About a Bear

by Holly Surplice

Starring a very jolly big brown bear, this is the first book for HarperCollins from the talented author-illustrator Holly Surplice.


A bear can be happy, a bear can be sad.
A bear can be bored, and a bear can be glad!


Life is never dull for this bear – there are butterflies to chase, trees to climb and streams to splash in… and it’s even more fun when friends join in.


Warm, friendly rhyming text and gloriously textured, multi-layered illustrations combine to make this the perfect book to share at bedtime.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction, Juvenile

28 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Holly was brought up in beautiful Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland where living on a farm nurtured a fascination and love of animals, which continues to feed her work as an artist and illustrator today. Holly’s first children’s book, Silly Jack, was inspired by the real animals that lived on the farm: Jack was a Shetland pony that used to come into the kitchen!

Since graduating from the Edinburgh College of Art, Holly has travelled to places such as Africa, Galapagos and the Amazon, returned to the beautiful Scottish borders for a time, and now owns a Dalmatian dog, Marbles. With Marbles, a love of all things spotty began, and Marbles has been a constant companion, source of inspiration and distraction ever since.
Holly now lives and works in Edinburgh with her husband Craig, Holly’s ‘greatest creation’ their young daughter Honey, and – of course – Marbles!

Holly is constantly drawing and painting and exhibits her work regularly in galleries across the country.

Of picture books, Holly says: “I love how you can develop a character and take them on a journey along with the reader through the pages of a book – the possibilities are endless!”

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bear can be puzzled by a curious find.
And sometimes a bear has to scratch his behind!

A funny and extremely colorful look at one content bear.

The author's illustrations are lovely.

[Alex Sarll]

Despite the shared topic, this has surprisingly little common ground with Herzog's Grizzly Man.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adventurous, rhyming tale about a bear and how he might spend his day with friends before settling down for a much needed rest.

[Ashley Wesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable story of a bear who finds adventure and happiness with his friends around every corner. I'm definitely working this into a story time!

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be into bears and never have known it till I started this journey into kids books to honor my nephew Eli who opened my heart to doing so. So before I go further; Eli Michael Smith, my beloved nephew, this book project is for you as well as millions of other kids around the world who need encouragement to read books more. Thus, my latest review revisits my own love for cuddly bears of kids fiction, and how sometimes in real life the bears of nature truly are like the cuddly bears in those books, from Winnie the Pooh to the Berenstains. Bears are bored, excited, sad, joyful, curious about little things, take pleasure in all sorts of things. IE: bears are us. Holly Surplice is an author with heart that BEARS a closer look. Tee-hee!
Four stars
Cuddly bears rule!

[Keeko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. As soon as I read it, I handed it to my husband to read, and I made a mental list of people to share it with. I admire how hard the author worked to make this just right. Thanks and a bear hug to all who made this happen. Reading it made my day.

[Kristen Dutkiewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colorful pages bring a wide range of emotions to life for this little bear.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lush and delirious illustrations talking about our many moods, using the vehicle of a very cute brown bear!

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short children's book.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Sweet, simple text (for the most part). Would be perfect for storytime!

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple text, accompanied by lovely illustrations (I love all the swirling leaves). Very mellow little book. A good read for storytimes on bears, friends, fall...

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is simple but the illustrations are beautifully amazing this is one of my favorite children's books that I read with my kids.

[Little Seesaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fantastic artwork.

[Mrs Heet -Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and simple book that would be perfect for a toddler story time.

[Mosley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very adorable and cute. Simple and perfect for very small children.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute simple book about a bear in the fall.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute, quick book and the illustrations and colors are beautiful.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the simple words and the wonderfully colorful illustrations. A bear can be…

[Cate]

This was so cute! Love the use of rhymes and the colour of the illustrations. ❤️

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

What child wouldn't love a story about a bear. This particular bear has lots of personality. He expresses himself when he is happy and sad. He slumps around when he is bored. A bear can even be curious when he encounters a turtle for the very first time. A bear can be hungry and sniff out a treat that is sticky and sweet.

Holly Surplice shares a story about a day in the life of a bear. There isn't anything extraordinary here, but the silly bear. Pink, orange and red hues make for a delightful read. Simple sentences and pictures that express so much are great for beginning readers.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will fall in love with Bear! This book is beautifully illustrated and filled with all sorts of wondrous images. The rhyming text is simple, and is quite a good introduction to emotions as we see a bear who is glad, and bear when he is sad. He is even puzzled when he encounters a small turtle. My storytime audience became quite engaged with this book, describing what "puzzled" meant and laughing at Bear and turtle and the other fun Bear has with his friends. A wonderful read-aloud book.

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears are a perenially popular subject for picture books, and this new entry is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. The rhyming text and gentle, colorful illustrations will appeal to little ones and parents alike: "A bear can be happy, A bear can be sad. A bear can be bored, And a Bear can be glad." As is typical in pictures books (if not in real life!) this bear is tender and endearing with other forest creatures, and is shown hugging his friends the squirrel, rabbit, skunk, owl, and turtle.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautiful, visually stunning picture books I have seen in awhile. The text is very simple and rhyming, making this good for young toddlers up through preschool age, and everyone will enjoy looking at the gorgeous illustrations. I almost want to buy a copy just to carefully pull out some of the pages and frame them on the wall in my children's rooms. I read this in a picture book format but I wish there was a board book format. As the text lends itself so much to toddlers I would love for them to be able to flip through it without any danger to the lovely pages.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the cool fall air, bear enjoys the butterflies and he is happy. But bear shows other emotions too, like bored and puzzled, silly and sleepy. The cozy illustrations of bear and all his friends will make you want to read this book over and over. Make sure you get a cuddly bear hug from your reading companion.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely stunning book about the different moods/emotions/faces a bear goes through. Artwork looks like watercolor and papercuts in a coolish-warm color palette. Rhyming text is simple and makes for a good read aloud. Add this to your bear storytime!

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

#nerdlution day 40. Not a lot of story here, but that doesn't matter, more of a day in the life of as bear, at first thought a good book for a lesson on character traits. Illustrations are in the style of Karma Wilson's bear books, with bright colors and leafy endpages.

[Rima Aroutiounian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bear's life is fun and full of surprises. This book shows the different emotions that the bears experiences too. Great book for toddlers. Fun and colorful illustrations. The book does not have lot of words, so it will help with print motivation too.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and easy to read rhyming book that follows a bear through some minor ups and downs and even a bit of friendship. This book is great for a toddler storytime and would pair well with Orange Pear Apple Bear.

[Girl Guides of Canada]

We reviewed and recommended this book for our girls in Sparks and Brownies, ages 5 - 8.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would use for a toddler storytime about "feelings" Nice, pleasing illustrations.