The Bear Makers

by Andrea Cheng

One family's story of survival in postwar Hungary, 1948. In Budapest after the war, when Kata's family first returns from hiding, they are glad to be alive and hopeful that life will improve. But the secret police is questioning everyone about their loyalty to the Hungarian Workers Party, and conditions seem to be worsening. The eleven-year-old doesn't understand why her brother Bela is acting so differently or why he hasn't come home from his recent excursion. Her father used to own the factory, but now, as an employee, his wages continue to fall. She helps her mother sew the bears they will sell on the black market, but when Kata learns that Bela has escaped the country, she grows angry and sad. In time, she hopes that Bela will make it to America and will send for his family.
"Bela lowers his voice so I can barely hear. "Last week the Secret Police called two of my classmates in for questioning." ...
My mother puts down her cup. "Okay, so they were questioned and released. Nothing happened."
"Next time they might not be so lucky. Mama, you don't understand. We are being watched."" --FROM THE BOOK

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2008

About the author

Andrea Cheng is a Hungarian-American children's author and illustrator. The child of Hungarian immigrants, she was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio in an extended family with three generations under one roof. Her family spoke Hungarian and English at home. After graduating with a BA in English from Cornell University, she went to Switzerland, where she apprenticed to a bookbinder, attended a school of bookbinding called The Centro del Bel Libro, and learned French. Upon her return, she returned to Cornell to study Chinese and earned an MS in linguistics. Now she teaches English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Her children’s books include Grandfather Counts, Marika, The Key Collection, Honeysuckle House, Where the Steps Were, The Bear Makers, and Brushing Mom’s Hair. With her husband, Jim Cheng, she has three children: Nicholas, Jane, and Ann.

Reviews

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the war, young Kata Steiner and her older brother Bela were sent to live on their aunt's farm in the Hungarian countryside under different names so no one would know they were Jewish. When the war ended, the Steiner family were reunited in Budapest. Their father, who had lost his factory under the Nazis, got it back and the family hoped that life would now get better.

But the Steiners hoped in vain!

The end of war brought a very short period of calm but now in 1948, Hungary has been taken over by the communists and once again, there is fear of the secret police. Now, instead of the Gestapo, it is the AVO (Allamvedelmi Osztaly) questioning people's loyalty to the Hungarian Worker's Party but with similar tactics.

And once again Mr. Steiner lost his factory, where he is now an employee, and his pay has been cut so much that he can no longer support his family. Depressed, he takes to his bed for days at a time and even refuses to attend required party meetings, unless forced to by his boss.

Bela, who always used to play with Kata, is never home and when he is, he has no time for her. Eventually, he goes in "an excursion" from which he doesn't return. Instead, he and two friend escape over the border to Austria and freedom.

Despite the danger, Mrs. Steiner sits at her sewing machine all day and much of the night sewing teddy bears, and later purses, to sell on the black market and help support the family with the money she makes. Any indication of capitalism, even just making bears and selling them, is a subversive undertaking, so it was imperative that no one finds out about it.

Kata, now 11, is a smart, but immature girl, though she does well in school, and even begins attending Young Pioneer meetings with her friend and neighbor, Eva, despite being too young. But Kata has been warned not to tell Eva anything about the Steiners, especially not about Bela's escape and her mother's sewing teddy bears. The Steiners are convinced, correctly it turns out, that they are being watched by Eva's father, a staunch supporter of the Hungarian Workers' Party who would love to turn them into the oppressive AVO.

The Bear Makers is a story that disappointed a lot of readers because they felt there was not real story and no real denouement. I read it as an interesting coming of age story set in a basically unexplored place and period in children's literature. And while the ending wasn't all neatly tied up, there most definitely was an ending.

Kata is an extremely immature girl at the beginning of the story, but as events happen, she seems to develop more of an understanding about the danger of her family's actions under another oppressive regime. That was evident when Kata was tempted to tell Eva what was going on in her family because she felt sorry for Eva, who had just opened up to her about her volatile home life and being forced to report to her father about anything she discovers in the Steiner household. Torn between wanting to be Eva's friend and telling her what was going on in her home, in the end, Kata chose not to confide in Eva, sensing the danger if her did.

For me, though, the coming of age turning point begins when Kata makes the first name tag for one of the bears, much to her mother's chagrin, but later much to the delight of the buyer. From than on, each bear leaves with a name tag giving it an identity.

The coming of age turning point culminated the night the AVO took her father for questioning and Kata finished a teddy bear for her mother, who simply went to bed in despair. Up til now, Kata was innocent of any subversive behavior, but now, as a bear maker, she has crossed that threshold.

As for the denouement, the fact that Bela is going to America gives the family hope that he will send for them, and for the first time, Kata and her parents actually have a happy, hopeful evening together as they begin to learn English.

The idea for The Bear Makers was based on Andrea Cheng's grandmother's illegal bear making activity after WWII in postwar Hungary, also done to help support the family. The picture of the bear on the cover is of a real bear she had sewn in postwar Hungary. And each chapter of The Bear Makers is headed by a piece of pattern used for making the bears. These pieces of pattern seem to give the story its overall meaning: the fragmentation of the Steiner's both as a family and an individuals experienced under the Nazis. As the pieces are sewn together to form the bears, the Steiners, too, are trying to piece their own lives back together again.

Or maybe I am overreaching.

Either way, I actually liked The Bear Makers very much, especially the historical background regarding Hungary. I did knew that Hungarian Jews suffered devastating losses during WWII, but didn't know much about the post war years. I think it would have been helpful to have an Author's Note at the end, to help put the story in context for its readers. Cheng is, after all, a very prolific writer and people would naturally be drawn to her work.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

This review was originally posted on The Children's War

[Megan Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope this book has a sequel, whether it's released now or someday in the future. Otherwise, I'm going to be very sad, because the book suffered from the ending. It just felt like the last chapter or two we're torn out of the book and the story just...stopped. Not ended, but stopped. Did the characters get out from the oppressive, communist regime? Was the main character ever reunited with her brother? I can't tell you, because the story just dropped off the face of the planet on the last page.

3/5 on here, 6/10 for myself

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book may be one of the most anticlimactic I've ever read. The premise sounded so interesting: A post-war Hungarian/Jewish family, supporting themselves by making/selling stuffed bears and handbags. The book is only 170 pages and reads very quickly so I don't feel jipped time-wise. Story-wise, though, it leaves something to be desired.

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it was interesting to read about people dealing with post-WWII problems (as opposed to all the Holocaust literature), I wasn't particularly fond of the characters. And it had the sort of non-ending that I don't much care for. However, I did have a philosophical epiphany about communism, and how often can a middle-grade book cause that?

[Aubrey Frandsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of war does not necessarily mean the end of hardship. In The Bear Makers by Andrea Cheng, readers learn about the continued hardships after World War II through Kata’s eyes. Kata is a young Hungarian who just wants to go to the park with her brother like she used to, or at least by herself. She doesn’t understand why she has to keep it a secret that her mother sells stuffed bears and handbags. She doesn’t understand why her friend Eva eats veal chops while Kata’s family eats cabbage and potatoes. As different events happen to Kata and her family, Kata grows and learns more about the hardships they are facing. She learns the importance of staying loyal to her family.

The Bear Makers is a wonderful introduction to historical fiction. Based off a real story, this book helps readers connect with those most affected by World War II by showing its aftermath through a child’s eyes. Since the main character is a young girl, the language is simple enough that younger readers can understand and connect with the story. Cheng shows readers how different events affect Kata personally, allowing them to feel as if they were in the story themselves. This book beautifully illustrates the hardships after World War II while also showing the beauty of people working together to make it through to better times.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely 3.5, but not for as broad an audience; see https://www.eatreadandbemommy.com/202... for details.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering, after reading the other reviews, that this book is based loosely on the author's grandmother's childhood....wow. Just wow. A Jewish family struggling to survive in post-WWII Soviet-allied Hungary? Not exactly a cakewalk, and not exactly what I would choose as the background for a children's book. But Cheng makes it work, more or less.

Our heroine starts off as a young girl about to enter middle school and all she wants to do is play with the teddy bears her mother is selling illegally on the black market to make ends meet. Chipper, right? She annoys me at first because of her selfishness and ongoing childishness (though she is only 11, I need to remind myself) and it likely annoys me because a) I am a grown woman reading a book for 9-12 year olds and b) it is meant to show character growth throughout the novel, which it achieves. Everyone in the story grows in their own way. My main drawback is the ending, in that it does not feel concrete, even though I don't mind its ambiguity. There is nothing for this family to hold onto. They wait for better times. It ends with enthusiasm for the future but does nothing beforehand to really help the reader believe that those times are coming. People are still going to get called in by the AVO and tortured with cigarette butt burns until they rat out friends and neighbors. The black market lives on. Pioneer groups are still trying to brainwash the country's children. Just because our MC is learning herself a little English does not mean that she actually will make it to America. Ever. And, well, that's depressing, no matter how you spin it. Realistic, yes, but for a child to read....depressing. 3.5.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story set in postwar Budapest in 1948. Even though the war is over, things are far from easy for Kata and her family. Friends and neighbors encouraged by the Secret Police start telling on each other; others try to leave the country secretly. A glimpse into a difficult and tumultuous time in Hungary. While I found it to be an interesting read, I am not sure how younger readers will respond to the story. In the absence of an author's note, they might miss the bigger picture, the historical background to the story, which would be so important in understanding the actions of the characters in the story.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartrending.

[Shira · Rating 5 out of 5]

it really puts life in perspectave. i mean sheesh! its almost as bad as the soviet union in china!