Bear and Duck

by Katy Hudson

Debut author-illustrator Katy Hudson brings to life characters Bear and Duck in this hilarious story about a bear who is fed up being a bear and wants to be a duck. Bear is sick and tired of being a bear. Who wants to sleep all winter? His fur feels so hot in the summer. And the bees . . . there are just too many angry bees! Bear is done being a bear. But when he sees a line of happy yellow ducklings, he has a thought. What if he could be a duck? With a few duck lessons from Duck, Bear learns that being a duck is fun; but as it turns out, Bear realizes he makes a really good bear . . . and he makes a really good friend along the way. Young readers will delight in the hilarious relationship between Bear and Duck.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Birds

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Katy Hudson won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book Award Gold in 2014 for her illustrations in the book Animal Teachers. Her debut picture book, Bear and Duck, received strong reviews, including a starred review from Kirkus. Katy is the author of the best-selling picture books Too Many Carrots and A Loud Winter's Nap, which both received numerous positive reviews. Katy lives in London.

From Google Books.

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear doesn’t want to be a bear anymore. He’s sick of sleeping during the winter, his fur is too hot in the summer, and there are all of those angry bees. Then Bear notices a family of ducks walking along and decides that he could be a duck instead! So he joins their line and starts acting like a duck. But when the adult duck notices Bear in the line of ducklings, he gets sent away. Bear does get a book on how to be the perfect duck. So he starts to work on it. The first step is building a nest and sitting on an egg. But Bear loses his egg in the twigs. Second step is swimming, but Bear splashes too much. The third step is flying, ouch! Bear is thoroughly discouraged and climbs up a tree to hide. From there, he starts to show both himself and Duck the good things about being a bear after all.

This is Hudson’s first book. It has a great freshness to it and an exceptionally light touch. The humor in the book feels unforced and natural. In the middle of the book there is a change to the format focusing on the rules of being a duck, which creates its own pacing and energy. The ending feels organic and real as both Duck and Bear together discover the joy of climbing trees and sharing a treat with a new friend.

Hudson’s illustrations are ink and watercolor which combine into friendly images of flowering meadows, furry bears and swimming ducks. They have the fine details of ink and then the washes of watercolor paint. Hudson enjoys the visual humor of Bear in the line of ducklings and then other times creates touching moments where you can see the characters forming new bonds.

This is the second picture book about bears and ducks trying to live together that has been released this year. Pair it with Room for Bear by Ciara Gavin for a double duck and bear treat. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story Time
Ages: 3
Theme: Bears

I used this one for a preschool story time. The kids thought it was okay and it kept their attention. Story was a bear didn't want to be a bear anymore, so he tries to be a duck. Duck goes over lessons on how to be a duck. (That was the part I didn't care for, it didn't make super good for reading aloud).

[Nikta Khoraman · Rating 3 out of 5]

درباره‌ی دوست داشتن خود و پذیرش تفاوت‌ها.
ولی نقاشی‌هاش ۵ ستاره بود:(

[Sandy Nosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and sweet story with adorable illustrations! A good lesson for teaching children to be themselves.

[Somaye mahboobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

روایتش خیلی جذاب بود، و خوب تونسته بود از احساسات حرف بزنه.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis- Bear is tired of being a bear. He’s tired of sleeping all winter. He’s tired of his warm fur. He’s tired of the bees. So, he decides to be a duck. Being a duck looks much easier. All they do is waddle and quack. Duck decides to help Bear be a duck. But is there more to being a duck than Bear thinks?

What I Thought- This was a funny book. I like how Bear is convinced that he can become a duck overnight. I also like that on his list of complaints is his fur. That made me smile. Duck is a great friend. Ms. Hudson really wrote a good story about two friends who are united by their differences.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I'll start a new list of bear stories after reading this. I'd create a Bears That Are Sad list, but that's just depressing. I'll stick with Interesting Bears, which is what the bear in this book is. He starts out not liking his beariness, then he wants to be a duck and then... I won't tell you the end, but it's a nice ending. Not exactly what you'd expect to happen. I'm thinking too hard about it. It's a cute children's book. The only problem I had is with the closeups of the bear that look like when you blow up a picture beyond its pixel value.
Pairs well with Ribbit by Folgueira.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Katy Hudson's debut as both the author and illustrator of a picture book. The illustrations are lovely as Bear who is tired of being himself wants to take duck lessons. And indeed Bear gets instructions on swimming, walking, and flying like a duck. Enjoyable story, but the first few pages are a bit wordy, however, the text does then settle into "just enough" to be of interest to a preschooler. Will look for more work from Hudson as I did enjoy her illustrations. And who in this world at some time hasn't wanted to be something other than what they are.

[Terry]

Hug this book This is a cute and gentle story. The illustrations are adorable and the narrative is sweet. Also, the message "we are perfect as we are" is lovely.

There's more to our review. Visit The Reading Tub®. While you’re there, add a link to your review.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bear was a bear." Best. opening. sentence. ever.

This would make the perfect read-aloud. Kids will roll on the floor laughing at this fat, goofy bear who tries to waddle, and swim, and fly like a duck.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heehee the bear wants to be a duck. Hilarity ensues.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Spencer’s beloved books disappear, he creates a plan to catch the thief. Ohi’s brilliant combination of art and text will capture the imaginations of her intended reader.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's SO CUTE and the instructional section reads like the narration of a Wes Anderson film in my head.

[Karyn The Pirate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about accepting yourself just the way you are.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear doesn’t like sleeping all winter, his fur is too hot in the summer, and he’s sick of angry bees. In other words, he’s sick and tired of being a bear! As he sits under a tree he hears a happy noise. Quietly he slips in line behind a mother duck and her babies. As he tries to imitate their every move he convinces himself that being a duck will work just fine for him. Luckily, no one notices the large, furry body that has stepped in line. . . “Until Bear let out a too-loud and happy . . . QUACK!"

Bear begs Duck to teach him how to be a duck. So she pulls out the trusty red book How to Be the Perfect DUCK and proceeds to give him step by step instructions. She attempts to teach him nest building, swimming and even flying. But will the humongous, furry bear make the grade?

Cons: None

Pros: This is a début author/illustrated book by Katy Hudson. The illustrations are soft and both touching and humorous. The story starts out a bit familiar but soon becomes a story with its own personality and flair. This is a sweet look at friendship and subtle lessons on embracing your own uniqueness. The last page is filled with a touching illustration.

[Mary Kay Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

target audience - Ages 4-8 years old

summary – Bear and Duck in the meadow, Bear is tired of his thick fur coat and the buzzing bee's he hears ducks playing and decides to join them and be a Duck. He struggles with some of the duck skills like swimming and flying, and eventually decides to be a good friend of a Duck while still being a Bear. This is a cute story, that encourages children to be themselves and friends will appreciate them.

strengths/weaknesses - The scenes are is fanciful, and the colors soft and muted. The words are a little too small to read comfortably out loud to a classroom.

personal critique - I would recommend this story it emphasizes the concepts of acceptance of our differences, this is a good example of pluralistic values.

illustrations - This is a picture book, and it is illustrated by the author. She is an accomplished freelance artist in the UK. She has a website www.katyhudson.co.uk
optional:

whether a title could be used in a lesson plan? - Yes, as in introduction to pluralism. Read the book and talk about the story, and how Bear and Duck are very different but make good friends.

[Beatrice Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously part of the "Stick two animals together" collection. It's a cute little story. Bear is tired of beeing a bear and he sees duck and his/her kids and decides to be a duck. So duck shows him how to be a duck. It's pretty silly not in the best of ways. It is prose and doesn't rhyme or anything so good there. There are good parts especially when the duck is earnestly trying to help the bear and also cheer him up.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear doesn't want to be a bear any more. He's tired of sleeping all winter and he doesn't like having bee's sting his nose. Then he hears the cheerful quaking of ducks and decides he would like to be a duck! When he tries to join in, the ducks tell him he needs to learn how to be a duck to do it properly, but things don't go well.

A cute story of liking who you are and making new friends. Doesn't hurt that the pictures are lovely too!

No content issues.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading Too Many Carrots we looked for more by this author. Bear sees the downsides to being a bear and wants to be a duck. He receives instructions on how to be a duck with amusing results. This helps him to see the benefits and things he likes about being a bear and to realize being true to yourself is best. A nice story about being yourself and being a friend with your own unique abilities.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear is tired of being hot, sleeping all winter, and getting stung on the nose by bees. We wants to be something else. He wants to be a duck. To become a duck he has to take duck lessons. He must learn to build a nest, swim, and even fly. And some things may be harder than he thought. A wonderful story of friendship.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear and Duck is such an adorable book with a wonderful lesson about accepting ourselves for who we are. The story is nicely written, the illustrations are lovely, and it is just overall a great book for young readers...or anyone really who is feeling like they want to be someone else when things aren’t going smoothly for them.

[Calie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma première lecture en VO. Ça fait quelques temps que je voulais ajouter une lecture VO (accessible) à mon palmarès, c'est chose faite! J'ai bien aimé cette histoire d'ours en a marre d'être un ours et qui souhaite devenir un canard, la morale était jolie et les illustrations toutes mignonnes. J'ai tout de même eu besoin de chercher la traduction de certains mots, mais je suis fière de moi.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear decides he doesn't want to be a bear anymore. He's tired of sleeping all winter, his fur is too hot, and the honeybees chase him. Bear decides to be a duck. Bear's friend Duck decides to help him train to be a duck. After numerous attempts, Bear decides to remain a bear, and be something that's very special.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A happy little story about a bear who is anxious to be what he is not. This would be a good starter for children about 4 through 7 years of age to discuss the joy of being who you are and not trying to be very much like someone else.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear is fed up with being a bear, so he decides to try and be a duck. Duck agrees to teach Bear how to be a duck. But will he be an ok duck?

A cute story with fun illustrations about appreciating unique abilities and satisfaction with who you are.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations complement a very sweet story about friendship, fitting in and being who you are.

[Ummu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww... Such a sweet story. :)

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bear was tired of being a bear. He didn't like bee stings when he got honey, so he decided to try being a duck. It wasn't as easy as he'd thought. Fabulous illustrations for this charming story.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is MADE by the illustrations-- which are adorable.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story about embracing who you are.