The illustrations in Kind Mr. Bear are fantastic. The sheer detail is astonishing. The story flowed very well, and I think this is the perfect storyline for younger children learning about sharing and caring. I like the additional conversations points, although only one question was related to the actual story, the others were for a different book. Lastly, the second and third pages, I believe the text script too light that it blends into the background. Overall I give this book top marks.

I love the cover for this story and the images inside the book are just as nice. The story is a lovely one about not taking elder people (and people in general) for granted as one day they won't be there to help you. The story was easy to follow and I read it to my daughter who joined in and pointed out the different woodland animals too. It is 4 stars from me for this one

This is a very simple, very short story about a kindly old bear who looks after everyone else in the forest. But when he gets sick, he finds himself all alone. It isn't until the animals realize how much he's done for them that they realize how good of a friend he's been... and how they can be good friends in return.

Like I said, the story is very simple. Where this book shines is in the adorable illustrations. I really don't have any complaint there.

This being an ARC, though, there are a few problems. There's a typo on the back cover, at least one in the dialogue (which is also unnecessarily italicized), and the parents' guide at the back is for another book (which appears to be another of Smallman's titles, The Not-So-Brave Penguin). If these issues are dealt with, this could be a fairly strong picture book for young children about kindness and not taking our friends for granted.

Beautiful illustrations with a lovely Story about kindness and taking care of each other and not taking things for granted. Lovely

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher of this for an honest opinion

Kind Mr. Bear is a wonderful story that will be great for any young child. Mr. Bear takes care of all the animals in the forest. He helps them lift things, shelters them from the rain and is generally the caretaker of the forest. When Mr. Bear gets sick, he is unable to take care of the community. One by one, the animals notice that Mr. Bear isn't around to help them and they rally to get Mr. Bear back to his healthy self.

What I liked most about this book was the message. I think it provides a good learning opportunity for young ones to appreciate your friends and caretakers and to make sure that you give as well as take. There is a page at the end of the book that facilitates this discussion as a guide. The illustrations were beautiful as well.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - QEB and Steve Smallman for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this adorable children's book.

Review Date: 8/23/19
Publication Date: 10/10/19

A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. What a nice story. Mr. Bear helped others and knew he was being taken for granted, the other animals finally realize and fix the.situation. Well done. The graphics were nice . A feel good book and very applicable to real life. 5 stars. I think most kids would enjoy and most parents would like to read.

This is so gorgeous! I got this book late at night and will show it to my kids tomorrow, I already know they will love this. I will be buying a few copies of this as gifts. I absolutely love it.

Love this book! I loved thinking there would be a next step to it but that part was not referring to this story. Might be because it is a preview copy. Would love to use this book for story time.

What an adorable story! The pictures and text work together seamlessly. This would be a great read-aloud for individuals or a group of students age 4-7.. The discussion tips and activities are quite doable and the book lends itself well to referring to later and situations relate to the important morals of helping one another and not taking friends for granted..

Being kind, learning to be grateful are character feature that you usually learning by obsering other people behavior. We learn it from our parents or peers and we are further behaving in those ways. Can the cycle of kindness stop? When we forget to be grateful for the help and the support so much needed during hard times, the source of our comfort may cease.
Kind Mr. Bear is a delicate story about a bear who's helping everyone in the forest but as humans do, the animals took it for granted and even forget to say 'thank you'. But when he is getting sick and everyone is left alone, they are reminded how much he means for the community and how important is to help each other.
It is a kind story about doing acts of kindness, beautifully illustrated and whose lessons resonate regardless the age.

What a wonderfully sweet and ingenious way to teach kids about developing kindness. Graphics are a perfect accompaniment. The back is set up for parents to use the story as an opening to discuss being grateful and a friend. Something we all could use reminders of.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

What a beautiful book. Mr Bear. Is always around to help everyone around. People get so used to him they become to expect his help. Then suddenly he’s not there.
This book teaches children the importance of not taking people for granted. Being polite and looking out for other. The wonderful illustrations mean you are able to have plenty of discussions with children. I’m sure this book will become a classroom favourite

I love this book. It’s much better way of getting the message across than Chicken Little. The story is well told and the illustrations are stunning.

I love this book and the pictures! A cute way to show appreciation and to remember to thank others for their help and to help others in return. This is the type of book that you could “discuss” with kids, would be good for story time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC.

So freaking CUTE!!!
The story is sweet with a great message for tiny humans.
Did I mention the illustrations are absolutely wonderful? Well they are!!!
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for my DRC.

This is a very short book, illustrated by the author, about a kindly old bear who helps everyone in the forest. He helps recover a kite from a tree(that is, a toy kite, not a bird of the same name!), lift heavy things, and shelter the tiny denizens of the forest from surprise rainstorms. People take Mr Bear for granted until he's not there any more. When he's sick is when people miss him, and finally it dawns on those forest folk that maybe Mr Bear could use some help.

The book was wonderfully-illustrated and the story poignantly told, and I commend it as a worthy read. The only oddity is that in a section in the back, title Next Steps, the discussion topics weren't about Mr Bear, but about Percy and Posy the penguins. I suspect this was put in there as a place-holder for a new discussion page to be written for this particular book, and that has not yet been added since this is an advance review copy. Presumably that will be fixed before the final version is published!

*thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - QEB and Steve Smallman for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*


5 stars.

Ohh such a beauty! This is a really heartfelt story, in sadness and happiness. 

Mr Bear is such a kind hearted bear. He's always there to help out the other animals in the forest and he is always polite, wishing them Good Morning each day. But after awhile, he is taken for granted and not appreciated by the other animals. They stopped saying Thank You. Then one day, he gets sick and the other animals realise just how much Mr Bear means to them.

It is so beautifully told and sends a very important message to children, and as a reminder message to all adults aswell. That message is to be thankful for those that help us, to be there for each other and to remember to always be kind.

The illustrations are just stunning! They are so softly detailed and brilliantly coloured that you could easily just spend time looking at them on each page without reading the words, which makes this a perfect book for children to do just that, if they are unable to read the words by themselves.

I highly recommend this.

This book reads like a fable. I used to enjoy reading these as a kid. I think for this modern generation, it would be a suitable book to have in a classroom to teach kindness. It could lead to some discussion about taking people who help us everyday for granted, and the importance of manners. I don't think it's a book kids will get terribly excited about and ask to read over and over--but I think it serves its purpose nicely.

Mr Bear is a staple in the neighbourhood. All the animals know him, love him and have come to rely upon him for help. Over time, as Mr Bear is getting older, the animals are beginning to take advantage of him. There are less "Pleases" and "Thank you's" and more "Mr Bear, where are you"s?

What happens when old Mr Bear gets a cold? Who will be there to care for him they way he cares for his neighbours?

This delightful, thoughtful and heart warming story comes from an experienced author and illustrator. Steve Smallman has many books under his belt and they are all brilliant. This one is no exception!

Kind Mr Bear is a perfect read aloud book and an excellent empathy builder.

The illustrations are simply beautiful and they bring this simple story of friendship to life.
I would definitely recommend this for all KS1 classrooms and school libraries.

This is a beautiful book that I’d be happy to give to any child. It’s a lovely story and has wonderful illustrations

This was a beautiful story about the values of kindness and gratitude and their importance.

Mr Bear was a generous and kind man who helped his neighbors whenever they needed it. As time goes on they begin to take him for granted and learn the hard way how important it is to appreciate the people we love.

Beautiful illustrations and a short and simple story.

Kind Mr. Bear is a cute, simple but effective story about a Bear whose kindness gets taken advantage of. He is always so helpful and his forest friends begin to expect his kindness instead of appreciate it. That is until Mr. Bear falls ill and isn't around to help them when they need it. The story is short and simple but gets its point across and would be serve to start a conversation about being thankful and appreciative of the kindness of others. The illustrations are very cute.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just like a favorite teddy bear sits quietly at the ready waiting for his chance to cuddle, sometimes a good lesson waits quietly below the surface of an entertaining story. Told with the soft natural painting of author/illustrator Steve Smallman, Kind Mr Bear, is the type of story that has many different layers. On the surface it’s a sweet story about a bear who falls ill and can no longer complete his daily living activities on his own. But just under the surface, it’s a great way to introduce the topic of aging and a reduction in abilities to young children.

I received an electronic ARC from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley.
A delightful story with a powerful message for all ages - who helps the helper? Mr. Bear is kindness personified. He delights in helping others and they have started to take that for granted. One day, he becomes ill and no one is around to help him. One young mouse realizes the animals haven't seen Mr. Bear and goes looking for him. She rallies the forest animals to come and help Mr. Bear. They realize how selfish they've been and remedy this by taking care of him. By the end of the story, everyone is helping each other.
Lovely, detailed illustrations that support the text and message. Smallman allows readers to think for themselves as they move through the story. Excellent opportunities for discussion.
The Next Step section at the end is about one of his other books so I'm guessing it's a place holder in the ARC version. If it follows other Smallman books, the discussion questions and activities will be easy for families to follow.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I loved Kind Mr Bear! This was such a touching book with an important lesson. Everyone needs help and kindness! Mr. Bear is always helping others but when he needs help only one little mouse realizes that it would be kind to help him too. Soon the forest animals are at Mr. Bear's help repaying the kindness! Such a good lesson to teach kids! The illustrations were also beautiful. A timeless book with an important lesson.

This was a stunning children's book with a very powerful message about being kind and helping others. I adored this and would recommend it to any child.

I totally loved this book. Before I retired I was a preschool teacher, and with out a doubt would have used this story in my classroom. I firmly believe, especially in this day and age, that all teachers should find it their responsibility to teach our children about more than reading, writing and arithmetic (as it were). Its a sad but undeniable fact, that we our unable and ill-advised in relying on our future generations to grow up learning the types of virtues, values and morals, we desire our leaders of tomorrow being instilled with. And even if they are being taught these very valuable and fundamental lessons at home, as teachers we should be backing up the parents and caregivers in forming the very foundation on which we would have our upcoming world be built on. Well my goodness that's a lot to put on Kind Mr Bear, so let me just add this. I found the illustrations to be absolutely adorable and know with complete certainty that the children will as well..... :o)

I read this book with my daughter and she loved it. The pictures were beautiful. I loved the idea behind the story- take care of each other- was very good. My daughter is 5 and was the perfect age for this book.

I'm incredibly fond of <em>Kind Mr. Bear</em> by Steve Smallman, a tale of an incredibly helpful bear who spends his time always ready and available to offer assistance to his animal friends around the forest. Whenever one of his friends needs something, he is always nearby to provide them with whatever they require and quite happy to do so. As can sometimes be the case when someone is always there for you, the other animals in the forest find themselves taking Mr. Bear and his kindness for granted. And one day, Mr. Bear comes down with a cold.

There's an interesting commentary to be had about entitlement within the story of the kind and helpful Mr. Bear and all his animal friends. Those who have always had help come to expect it and are both surprised and angry when they notice its absence. It is truly a brilliant message for young children to learn they should not take others for granted or be ungrateful. And as Mr. Bear spends every moment he can assisting those he cares for, it is immeasurably important for them to be introduced to the concept that those people deserve gratitude and sometimes help as well.

As the animals learn of Mr. Bear's cold, they come to the significant realization that those who help sometimes also need help themselves. A brilliant story with a wonderful message and exceptionally beautiful illustrations--there was a fox!!--<em>Kind Mr. Bear </em>is a beautiful and heartwarming tale that you don't want to pass up!

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

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Great illustrations and meaningful story.

Mr. Bear helps everyone when they need a hand. He does this so often; the other animals start taking him for granted. When Mr. Bear gets sick, there is no one to take care of him. Soon, the other animals realize that Mr. Bear is not there to help. Once they realize that something is wrong, they go to his home and discover he is sick. All of the animals pitch in to help him get better.

The illustrations are exemplary. They are bright, beautiful colors. From page 1, Mr. Bear has a great, friendly smile. This is a fantastic story about helping friends when they need. It offers a good lesson about being a friend.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review.

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

Kind Mr. Bear tells the story of a community that has benefited from another's kindness for a long time. When he falls ill and no longer is able to help them, it takes an equally kind voice to remind them what they owe back. The illustrations are lovely and the story itself meant a lot to both me and my son.

A tale of kindness and appreciation. Its wonderful to have people there for you to help you when you need it, but are you saying thank you? Are you showing them you appreciate them? The animals are awoken to this fact when their beloved Mr bear goes missing. A heartwarming story of friendship!
#Netgalley

Kind Mr Bear is a gorgeous story of friendship and being kind. It is about Mr Bear who is always there to help his friends with anything they need but when Mr Bear gets ill the other forest animals don't notice Mr Bear is not there but more that Mr Bear is not there to help them until the youngest little mouse decides to find out why.

This is a beautiful story which we have enjoyed reading, I think this is a fantastic concept for a book as it happens too often but is not something that I have seen stories about. The children really enjoyed seeing Mr Bear and all of his friends but felt sad for him when he was forgotten and so having such a strong message of kindness and friendship working both ways is brilliant as it made the children think more about what they would do or could do for those they love.

The character of Mr Bear is brilliant, I think he is very relatable for adults but great for the children to see and learn from. It is lovely to see Mr Bear go out of his way for all of the forest animals and the way we also see how he needs just as much help as they need. The forest animals are lovely to see as whilst they seem selfish at the start they grow throughout the book and show the children that they can change things too, even if you are the youngest or smallest one!

The illustrations in the book are gorgeous and I like how the colours show the feel of the book with darker colours when Mr Bear was feeling ill. This is really effective and helps children to see the difference in emotions and feelings.

This is a fantastic story of kindness and friendship and a very valuable read for anyone, we have loved reading this book and there is such a great message to learn within!

I love Mr. Bear. He is an extremely kind, elderly member of the forest community and he is always lending a helping paw to the other forest animals around him.

"Mr. Bear was very kind.
When anyone met him walking in the woods,
he would raise his hat, say "Good morning!"
smile his warm crinkly smile and then
do anything he could to help them."

He carries heavy loads, lifts animals up to reach things that are too high, shelters them from the rain and tidies up after parties when everyone else is heading home. He is a stellar pillar of his neighbourhood. He is constantly assisting the others making their lives much easier and much happier.

Then one day poor Mr. Bear gets ill and has to take to his bed. He has a runny nose, a headache, and he is very, very cold. His fire has extiguished and he is too sick to fetch more wood to keep it going. He finds himself all alone in his bed and it seems that none of the animals wonder where he is or come to check on him to see what's up. Mr. Bear is the one now in need of help. Will the other's seek him out and come to his rescue?

Only the smallest mouse is worried and she quickly scampers off to Mr. Bear's cave and finds him "pale and ill and shivering with cold."

Can the tiny mouse rally the other creatures of the forest to come to Mr. Bear's aid? After all he is always so friendly and kind to them when they need his help. Will the community of seemingly ingrates have a change of heart and rally around him and show him kindness and gratitude for all the wonderful things that he has done for them as good neighbours should?

This heartwarming book is about caring and sharing. It's about manners, thankfulness and true friendship. The illustrations are truly gorgeous! This would be a perfect book to include in a classroom and in an elementary school library. The wonderful message encourages kids to appreciate their friends, caretakers and the elders of their community. It highlights the rule of reciprocity - the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit -teaching that you give as well as take, with a happy appreciative heart. I love the book and I highly, highly recommend it!

Really short, cute book about manners, helping out and community. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Kind Mr. Bear is a sweet story about never taking people for granted. Mr. Bear takes care of his friends, no matter what they need. He keeps them dry when its raining, he carries wood for them...he does so much for his friends that they start to take him for granted. Mr. Bear gets sick and no one is there to take care of him.
The illustrations are appealing, the vocabulary is easy to understand and the message is clear. I loved this book and my kids loved it as well.

QEB Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Kind Mr. Bear. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Mr. Bear is always so helpful, but what happens when he becomes ill? Will anyone help him?

Kind Mr. Bear is a well illustrated children's story about the importance of being gracious and acknowledging the good deeds of others. It also teaches the lesson that it is good to give as well as receive. I like how the author carefully choses his words, giving dialogue that children will understand without too much explanation. The illustrations are well done, with great facial expressions helping to tell the story. Kind Mr. Bear is a great book for a home library as well as a classroom one. I would recommend this book, not only as a well illustrated and great story, but also as a perfect way to teach children the importance of helping others in need.

Mr Bear is always helping out the other animals in the forest and has been doing it for so long they have begun to take him for granted. When he becomes ill there’s no one there to take care of him. Until the other animals realise that when you’re friends with somebody giving is just as important as receiving.

This is such a sweet story but it’s the illustrations that have made me return to this book so many times. The animals are so expressive and I love the colour palette.

In one illustration Mr Bear is reading a book to the children so naturally I had to check it out because I thought there must be a reason that specific image was used. The cover matches one of the author’s other books, Batmouse, so it turned out to be a fun Easter egg!

I want to keep looking at the illustrations and I’m keen to get my hands on more books by this author.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and QEB Publishing, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group, for the opportunity to read this book.

Kind Mr. Bear is a heartwarming story. Mr Bear is extremely helpful to all the animals in the forest, so much so that they begin to take him for granted. When he gets sick and can not longer help out, some of the animals get upset that Mr Bear is not around when they need him. It just takes one to head over to his house to see that he is in trouble. After recruiting the other animals, they all come and help out Mr Bear and nurse him back to health. The illustrations in this book are absolutely wonderful. They are bright, colourful, detailed and full of action. What I liked most about this book was the message. Sharing with children the importance of appreciating one another and that it is important to give and care for others is always a welcome lesson. There is a page at the end of the book that facilitates this discussion as a guide. The illustrations were beautiful as well. Both the grandkids liked this one. They loved checking out the illustrations to see what Mr. Bear was helping with. We talked about what to do to help Mr. Bear when he was sick and they had some great ideas, well, the older one did. This would be a great book for a read-aloud in primary classrooms.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – QEB for Kind Mr. Bear by Steve Smallman. Mr. Bear helps everyone with everything from reaching up high, to carrying things, to getting across rivers, and the animals are all taking him for granted. However, one day the animals in the forest need help and Mr. Bear isn’t there to help. Everyone is getting annoyed at Mr. Bear, but one small animal decides to go check on him and finds Mr. Bear sick in bed. This is a story of friendship and being thankful. And shows what happens when everyone is kind and helps each other.

Kind Mr. Bear by Steve Smallman is so cute and fun book for kids and adults. The illustrations are very beautiful. My son enjoyed reading this book with me

Mr Bear is very kind. He helps all the animals in the forest and never complains or asks for anything in return. But then Mr Bear gets ill and no one even notices. The animals of the forest have taken Mr Bear for granted, can they change their ways and show him how much he means to them?

Steve has created sweet illustrations and you find yourself wanting to give Mr Bear a great big hug. I really liked the page where we see Mr Bear helping all the animals - full of truly selfless, kind acts.

This is a sweet picture book that makes children think about how we should treat one another and the importance of not taking others for granted.

I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Kind Mr Bear is a beautifully illustrated short read-along book for young readers by Steve Smallman. Due out 19th Nov 2019 from Quarto on their QEB imprint, it's 24 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a gently told story with a valuable message, appealingly presented. I liked that the forest animals realized after being told by the littlest mouse that Mr. Bear was ill and that everyone came together to help. There are a number of subtle takeaways from the book - that sometimes when people are used to always having another's help, when that help is missing, they can be resentful. The idea that even the smallest or least among us can have important insights and should be listened to. There's also a real sense of community coming together for the benefit of all.

This would make a really wonderful classroom read-along or library read. It would also be a great bedtime or read-to-me for the youngest. There are guided questions and resource ideas aimed at teachers/caregivers in the back. (I received an early eARC of the book, and the questions were placeholders from an earlier book, but the format will presumably carry over to this book with appropriate questions).

There is also an ex libris label (this book belongs to) on the flyleaf. I distinctly remember how much pleasure it gave me as a small person to ceremoniously write my own name in the space on my own books. I am -still- a voracious lifelong reader in no small part due to the joy of reading passed down by the people who gave me all those books all those years ago.

Possibly worth noting, the phrasing and idiom are ever so slightly British English leaning. On a careful read through, I couldn't see any direct spelling differences, but the text includes turns of phrase like feeling 'too poorly to fetch firewood'. There are no differences which present any problems in context.

This is a beautiful book. Five stars.