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Mother Bruce #1
Mother Bruce
Bruce the bear likes to keep to himself. That, and eat eggs. But when his hard-boiled goose eggs turn out to be real, live goslings, he starts to lose his appetite. And even worse, the goslings are convinced he's their mother. Bruce tries to get the geese to go south, but he can't seem to rid himself of his new companions. What's a bear to do?
44 pages, Hardcover
First published November 24, 2015
34 people are currently reading
2511 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,333 reviews
March 16, 2021
I have read most of the Bruce books and now I have read how it all started. I now know why he has those geese hanging around him as kids. This book had me in stitches. I love his little nods here and there to humor. I see why this book was needed to be a series.
Bruce is a very grumpy bear who loves being alone, shopping and eating. I love his shopping spree. He takes his cart right in the water to get his fresh salmon and takes eggs from the birds. He is making a special salmon sauce egg omelet when his eggs hatch. He tries to return the chicks to the goose, but she has flown south for the winter early. The chicks grow up with Bruce as mom.
There is simply joke after joke in here. It is wonderful. I love the artwork and Bruce and everything. It’s such a well done story. Ryan Higgins is distinguishing himself for certain with his excellent storytelling and art.
Bruce is a very grumpy bear who loves being alone, shopping and eating. I love his shopping spree. He takes his cart right in the water to get his fresh salmon and takes eggs from the birds. He is making a special salmon sauce egg omelet when his eggs hatch. He tries to return the chicks to the goose, but she has flown south for the winter early. The chicks grow up with Bruce as mom.
There is simply joke after joke in here. It is wonderful. I love the artwork and Bruce and everything. It’s such a well done story. Ryan Higgins is distinguishing himself for certain with his excellent storytelling and art.
May 5, 2017
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Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins is a children's book about a bear who loves to eat eggs and keep to himself. He's sort of a grump and doesn't seem to like anybody or anything, except for eggs. He enjoys heading out to find eggs and other ingredients that he can bring back home and use in new recipes that he finds while exploring the internet. He finally gets home with all of his ingredients and starts preparing his eggs for cooking until...
Instead of hard boiled eggs, he's now the mother of four brand new baby goslings!
Children will love the story because it's so adorable and the drawn illustrations are cute and colorful. It's any easy and engaging read. How will Bruce deal with caring for 4 baby goslings? Follow along in the story to find out how an unwelcome surprise can change everything.
This is one of my favorite children's books that we've read in 2017 and I'm happy to have it added to our collection.
5*****
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins is a children's book about a bear who loves to eat eggs and keep to himself. He's sort of a grump and doesn't seem to like anybody or anything, except for eggs. He enjoys heading out to find eggs and other ingredients that he can bring back home and use in new recipes that he finds while exploring the internet. He finally gets home with all of his ingredients and starts preparing his eggs for cooking until...
Instead of hard boiled eggs, he's now the mother of four brand new baby goslings!
Children will love the story because it's so adorable and the drawn illustrations are cute and colorful. It's any easy and engaging read. How will Bruce deal with caring for 4 baby goslings? Follow along in the story to find out how an unwelcome surprise can change everything.
This is one of my favorite children's books that we've read in 2017 and I'm happy to have it added to our collection.
5*****
April 29, 2019
Well, this was a highly amusing read! In Mother Bruce, we follow Bruce, a cantankerous bear who cares little about anything except cooking up new recipes with eggs. He's a bit of a gourmet, you see, and is always on a quest for the next culinary delight.
One day, Bruce finds an exquisite recipe that requires goose eggs, but before he gets those eggs cooked, the unthinkable happens.
The goslings imprint on Bruce, and much to his chagrin, they won't be persuaded that he is not their mother. Many much hijinks ensue.
I read this through Libby with the narration enabled. It was a strict read-along type thing with no animation, and I think the narration added to the fun. Do note that reading this with some inquisitive youngsters may lead to potentially uncomfortable questions about food and where we get it.
One day, Bruce finds an exquisite recipe that requires goose eggs, but before he gets those eggs cooked, the unthinkable happens.
The goslings imprint on Bruce, and much to his chagrin, they won't be persuaded that he is not their mother. Many much hijinks ensue.
I read this through Libby with the narration enabled. It was a strict read-along type thing with no animation, and I think the narration added to the fun. Do note that reading this with some inquisitive youngsters may lead to potentially uncomfortable questions about food and where we get it.
May 14, 2019
I read this because Jane had just read it and liked it and it has a funny title and the story reminds me of Peter Brown's The Wild Robot, which has a robot become an adoptive mother of a goose. In this one, grumpy Bruce the bear does not want to be a mother, or any kind of parent. He doesn't like anyone, really. He likes to eat, and eat eggs, but not raw eggs, cooked eggs, and so he steals them from geese.
On one occasion Bruce steals eggs and hopes to use them in an omelet, but they hatch, and suddenly he finds himself in a caretaker role very much against his will. Because he cannot teach them how to fly, he tries to find any way to get them to migrate--slingshots, small planes, but ultimately resigns himself to his role and each winter goes south to Florida with them.
Pretty amusing, and the art fits the tale.
On one occasion Bruce steals eggs and hopes to use them in an omelet, but they hatch, and suddenly he finds himself in a caretaker role very much against his will. Because he cannot teach them how to fly, he tries to find any way to get them to migrate--slingshots, small planes, but ultimately resigns himself to his role and each winter goes south to Florida with them.
Pretty amusing, and the art fits the tale.
October 12, 2022
Bruce is a grump. He doesn't like anything, not sun nor rain, not even cute little animals. Well, ok, he likes one thing: Eggs. But he doesn't like to eat them raw.
Instead, he cooked them into fancy recipes that he found on the internet.
You can probably tell from the cover where this story goes after he shakes down Mrs. Goose for some free-range organic eggs for a new recipe he probably saw on Pinterest.
The story made me giggle. A lot. Ok, I was laughing. The pictures complement the story beautifully. Bruce goes shopping - with a shopping cart - through the forest. It looks hilarious. Bruce has perfect grumpy face in response to the persistent goslings. I cackled.
This is a silly, delightful, slightly-snarky, fun story aboutmy brother a crabby bear who has to learn to live with what he's been given.
Also, stubborn teenage geese are a thing.
Instead, he cooked them into fancy recipes that he found on the internet.
You can probably tell from the cover where this story goes after he shakes down Mrs. Goose for some free-range organic eggs for a new recipe he probably saw on Pinterest.
The story made me giggle. A lot. Ok, I was laughing. The pictures complement the story beautifully. Bruce goes shopping - with a shopping cart - through the forest. It looks hilarious. Bruce has perfect grumpy face in response to the persistent goslings. I cackled.
This is a silly, delightful, slightly-snarky, fun story about
Also, stubborn teenage geese are a thing.
December 6, 2016
OH MY WORD! BEST KIDS BOOK EVER!!!!!
June 19, 2019
Bruce is a jerk. Lucky for him the illustrations are fantastic!!!
It took nearly till the last page before Bruce was anything but selfish and rude.
It took nearly till the last page before Bruce was anything but selfish and rude.
December 23, 2021
Mother Bruce is the most adorable children’s book. Grumpy Bruce doesn’t love much, but he does love to cook gourmet meals for himself. One day, when collecting firewood for the stove to hard boiled some goose eggs, Bruce returns to find the goose eggs have hatched. And they’ve imprinted on him. Grumpy Bruce is now Mother Bruce. Higgins does an amazing job with the illustrations, the story, the characters, and the wit (plenty for adults and kids). I love this book so much! And so will you and any littles you read it to.
January 7, 2016
I come from a loooong line of grumpy bears. :) Grumps, who show their love in huffs & puffs, roars, and sighs. So this book had me at first sight. That face! Haha...One look at Bruce’s scowling face and slump on page one and BOOM! I was in love. This big grumpy bear made me smile, smile, smile.
Bruce was a true grump. Nothing and no one could get a smile out of him. Until a surprise changed his plans, ways, and world. One, two, three, four cuties just might get through to Bruce’s big, thumping, grumbling heart. Can a grump learn to change and love though?
Some of these pictures made me giggle out loud. Giggle for goodness sakes! Haha...The image of Bruce—frown and all—with those adorable baby geese strapped to his belly is unforgettable and hilarious. So sweet! I very rarely say this, but I recommend buying this book. It is THAT adorable! Perfect to read again and again. A perfect smile inducing read for even the grumpiest reader.
Highly recommended read. Bruce gives a whole new look and feel to family!
February 19, 2017
Love it. Totally empathize with Bruce, of course. Laughed out loud when the geese put on winter clothes rather than migrate. My husband is reading it right now.
And even though it's been a while since my youngest was little, I feel confident that he would have enjoyed it back then. I do think most children would.
Ok, my husband giggled until he got to same page that broke me, at which point he began to lol. He agrees that it's funny, with cute pictures, and that kids would like it too.
And even though it's been a while since my youngest was little, I feel confident that he would have enjoyed it back then. I do think most children would.
Ok, my husband giggled until he got to same page that broke me, at which point he began to lol. He agrees that it's funny, with cute pictures, and that kids would like it too.
February 18, 2018
Okay....now that one was just too cute. I got to read it for storytime at work today, and the kids loved it. A bear whose eggs hatch unexpectedly? It's really a sweet story and the illustrations are very well done.
November 18, 2018
I read We Don't Eat Our Classmates yesterday, and today I had the pleasure of reading Mother Bruce... and now I want to read all of Ryan T. Higgins's books!
The story in this one is simple and sweet, but it was the illustrations that really made it for me. Watching Bruce raise the goslings from cute little babies to surly teenagers to "boring" adults (the book's word, not mine) was so much fun. I loved the amusing ways Bruce tried to deal with his problem, and enjoyed the heartwarming ending. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's pretty funny at times; there's something kind of hilarious about a bear looking up recipes on the Internet and then pillaging the forest for the necessary ingredients.
This is another winner from Higgins, a picture book that will be just as fun for adults to read as it will be for kids to listen to.
Quotable moment:
The story in this one is simple and sweet, but it was the illustrations that really made it for me. Watching Bruce raise the goslings from cute little babies to surly teenagers to "boring" adults (the book's word, not mine) was so much fun. I loved the amusing ways Bruce tried to deal with his problem, and enjoyed the heartwarming ending. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's pretty funny at times; there's something kind of hilarious about a bear looking up recipes on the Internet and then pillaging the forest for the necessary ingredients.
This is another winner from Higgins, a picture book that will be just as fun for adults to read as it will be for kids to listen to.
Quotable moment:
But Bruce didn't eat
eggs raw like other bears.
Instead, he cooked them
into fancy recipes that
he found on the internet.
May 9, 2022
"Un dia, Bruce encontro una receta de huevos de ganso cocidos y rociados con salsa de salmon y miel."
Homeschooling Spanish language book of the day
Love the pictures. Love the story. Grumpy Bruce is hungry but a little bit of a chef. He took too long to cook the geese eggs and by the time he gets his ingredients for his recipe he is Mama Bruce. The geese love and follow him. He tries to show them how to fly south but they don't want to leave him so he migrates with the children.
It's so funny and cute. Highly recommend.
Homeschooling Spanish language book of the day
Love the pictures. Love the story. Grumpy Bruce is hungry but a little bit of a chef. He took too long to cook the geese eggs and by the time he gets his ingredients for his recipe he is Mama Bruce. The geese love and follow him. He tries to show them how to fly south but they don't want to leave him so he migrates with the children.
It's so funny and cute. Highly recommend.
August 30, 2017
Cute, but I really didn't like how Bruce told the goslings that he liked them better when they were eggs. To me, that seemed like a parent telling the kids that the parent was better off before the kids were around. Might be true, but you NEVER say that to a child. Not unless you want them to bill you for years of therapy later on. That's just cruel.
The artwork was great though and the rest of the story was cute. 4 stars, but with the caution that you might need to comfort a child saddened by how mean Bruce is to the goslings at first.
The artwork was great though and the rest of the story was cute. 4 stars, but with the caution that you might need to comfort a child saddened by how mean Bruce is to the goslings at first.
November 28, 2018
Bruce was a grouchy bear. He liked his solitude, he liked his computer, and he liked eggs. On the hunt for the ingredients for a new recipe - boiled goose eggs drizzled with honey-salmon sauce - he got far more than he bargained for when his eggs hatched before he could cook them. Imprinted on him, the goslings simply wouldn't go away, no matter how many times Bruce rejected them. Eventually deciding to make the best of the situation, our ursine hero became 'Mother' Bruce, and set out to raise his four unexpected offspring...
An entertaining tale, one whose title plays upon the idea of 'Mother Goose,' Mother Bruce is the first of a prospective picture-book series about this grumpy bear and his unexpected charges. The artwork is absolutely charming, capturing the humor of the tale, from Bruce's chagrin at finding himself placed in the unwelcome role of mother, to the goslings' determined devotion to him. That said, although I enjoyed the illustrations and appreciated the story idea, there were times here that I felt that the humor - as when Bruce asks the goose whether her eggs are free-range organic - was intended more for adult readers than children. With that caveat in mind, I recommend this to children (and their adults) looking for stories with a little prickly-penned humor.
An entertaining tale, one whose title plays upon the idea of 'Mother Goose,' Mother Bruce is the first of a prospective picture-book series about this grumpy bear and his unexpected charges. The artwork is absolutely charming, capturing the humor of the tale, from Bruce's chagrin at finding himself placed in the unwelcome role of mother, to the goslings' determined devotion to him. That said, although I enjoyed the illustrations and appreciated the story idea, there were times here that I felt that the humor - as when Bruce asks the goose whether her eggs are free-range organic - was intended more for adult readers than children. With that caveat in mind, I recommend this to children (and their adults) looking for stories with a little prickly-penned humor.
July 3, 2017
This is a fantastic children's book!
It's about Bruce - a big, grumpy bear who pretty much has a distaste for everything but eggs. He runs into a big surprise when one day while cooking his eggs, goslings pop out! Despite being grumpy, he's put to the task of being a caretaker. It's a silly idea, but a silly idea that is well executed with good topics, lively illustrations, and humor add up to a great children's book! I love some of the events and "teachings," and certainly enjoyed the relationship that built. Fun read and a great one to add to libraries.
It's about Bruce - a big, grumpy bear who pretty much has a distaste for everything but eggs. He runs into a big surprise when one day while cooking his eggs, goslings pop out! Despite being grumpy, he's put to the task of being a caretaker. It's a silly idea, but a silly idea that is well executed with good topics, lively illustrations, and humor add up to a great children's book! I love some of the events and "teachings," and certainly enjoyed the relationship that built. Fun read and a great one to add to libraries.
Read
August 30, 2021I loved Ryan T. Higgins’ We Don't Eat Our Classmates and the sequel, We Will Rock Our Classmates, so I was pretty sure I would love Higgins’ Mother Bruce, a grumpy bear unwittingly saddled with four troublesome goslings. Laugh-out-loud funny, this book will be joy for tots and even more so for their grownups.
November 30, 2017
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Bruce is a grumpy bear that has no time for anything else except his favorite thing: eggs. When baby geese come out of four eggs instead of a hard boiled meal this bear gets frantic to rid himself of these new babies calling him mama. Eventually they crawl into his grumpy heart just in time for them to become stubborn teenage geese.
I chose this book for my nephew, he wasn't a fan at first. There were too many words per spread for him, he got distracted by the pictures and it was a struggle to keep us on the task of reading the story. But what an adorable story! I have to say it was such a novelty to be giggling through the story at the absurd situations and the matching pictures. Even my nephew started to thaw at seeing a shopping cart in the forest and ducklings on Bruce's head.
I really loved the story and message of the book as well. Here was this grumpy bear that only liked one thing and because things didn't go quite like he expected he was blessed with baby geese that changed his life. He ended up with a family and what a better, more happy way he lived due to this fact. The drawings also were quite stellar! It's what drew me to the book first off and I wasn't disappointed. I love the inked nature and the sharp colors of the drawings.
If your child enjoys drawing scenes from the books they read this is a good one to get. Almost every page had a cute drawing that my nephew could duplicate and helped his gain spacial awareness.
BOTTOM LINE: A great book to read with a moody and grumpy child.
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May 12, 2016
Bruce is a curmudgeonly bear. He just wants to be left alone to cook and eat and grump by himself. Then one day, his supper starts talking back to him and utter hilarity ensues. Sure to be read over and over again. Plus, there's a sequel coming out in the fall of 2016!
April 11, 2017
Still chuckling over this one!
This is one of those picture books that you can read it with a variety of ages and get something different from each one. I can see young readers just giggling at how silly it is. I can see older readers getting the subtle sarcasm on some pages.
I think I need to own this one.
This is one of those picture books that you can read it with a variety of ages and get something different from each one. I can see young readers just giggling at how silly it is. I can see older readers getting the subtle sarcasm on some pages.
I think I need to own this one.
April 3, 2016
I dare you to try reading this book without smiling. I had so much fun reading this book with my son. It tells the story of a grumpy bear who accidentally hatches goslings instead of hard-boiled eggs for his newest recipe. The goslings imprint on him, and he can't get rid of them! As you can see below, the illustrations are hilarious. The author is very clever. I will be reading more of his work!
September 23, 2020
Ryan T. Higginsin "Mörri hanhiemona" (Kumma, 2020) kertoo äreästä karhusta, joka täydellistä ateriaa metsästäessään päätyy vahingossa munasta kuoriutuvien hanhenpoikasten äidiksi. Ei siis mitään uutta auringon alla, mutta vanhoista teemoista on saatu koostettua ihan lystikäs kuvakirja. Lisäpisteitä täytyy antaa oivallisesta kuvituksesta!
December 4, 2015
Super funny and would work well with older storytime groups.
January 7, 2018
Hysterical and adorable- loved the art and the story!!!
July 28, 2018
This is a wonderful example of how diversity can work.Aaaand,it's based on a true story!!!!
August 2, 2018
Loved this book. Both of my kids laughed out loud while I was reading. As soon as I finished, my oldest asked if we could read it again.
December 7, 2015
Bruce is a bear who likes very little in life. But he loves eggs. He finds complicated recipes on the internet that he tries out. When he discovers a recipe for goose eggs, he immediately heads into the forest to source the items. Back home, he puts the eggs in water but then has to run out for firewood. Returning home, he finds that the eggs have hatched into four goslings. He considers eating them with butter, but loses his appetite. He tries to return them, but Mother Goose has left for the winter. So he is stuck with the four little goslings who follow him everywhere. He tries to make the best of it, but it’s very challenging for one grumpy bear to suddenly be a mother to four little birds.
Higgins has created a laugh-out-loud funny picture book about a bear who finds himself unable to say no to parenting four goslings. The humor is wonderfully silly, from the way that Bruce “shops” and “locally sources” his ingredients in the forest to the attempts to get the geese to migrate south. The book shows that this grumpy bear has a heart of gold as he cares deeply for the geese and allows his entire life to be changed by them without getting overly mushy at all. The ending too was a surprise, one that fits perfectly but I didn’t expect at all.
A lot of the humor of this picture book is carried in its illustrations which have a real attitude of their own and a point of view. Readers will fall for Bruce despite his grumpiness thanks to the illustrations alone. The little goslings too are a delight as they imitate Bruce, drape themselves around, and explore the world. The illustrations of the goslings as teens is perfection.
Funny, perfect to read aloud, and a surprise of an autumnal read, this picture book is great fun. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Higgins has created a laugh-out-loud funny picture book about a bear who finds himself unable to say no to parenting four goslings. The humor is wonderfully silly, from the way that Bruce “shops” and “locally sources” his ingredients in the forest to the attempts to get the geese to migrate south. The book shows that this grumpy bear has a heart of gold as he cares deeply for the geese and allows his entire life to be changed by them without getting overly mushy at all. The ending too was a surprise, one that fits perfectly but I didn’t expect at all.
A lot of the humor of this picture book is carried in its illustrations which have a real attitude of their own and a point of view. Readers will fall for Bruce despite his grumpiness thanks to the illustrations alone. The little goslings too are a delight as they imitate Bruce, drape themselves around, and explore the world. The illustrations of the goslings as teens is perfection.
Funny, perfect to read aloud, and a surprise of an autumnal read, this picture book is great fun. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
March 4, 2018
Ryan T. Higgins' Mother Bruce is one of those books that my job is highlighting. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much because the books that my job promotes are not very good. Mostly, they're overly sappy and cringe- worthy.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that Mother Bruce is quite the cute story. It's a very modern take on a classic story. Bruce is an anti social bear. He likes being alone, eggs, and looking up recipes on the internet.
While looking for his latest recipe, it calls for goose eggs. He buys them and boils them. He is beyond shock when the eggs revealed baby geese who think he's their mama.
After repeated attempts to get rid of them as the baby geese grow up, Bruce decides to just go with it and go South with them in the Winter.
I liked Higgins somewhat dry and sarcastic style of Bruce. I loved the illustrations. The baby geese chasing after Bruce while calling him Mama was such a cute picture. I realized this is part of a series. I am thinking about reading the rest.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that Mother Bruce is quite the cute story. It's a very modern take on a classic story. Bruce is an anti social bear. He likes being alone, eggs, and looking up recipes on the internet.
While looking for his latest recipe, it calls for goose eggs. He buys them and boils them. He is beyond shock when the eggs revealed baby geese who think he's their mama.
After repeated attempts to get rid of them as the baby geese grow up, Bruce decides to just go with it and go South with them in the Winter.
I liked Higgins somewhat dry and sarcastic style of Bruce. I loved the illustrations. The baby geese chasing after Bruce while calling him Mama was such a cute picture. I realized this is part of a series. I am thinking about reading the rest.
March 25, 2017
So darling!! I seriously love the illustrations in this book! Bruce is a grumpy bear who likes to eat fancy egg dishes. But one day the eggs he is about to prepare hatch and now he has four goslings that think he is their mother. What will Bruce do? He doesn't want to be mother to four goslings but they follow him everywhere he goes.
February 4, 2019
I loved Bruce, a grumpy bear who wants to make "hard-boiled goose eggs drizzled with honey-salmon sauce," but ends up the caregiver for his -- surprise! -- gosling family who hatch from the eggs. Very funny and sends a good message about non-traditional families. Looking forward to reading "We don't eat our classmates," also by Higgins.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,333 reviews