nervous and intimidating so Max cannot introduce himself to his new classmates and at lunchtime his stuffed bear goes BESERK, causing a huge mess and chaos everywhere. This results in a visit to the principal's office and a call home to his mother to come and pick him up. Oh my! Things are not going well for Max his first day.

While waiting outside on the blue bench for his ride home he encounters a girl who has the ability to put his jittery nerves at ease. I wonder what transpired to make that a reality to Max?

The book has a positive message highlighting being accepted, finding bravery inside of yourself, and the power of friendship to help fight your fears. The illustrations are perfect and cry out for conversations that explain Max's feelings and how he learns to cope with them. It's a wonderful book to share with little ones who are starting school for the very first time. I highly recommend it.