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Dancing Bear
Somu the bear is unusual. He can dance! But Somu wants to be unchained. Can his friend Altaf understand this? Will Altaf ever set him free? This story describes the true plight of dancing bears in India and has been commended by wildlife organizations and educational institutions. This poignant story by Manasi Subramaniam about friendship and animal rights is illustrated sensitively by Korean illustrators Gwangjo and Jung-a Park in watercolors. Manasi Subramaniam is an award-winning writer of fiction and poetry. Gwangjo and Jung-a Park are a team of Korean artists who have illustrated several award-winning picture books.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 8, 2020
It is a lovely book that talks about cruelty to animals and how a boy named Altaf takes a bold step to do his part to stop the cruelty.
September 6, 2013
This is the story of a boy, his bear, and overcoming generations of tradition. Altaf tries to train his bear to dance, but quickly realizes that the pierced muzzle is causing his bear a lot of pain. The bear quickly gets exhausted from this "dancing" and can only be coerced to continue through cruelty.
I had no idea there was any such thing as a "dancing" bear until I read this book. I had never heard of this problem before. I googled "dancing bears in India" to learn more about it. I learned that, thankfully, in recent years, this practice has been nearly stamped out. But it does continue in the more rural parts of India.
This book is an interesting look at this culture and lifestyle. Altaf loves his bear and doesn't want to hurt him. When he realizes that Somu's future may be in danger, Altaf does the brave thing and takes his bear to the authorities for rescue. His actions inspire others, and pretty soon, several bears are rescued. I love Altaf's courage and his desire to right his wrongs. I also like the way his actions have a positive effect on others.
The watercolor illustrations are what first drew me to this book. They are beautiful. I love the wet-on-wet effect the artists used. They help tell the story with emotion and understanding.
My blog: Books for Kids
I had no idea there was any such thing as a "dancing" bear until I read this book. I had never heard of this problem before. I googled "dancing bears in India" to learn more about it. I learned that, thankfully, in recent years, this practice has been nearly stamped out. But it does continue in the more rural parts of India.
This book is an interesting look at this culture and lifestyle. Altaf loves his bear and doesn't want to hurt him. When he realizes that Somu's future may be in danger, Altaf does the brave thing and takes his bear to the authorities for rescue. His actions inspire others, and pretty soon, several bears are rescued. I love Altaf's courage and his desire to right his wrongs. I also like the way his actions have a positive effect on others.
The watercolor illustrations are what first drew me to this book. They are beautiful. I love the wet-on-wet effect the artists used. They help tell the story with emotion and understanding.
My blog: Books for Kids
September 29, 2013
Mom Perspective:
Again, I loved that this story not only told about characters in another culture, it even incorporated a little history into the culture. This story was a little tougher, as it dealt with cruelty to animals, but I was certainly impressed with a story that not only illustrated a difficult subject, but was also an example of how to deal with peer pressures and expectations that sometimes come not just from peers, but often times families and society at large.
Kid Perspective:
My kids are extreme animal lovers, so there was shock, anger, sadness, and some glassy eyes over the abuse of the bear, Somu, in the story. They were initially angry at Altaf for his capitulation in participating in Somu’s abuse. But they quickly saw that Altaf was physically sick over these actions, and my children actually applauded when he turned Somu over to the bear rescue.
Again, I loved that this story not only told about characters in another culture, it even incorporated a little history into the culture. This story was a little tougher, as it dealt with cruelty to animals, but I was certainly impressed with a story that not only illustrated a difficult subject, but was also an example of how to deal with peer pressures and expectations that sometimes come not just from peers, but often times families and society at large.
Kid Perspective:
My kids are extreme animal lovers, so there was shock, anger, sadness, and some glassy eyes over the abuse of the bear, Somu, in the story. They were initially angry at Altaf for his capitulation in participating in Somu’s abuse. But they quickly saw that Altaf was physically sick over these actions, and my children actually applauded when he turned Somu over to the bear rescue.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews