Ведмідь, якого не було

by Oren Lavie, Орен Лаві, Вольф Ерльбрух (Illustrator)

Я милий? Я симпатичний? Я щасливий? Хто я? Усім доводилося думати про це. А якось довелося й Ведмедю. Власне, не якось, а приблизно через п’ятнадцять хвилин після якось — тобто одразу після того, як він з’явився на світ…

Це історія для дітей і дорослих, для тих, хто іноді підморгує дзеркалу і любить тихі прогулянки в лісі. Дуже позитивний Ведмідь нагадає про наших давніх друзів — Вінні-Пуха та Паддінґтона, а ілюстрації славетного Вольфа Ерльбруха нікого не залишать байдужим.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Philosophy, Fiction, Germany, Humor

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Oren Lavie, born in Tel Aviv in 1976, is a composer, musician and theatre playwright. For his debut album "The Opposite Side of the Sea" (2007), Lavie received the prestigious ASCAP Foundation Sammy Cahn Award for lyricists. Oren Lavie lives in Tel Aviv. "The Bear who wasn’t there" is his first book.

Reviews

[Zuzana Dankic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Citali sme s detmi a bol to MEGA medved!
Cely moj zivot v jednej peknej knihe :)

Zabludili sme?
Veru zabludili, prisvedcila Korytnacka.
Je to sucast cesty Dopredu.
Aha, kyvol Medved hlavou.
.
O nejaky cas sa spytal Medved znova.
Stale bludime?
A este ako!, odvetila Korytnacka.
Ach, ako dobre!, pomyslel si Medved.

[Vera Godley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often books written, illustrated, and published in Europe are a bit different from those of American origins. That can be refreshing. It is interesting as an adult to see various styles from America, Europe, England, Australia, and even Asian counties. It is also good to expose children to different styles and types of publications.

Oren Lavie's The Bear Who Wasn't There and the Fabulous Forest is one of those not-so-typical books. It will require a different type of parent or adult to purchase this publication for a child. Those who step out of the box of the ordinary and branch out to the quirky, non-realistic, thought provoking book that is filled with bold and unusual art will acquire it or read it to a child and will be the ones who open the seed pod of insightful thought for the child.

Will the young child grasp the "outside myself" tone of The Bear Who Wasn't There? Probably not. But it will surely tickle their imagination and mom and dad will surely gain a deep chuckle at some of bear's thoughts and quirky answers.


Bear wasn't "there" but an itch was there so the itch scratched itself upon a tree. The more it scratched the larger the itch became until it was bear. Now, I really don't think that this is delving into "creation" and an "out of nothing" theory. It is simply a nonsensical intro into getting bear into the story and into the forest that was, at that point, a single tree.

The story progresses as bear wanders deeper into the growing forest. He meets several other critters in the forest and these meetings give a sense of "Alice in Wonderland" deja vous.

The story teaches that you are you, yourself. It teaches you to be happy. It teaches you to accept yourself as "handsome," lovely.

The illustrations are very focused on the forest and its growing density. There is a good variety of foilage and though the book is primarily in deep greens, black, tans, and browns there are small spots of color that brighten the pages. I love the different look of this art and appreciate that each artist has his or her own style or styles and they utilize their specific talents to bring life to the text the author has composed for a story. This is a good combination of story and art.

I won a copy via the LibraryThing monthly reviewers contest. Opinions is of my own honest opinions without compensation.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read! It all starts with a medium size Itch that scratches itself against a tree, and the more it scratches the more it grows, and it is covered with fur until it looks like a bear. A bear who wasn't there, but now it is. The bear was all alone and wondered if he was the first or the last one, he wanted to know if he was he. And so starts Bear's journey to discover if he is he, Some other characters will join the adventure, like Convenience Cow and Lazy Lizard, and of course Penultimate Penguin and Taxi Turtle.

The story is deep and philosophical in a disguised way. Bear looks to answer questions like who we are, how we recognize ourselves, and how happy we are with who we truly are. The dialogues, as funny as absurd, reminded me of my beloved Alice in Wonderland. Erlbruch is a talented artist, and this is so far my favorite work by him. When I knew this ARC was coming my way, for some reason I thought it was an e-copy, hence my surprise when I received this beautiful high quality hard copy, full of amazing illustrations. 5 stars.

I received this book from the publisher via LibraryThing in exchange of an honest review.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Are we lost"
"Yes we are, it's part of the way Forward."
:)

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little odd, but a gentle, quiet story. A bear comes into being from an itch, then moves through a forest, encountering other animals, such as a sofa cow, a penguin, and a taxi turtle. A few of the illustrations are quite beautiful.

[Sandra (sagosandra) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag ÄLSKADE den här boken. Finaste bilderboken jag läst på länge! Sprang genast in till kollegorna på biblioteket för att läsa högt ur den, och fick antingen glada skratt eller ett förvirrat skakande på huvudet som respons. Det här är en bok som kanske roar oss vuxna mer än barnen, men jag är helt klart nyfiken på att ta reda på om jag har fel!

[Kristína Medvecká · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strašne skvelá mega vtipna kniha
Ešte musím pochopí koniec a asi si to dám ešte raz :D
*Humor, slovickarenie + ilustrácie

1.A kam teraz ideš?
Teraz idem...moment...teraz idem Dopredu
Poznám to tam
:D
Je to veľmi obľúbené miesto.zda sa že dnes tam chodia všetci.

2.zabludili sme?
Veru zabludili. Je to súčasť cesty Dopredu.
Aha
...
Stale bludime?
A ešte ako,
Ach, ako dobre.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most gorgeously illustrated children's books have showed up in my mailbox recently. The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest might be the best though. And the title isn't lying. The forest seriously is fabulous.

Bear has forgotten himself. He searches for the answer to his identity with a list of clues that include:

1. I am a very nice bear
2. I am a happy bear
3. Very handsome too

Along the way he meets a cast of interesting, some nice and some not so nice, characters. Adventures are had and I'm not kidding when I say I think I enjoyed this story even more than my kiddos.

The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest is a fun book to read aloud to preschoolers-early elementary. It has the kind of humor that will entertain children and parents alike. I wouldn't mind exploring this wacky forest again and again with the bear who wasn't there.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting little book. A kind of primer on existentialism for kids.

[Michaella Myš Kamenská · Rating 5 out of 5]

Čím viac pozerám, tým menej viem, stromy a kvety rastú, aj keď sa nedívam.

[Orsolya · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no shortage of books available for children with bears as the main character. Same old, right? That’s definitely an incorrect assessment when it comes to Grammy Award-nominated musician Oren Lavie and his book, “The Bear Who Wasn’t There: And the Fabulous Forest”. Supplemented with illustrations by award-winning artist Wolf Erlbruch; this piece is certainly note-worthy.

“The Bear Who Wasn’t There” is a relatively simple, early-grade children’s book in terms of its theme of self-discovery: a bear meets eccentric characters and learns that he is a happy and worthy bear. You’ve heard it before. However, “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” features very special, distinct details that stick out to adult readers sharing the book with children resulting in a more complex tale.

The immediate noticeable trait of “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” is the absence of dummied-down text. Lavie uses some compound terms and sentence structure with alluded meanings that will be surprising for adults as it is unexpected. This provides some laughs for adults but can, on the other hand, present difficulties for small children. Oren’s remedy is to include some rhyming schemes peppered throughout the text and other lessons that offer food-for-thought. There is a lot going on in “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” but in the best way possible.

Hiding in the text of “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” are some truly philosophical meanderings which can go over the heads of children but will sink in overtime (“The Bear Who Wasn’t There” is certainly a book worthy of re-reads). There are occasional moments that feel too adult-like in nature but this entertains older readers. Also questionable is the character of a lazy lizard described as smoking a cigar but the illustration genuinely appears to be a marijuana joint.

Speaking of illustrations, Erlbruch combines a multi-media approach with stencil drawings, stamp-like engravings, and oil pastel touches resulting in a pictorial adventure. The bear is sort of ‘creepy’ with large eyes and a huge smile but it is certainly deemed as unique.

The conclusion of “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” is slightly abrupt and ‘meaningless’ but still likable for children concluding in an overall positive book. “The Bear Who Wasn’t There” is a creative and unique collaboration between Lavie and Erlbruch and is a solid choice for parents with early-grade school children.

[Liander (The Towering Pile) Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bear Who Wasn't There isn't sure if he is himself. In his pocket he finds a list of clues about himself to help him figure that out. So he sets off through the forest to find out if he is himself.

This is a very strange book. It's nonsensical nature reminded me a bit of Alice in Wonderland, but in this case the confusing nonsense (or, one might argue, philosophy) is basically the whole story. So if you're like me and don't easily understand abstract philosophical concepts, you might be confused the whole time you're reading this book. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I don't really get it. And I don't know what age group to recommend it to. I feel like this is an adult book in picture book format. Maybe if you know a really philosophical child?

This review is copied from my children's book review blog, Blanket Fort Reviews.

[Oriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro con unas reflexiones filosóficas muy interesantes. Quizá, aunque un niño pequeño no lo pueda entender en su profundidad, siento que es una lectura a la que merece la pena que se acerquen para que quizá con el tiempo la puedan apreciar.

[Valeria Giacinti · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Meglio annusare i fiori che contarli"

[Nohra Bernal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous!

[Jannik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this book is perfect, the art style is nice, but the humor is incredible. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. But I also absolutely love the message of this book. It is a must-have in my opinion.

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful, amazing book! It looks like a children's book but I'd recommend it to many of my adult friends. An itch turning into a bear finding itself in the fabulous forest... well, it's fabulous.

[Noraly · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it! absurd, with a tad of philosophy. the slow salamander somehow reminds of alice's caterpillar - although obviously mostly in appearance.

[Neva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooo, just read it in Spanish and LOVED it :)

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cybils nominee for Best Fiction Picture Book 2o16.

[Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

És el millor que m'ha passat

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Once upon a Time there was an Itch,' so the story begins. And from that Itch comes a bear and from that bear a series of difficult, transcendental questions: Are you me? Am I nice? What happens to the world when I am not looking? In search for the answers of these questions, much like The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass, Bear, in his trip through the fabulous forest, encounters a series of characters who offer their wisdom in a variety of guises (with Turtle Taxi being my favourite).

Unlike Alice and Milo though, Bear's character is a little closer to that of A.A. Milne's creation Winnie-the-Pooh; the world is big to him and he's rather innocent and powerless within it. His kind nature and childish inquisitiveness carry him through though.

Whilst on the wordy side of the picture book and possibly closer to an illustrated text, Lavie's first translated book remains a gem. There are no clear answers here only questions and invitations here: ideas that will prick the young reader's mind and roll around in there for a long time.

Meanwhile, in the hands of the enviably talented Erlbruch, we have a large rather puzzled looking bear wandering through thick, beautifully printed forests. I loved the ambiguousness of this book but can imagine that with no clarity here it will aggravate some adult readers.

[karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo este libro. Es mi libro favorito de la infancia, aunque lo haya leído a los 23 años.

"-Ahora tengo que irme -dijo el Oso.
-¿Adónde vas? -le preguntó la Vaca.
-A averiguar si yo soy yo.
-Espero que lo seas -dijo la Vaca."

En cierta forma, me hizo recordar a Alicia en el País de las Maravillas por los sinsentidos-con-sentido que maneja. Porque bonito no es un número pero es una muy buena forma de contar flores. Es un silly book, un silly feel-good book que es más de lo que parece. *suspiro feliz con una sonrisa en mi cara*

No sé cómo los describiría, pero me gustan mucho este tipo de libros. Quiero más. Denme más. ¿Más de qué? De estos libros. ¿Qué libros? Libros así. ¿Cómo así? Pues así. Otras reviews lo describen como "quirky, non-realistic, thought provoking" y "deep and philosophical in a disguised way". Estoy completamente de acuerdo con esas reviews y me avergüenza mi falta de vocabulario.

"-Tenía la sensación de que yo era yo -dijo-. Me sonaba mucho a mí mismo."

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are fantastic, it's true, but this book wants to be too many things. It's fa-a-a-r too long. The structure is wonky. The story is convoluted. I feel like there were some great lines in there about life's uncertainties. I don't feel like existential crisis is something kids experience, so the premise as a whole is pretty wobbly. Then you add in excessive punctuation ("BEAR????") alliterative names that don't even make sense (Penultimate Penguin?!), random capitalization ("once upon a Time," etcetera) and entire pages (! - one of them 196 words) of dialogue. Again, love the illustrations. We get the full-spread illustration at the perfect time, two pages before the end. It's a lovely moment... if you can slog through more than 1,900 words--yes, I counted.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is delightfully silly! The illustrations are out of this world good! The sometimes very wordy pages almost seemed designed for adults or older children. In fact, I would warn that very young children will get an oddly skewed image of the world if they take this story to heart. It is so happy, optimistic, and ridiculous though, that it made my day! My favorite illustration is the back view image of the bear, riding on the turtle taxi, as they head off to Forward.

First Line: "Once upon a time there was an itch."

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up a picture book with a bear with a bird on his head on the cover... I was not prepared for the philosophical content of this book. However, my children loved the story and didn't seemed confused at all - of course an itch can become a bear and of course, said bear would need to discover if he was really himself and go on a journey with a rolling turtle - going forward, until at last he found himself home. I'm not sure I totally get it and I'm not sure that matters - my kids seem to have it all figured out.

[Munai · Rating 4 out of 5]

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear does it make a sound? If you enjoy pondering these types of questions you'll love this book! The bear shapes his identity based on what people around him have said about him, sort of like what we humans do. He also dares to define the world differently than what we are accustomed to. Great book for pushing your child to think more about identity and meaning.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trata un tema filosófico como es la identidad (¿quién y cómo soy?) de forma sencilla con una mezcla de non-sense que atrapa y provoca carcajadas tanto a niños como en adultos. Este habría sido el tipo de libros que me hubiera gustado a mi leer de pequeña.

...El bosque bonito no tenía cuatro sino ocho puntos cardinales: este, oeste, sur, norte, incorrecto, correcto, almuerzo y desayuno. El oso estaba dudando entre almuenzo y desayuno, cuando escuchó una voz…

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this I couldn't stop smiling; it was obvious this wasn't written by an American author. The way that things are phrased is just lovely. It'd be hard not to love this bear!


--------

And sometime later the Bear asked, "Are we still lost?"
"Absolutely," replied the turtle.
"Oh good," said the Bear.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fabulous Forest was very quiet that time of Once upon a Time, and the Bear could hear different types of silence. There was the small silence of the leaves, and the deep silence of the ground, and the old silence of the trees. There was one silence which was the most silent of all and the hardest one to spot: it was his own silence.