Bear wants to win the gigantic teddy bear at the carnival, but instead, she wins a very small fish in a bowl. Bear is disappointed…if only fish were a teddy bear…

Big Bear and Little Fish is the sweet story of acceptance, over coming disappointment, and realizing that sometimes we are more alike than we realize at first glance. The illustrations are beautiful with a cool color theme that gets warmer as the story progresses.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review

My family and I read many children’s books, but this story of unlikely friends finding commonalities and building a bond is one of our new favorites!

Big Bear and Little Fish by Sandra Nickel
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher, for the digital advanced reading copy.
“Big Bear and Little Fish” by Sandra Nickel
I love picture books that introduce math and science concepts. This one does a tiny bit of math and a tiny bit of science. Bear measures his height, and he measures fishes length. Bear compares his big size to little fishes size. He realizes that while little fish is in a little bowl, his entire world also looks like a great big bowl. It is at that point Bear feels little himself. Perspective is everything, and attitude is important. Every book should have a lesson, and this one follows through. Bear and Fish are as alike as they are different. An enduring friendship is born out of a change in perspective. That is so sweet. I think most children will enjoy this picture book. The adorable art carries the story.

I received an electronic ARC from Lerner Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Friends come in a variety of sizes. They don't have to be huge to matter. Big Bear wants to win the large teddy bear but instead gets the goldfish. Bear does not hide his disappointment and ignores the fish until they start to talk. Then, Bear realizes how much they have in common and can do together. Sweet story of reaching out and changing your thoughts on friendship. I appreciate the way the illustrator shows expression on the character faces and the beauty in the background scenery.
Terrific beginning of the school year story.

This was a cute story about finding commonalities with others who look differently than you. I liked the message that not only can you find that common ground, but also supported creative thinking and reasoning. I liked the illustrations a lot too.

Big Bear and Little fish is a contemplative and humorous story about unlikely friendships, mistaken judgements based solely on physical differences, and valuing diversity. There is one awkward piece of text: “Instead, because it was lunchtime, Bear went inside and made a sandwich. She was gold and liked golden food, especially bread and syrup.” In the galley, these two sentences sit together on the page, and it is a slightly jarring switch in characters. It was like a reading speedbump because it interrupted the flow of text and caused me to slow down and reread. And then later, Fish tells Bear that she also lives in a bowl of sorts. The perspective is interesting, but younger readers may need some help to make the connection. The illustrations standout. Bear’s face is expressive. The pallet throughout is monotone cool blues, and the lack of color diversity reflects Bear’s desire to have a teddy bear that looks like him. The story ends with Bear and Fish together looking out into the big world that is effectively presented on a double-page spread. The world in this final scene is no longer monotone; it is awash with color reflecting the beauty and harmonization of differences. Big Bear and Little Fish will make a dramatic readaloud with Bear’s big, booming voice. Use this title for teddy bear and friendship themes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Bear is a very big bear who wants a very large bear to take home with him. Instead he ends up with a little fish. Throughout the book Bear is comparing everything to little fish and how the fish won’t fit into his world. When he gets back from his walk little fish has to convince bear why the little fish does fit into his home. Such a sweet story about being big and little. What really matters is what’s on the inside.

SO CUTE!! Such a heartwarming story about looking at our similarities over our differences and most of all being open to that. I was smiling the whole time!

'Big Bear and Little Fish' is a book both parents and kids will ADORE! Being small is certainly relatable to little people. As such, this is story they will love.
Bear is sweet and engaging as he takes on something he is not ready for and does not thing he can do - caring for Fish. Plus, he did not get what he actually wanted. But, he comes to learn that the unexpected can turn out better than what he thought he wanted. On top of all that the artwork is adorable!

WHO SHOULD READ IT: Bear lovers, people who sometimes feel small, anyone!

hank you @Netgalley and @lernerbooks for early access to this ARC in return for an unbiased and voluntary review

Thank you Netgalley, Sandra Nickel and Lerner Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a cute book, but I’m not sure how colorful the pictures were. It won’t work on my kindle (the pages are all blank) and on the PocketBook app, it’s all just black and white. My 5 year old daughter did enjoy it and when I asked if she liked it, she said yes, she liked the whole thing. It seemed to be a little confusing to her at times, but overall she enjoyed it.

My Review: I read this one to my 7 year old. We both enjoyed it and he stayed engaged the whole time. He even helped me read it. It’s a good story with a good message and lovely illustrations.

My 7 Year Old’s Review: Everyone is big in their own way! I liked how the clouds looked. I leaned that size doesn’t matter.

We definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Carolrhoda Books for a free digital copy.

A lovely book about perspectives. Comparing yourself to others vs comparing yourself to your place in the world. I really enjoyed the message.

I received an ARC of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This picture book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between Big Bear and Little Fish. The illustrations in this picture book were very cute. While the story was very nice, I don't think a small child (younger than 4) would have the attention span to read the whole book. Loved the message in the book.

I totally had vibes of Dr. Seuss and Goldilocks while reading Big Bear and Little Fish! Big Bear has NO idea how to relate to his new fishy friend- what could they possibly have in common when they are SO different?

This lovely story will take kiddos on a ride to learning SO many different concepts- size, foods, colors, habitats, and the most important- FRIENDSHIP!

Little Fish teaches Big Bear a lesson about differences and we can be different, but also the same.

The artwork is cozy, fantastic and appealing- it'll definitely catch the interest of a little one!

I loved watching Fish and Bear and their budding relationship and thought that the themes were relatable for a younger audience and how they process information in a more simple way- if a bear is gold, the food he eats will be gold. If a fish is orange, the food he eats will be orange. It offers a lot of transition into more complex ideas, thinking and learning.

I'd definitely recommend to parents, but also a great book to add to an educational library or classroom!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the DRC!

I was excited to read "Big Bear and Little Fish" after seeing the description's notes about social emotional learning. This is a very popular and much requested topic at our library and one that we do monthly storytimes around to help support what those ages 3 - 6 are learning in school.
This was the perfect balance of learning SEL skills with a fun and engaging plot. Sometimes SEL books can be didactic but this was not at all. The art is bright, interesting and clear which is attractive and would work well in a storytime setting. I will definitely be sharing this title with my groups when it is released to support celebrating differences and making friends.

This book was illustrated beautifully but the message wasn’t as clear as the description had mentioned. Bear spent a lot of time in her own head discussing the differences between her and fish. One in particular was what fish ate, which wasn’t accurate. The other was the coloring of the fish? Which seems like a point that wasn’t necessary. It wouldn’t be a story my family would read over and over again. The message of “different but the same” was lost.

I enjoyed the art and what the story was aiming for. This book wanted to talk about two species being friends despite their differences. But it focused so much on size and color rather than broader topics. I didn’t feel connected to the character.

This is a very cute story! Big Bear learns that size does not determine friendship and finds herself an unexpected friend in a little fish. There were parallels to a realistic fiction story my class loves, and this would be a great title to compare and contrast. I loved the illustrations as well.

Big Bear and Little Fish was a sweet story about a new friendship between two unlikely friends. However, I did find the story slightly disjointed in trying to connect the dots in how big bear and little fish were the same. The use of the word "amble" was also a bit out of place for a children's book. It was good and my children like the graphics, but it wasn't something they asked to read again.

Thank you to Lerner Publishing Group (Carolrhoda Books) for the digital ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A cute story!

The illustrations are good. It shows it is all about perspective in life. Even though others don't look exactly the same as you, you still have similarities.