Even though the premise was pretty interesting couldn't get really involved in the story. I ended not liking the bear, the plot, the art style... what can i say... not my cup of tea. Sorry.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. It's a great book about a bear who loves to read and what he finds at the library. Library love story.

Bear felt content in his life in the woods, until one day he found a book. His friend Owl teaches him to read, he suddenly Bear wants more books. For the rest of the story, Bear is off on a journey to find more books to read, one that takes him in to the big city and eventually to a library.
We loved it.

A cute picture book explaining why books aren't for bears in a very cute way. Why are picture book so adorable.

When Bear finds a book in the woods he goes to owl to teach him to read. Soon we all learn that reading is for everyone.

*Cute story about a bear that goes searching for a book and is welcomed at the library where they accept all readers
*Loved the colorful illustrations!
*Perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners
*Needs to be read to young child by older reader

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone Editions for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

I loved this book, the biggest reason being not just the cute pictures…but the overarching message provided in the context clues: the library is open to all. This bear traipses through town attempting to look for more books. The school turns him away, the bookstore does as well, but not the library. Instead, it welcomes him with open arms. And I believe that’s a message that many adults and kids can resonate with and you can sort of see yourself in that bear!

This is a cute construction for telling a story about the love of books and inclusion. The illustrations are charming. And it might be a solid gateway for an older kids who feels they "aren't a reader".

This is a perfect book for little kids who love books. Or bears! The colorful illustrations will keep their attention and it's a cute story.

When bear finds a book in the woods, his friend owl, teaches him to read. His world changes and he wants more books to read. This sounds very familiar to me. 😊 Bear heads to the city to see if he can find more books, but he comes up against many people who tell him, "Books aren't for bears!" What will he do.

This is a delightful story about the love of reading and where we can get books to read. Of course, he eventually ends up at the library where he is welcomed with open arms, just like we hope our little ones will be when they head there to find books to read or have read to them. The illustrations are wonderful with speech bubbles used in places. I have two niggles about this book. The text in the speech bubbles is a bit small and hard for older eyes to read. The second is one part of the book when they say that grownups don't notice things or pay attention. I don't want kids to think that their parents/teachers/grandparents etc. don't pay attention to what they are doing and let them think they can do things that they shouldn't because no one is watching. Besides that this is a great book. My grandkids enjoyed the story and thought it was great that the bear was allowed in the library. The illustrations are wonderful, with lots of expression, action and colour. This one gets out 4 thumbs up.

Books Aren't for Bears is a cute story about how books and libraries are for everyone, even bears. Wonderful illustrations and would be a great addition to a public library.

+Digital ARC was gently provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.+

This is a cute story about a bear who finds a book in the forest, gets hooked on reading, and sets off on an adventure to get more. So relatable! Along the way, he encounters several places where there are more books (classroom, bookstore) but finds he's not welcome there. Eventually, he locates a special place with lots of books where all are welcome (wink, wink).

The disagreeable points in this tale for me were the lines that read, "That's the trouble with grown-ups. They hardly notice anything important." I'm unsure why the author thought this was paramount to the storyline. What was he trying to convey to the 4-8-year-old reader here? That kids can get away with anything because grown-ups don't pay attention? That kids are invisible? That grown-ups are too busy to really get what's going on? I guess whether the intention was explicit or implicit - this adult doesn't get it. And I'm still not sure what it lends to the plot. My other issue is that I would have preferred that - should it still have been unacceptable for the bear to be in the classroom or bookstore (which in and of itself shows a prejudice I don't care for), perhaps the teacher and store owner could have demonstrated some empathy for the bear who was showing joy for reading. I mean, what teacher or bookstore owner frowns upon anyone who loves to read?!? It just doesn't ring true.

Of course, the happy ending will leave young readers feeling quite satisfied, though as a teacher-librarian, I can imagine myself slightly rewording (or even skipping) a page or two if I were to use it as a read-aloud.

Despite my issues with the grown-ups in the story, the illustrations are glorious, and this is sure to be a favourite for all the young bibliophiles in your library.

A cute picture book about a bear discovering a love of books--if only anyone would let him read! Fortunately, there's one place that welcomes all readers: the library! Here, books are for everyone, and Bear finally finds more books to satisfy his love of reading.

This is such a lovely story about a bear who finds a book, asks his friend the owl to help him read ita d he was hooked on books.

He travelled to the big city to find more books and after being refused in many places, he finds a library with a very nice librarian who helps him out.


Beautifully illustrated and written in such charming way.

I recommend this book to all children.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

This was terrific. The illustrations were what initially grabbed me, but the story was fun, too. Kids will love this as a read-aloud, but they are also going to want a closer look at those pictures!

Loved, the artwork, loved the message. I think this book will be a hit with kids and story times. Very cute story and message.

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

Books aren't for Bears was such a cute read with super cute illustrations with a wonderful message.
It was my favourite picture book of July!

What a super cute story about a bear who falls in love with books!
After being rejected so many times and being told books aren’t for bears, he nears the library, where the kind librarian welcomes him and shows him reading is for EVERYONE!

This book was absolutely adorable and I will most definitely be buying this for my classroom library! It’s a super cute and fun read for younger children

Loved loved loved this adventure. This story is perfect for your young bibliophile or even for those of you young at heart. Like us bear has discovered a love for reading and sets out to find books. I’ll let you follow his little adventure to discover where book lovers can go for endless books. Wonderfully written and absolutely adorable illustrations that complete the story. I know that you and your littles will love this story. It’s definitely one we are adding to our home library. Enjoy this adventure.