Bear

In Bear, we follow the paw steps of a guide dog named Bear. As a guide dog, Bear’s job is to assist his owner Patrick, who is blind. Patrick and Bear happily live their lives in-sync until the unthinkable happens—Bear loses his sight. Scared he’ll no longer be useful to Patrick and lose his job, Bear then follows the racoons to find a mysterious bear to teach Bear magic for his sight. Despite making friends in unlikely places, Bear finds trouble and then gets lost.

Bear’s search is rewarded and reunites with Patrick. After their reunion, Bear undergoes surgery for his eyes. Whilst Bear states he wasn’t “one hundred per cent” after the surgery, he notes that he gained something far greater than what he thought he ever wanted—he becomes Patrick’s friend.

Bear is such an endearing character and I found it easy to emotionally invest in him and his endeavours. I enjoyed the themes explored in this book and liked the unique premise of the story and how it highlights the importance of guide dogs. The book also educates the readers regarding how blindness impacts people.

This is a heart-warming read with themes of identity, friendship, and perseverance woven into Bear’s journey. Through his blindness and his tireless search, Bear discovers true friendship and acceptance. His emotional journey for purpose showcases resilience in the face of adversity.

Also, I LOVE the illustration! The artwork is adorable and colourful. The art panels are engaging, successfully evoking intended emotions upon reading the book.

This is a book I’d highly recommend and I’d definitely buy a copy. I can’t wait to read this to the kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely lovely graphic novel for kids about a guide dog named Bear and his adventurous journey back to his owner, Patrick.

The story is wonderful and truly unique to really any story I've read, kid or adult stories alike. Patrick is blind and has built a great bond with his guide dog, Bear. Well, one day, Bear begins to lose his vision and worries that, along with his sight, he has also lost his purpose in life. Due to his lack of vision, and with the help of some pesky raccoons, Bear embarks on a transformative journey through the woods, in the caves of bears, throughout the big city, and more, all to get back to his owner and friend.

The artwork was done SO well! Everything is consistent and cute and pretty to look at. Both children and adults would find the artwork to be stunning. But the illustrator takes it to another level when he begins to draw and color the unseen world that Bear begins to imagine through the use of smell and "bark-olocation." I LOVE the creativity here! For example, there are many locations that Bear imagines around him because he's been there before. These areas are often drawn like chalk art, but each piece is done with precision and detail that is beautiful in its own right. One more example of creative illustrations is that Bear (the dog) meets Stone (the bear). But when Stone introduces himself as a bear, Bear (the dog) imagines Stone as a bigger version of himself!

Bear is a wonderful graphic novel for anybody, but children ages 8-12 might particularly enjoy this charming graphic novel.