Osos

by Sean Taylor

Did you know that a pair of brave bears is probably the most valiant thing in the world? This touching picture book captures the tender relationship between a papa and a baby bear.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Family, Childrens, Adventure, Storytime, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

Sean Taylor started writing poetry as a teenager. In 1993, he came across a newspaper article which reported that a goat slaughtered in Iran had been found to have teeth made of gold. He tried writing a story for children. It was called 'The Goat with the Golden Teeth' and it won second prize in a competition run by the British newspaper 'The Independent' and Scholastic Children's Books. Since then, Sean has focussed on writing for children and has published over forty books for young readers of different ages. As well as writing, he has many years’ experience visiting schools, where he works with poetry and storytelling to encourage young people to write themselves. He lives partly in England (where he was born) and partly in Brazil( where his wife is from.)

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special book is one of the most special things in the world. :)

I love the expressions in the young bear's face and demeanor that match the character's feelings of anticipation and fear and confidence and bravery.

Also, one of my favorite endings ever.

[Angelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

S. Taylor dedicated the book to Tove Jansson, which is sweet. The story and illustrations are nice.

[Steph Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so sweet. I love the illustrations.

[Hannah Gies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story and the illustrations!

[Piyali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustration and sweet story of adventure with dad.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Bear does so many things with his dad. Charming story about a father and child relationship. They spend time enjoying the day together.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

a sweet story of a very hot day and what Dad and little bear do about it.

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a bear to do when he's hot and bothered? Head down to the river of course!

In this delightful picturebook which sees Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise Sean Taylor and Wild Emily Hughes partner up to tell a story of a young bear and his father and their descent to the water of a hot day. With the little bear as our narrator, we see a beautiful relationship unfold through word and image together. Little bear mimics his father's phrases and soon leads the way, with daddy bear happy to let him. It is only when baby bear trips and hurts himself that dad intervenes and yet, it is here that baby bear shows some independence and chooses to continue leading the way down to the river.

It's difficult to emphasise how great an illustrator Emily Hughes (her pencil drawings and texturing make for such a rich and inviting landscape - the double-page spread of the bears heading home is one of my favourites) is and how touchingly Taylor captures the relationship between father and son. The idea that the baby bear feels the need to impress dad and yet dad holds back, allows baby bear to make mistakes yet is always there to support him is a beautiful message and invitation for boys and their fathers to do the same.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Brave Bear is a heartwarming story. It would be a great read aloud at the end of the day due to its feel good factor. I love the front cover with the use of quite warming colours and the pencil lines that portray the bears in a friendly, cuddly way, rather than grisly and scary as they are sometimes perceived in other children’s books. I liked the use of repetition ‘I think a pair of... bears is probably the... thing in the world’ as it gave continuity to the pages. Children would love to join in with this section of the story, making them feel more engaged and hopefully cause them to want to read the story all over again!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhhh I really like this one. It's my toddler's current bedtime favorite. At first I had mixed feelings but after repeat readings, and seeing how intently he listens to it, I've kind of fallen in love with this book. The art is beautiful, and although the bears are oddly humanoid (dad bear looks like a dad in a bear suit) there's something kind of magical and endearing about them. To me, this book feels like a memory that a child might have of spending the day with their dad, and that's really neat.

[Amber Lefevre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so sweet. A little bear doesn't listen to their dad and gets hurt (life lesson that your kids will probably ignore). They don't want to get back up but finally decide to try to be brave. If you don't look at your toddler and think "you do this same stuff" then your kid is perfect and this book isn't for you. FOR THE REST OF US: you'll get a good chuckle out of it since you're not allowed to laugh at your own kid when they fall after you tell them they'll fall doing that thing.
The background art in this is so relaxing to look at and colorful without being overly bright.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a hot day, so the kid bear suggests that he and the dad bear go for a splash in the river. But getting to the river, the little one gets hurt, and now needs to show that he is brave.

Oh! The story was precious, and the illustrations were wonderful. A darling read with a little one. AJ recommends it even to her 2nd-grade friends, it was that cute. I'm so happy to see a board book has given this older story new legs.

cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations by Emily Hughes highlight this tale of a father/son trip to cool off in the river.


A very sweet story about bravery, togetherness, and good times.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of a bear cub and dad going on a small adventure on a ordinary, special day. The images make the book. Dreamlike and magical illustrations recall the Rocky Mountains or Alaska; I could sink into the swirling lines all day.

[Jairo Galvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Osos es un libro muy bonito, las ilustraciones son un espectáculo y el mensaje que deja es algo muy motivador, destacó los gestos del osos y el amor en la relación padre e hijo, una lectura que no debe faltar en la librería de los más pequeños!

[Kelsey Bielec]

This is a very sweet book about father relationships and exploration into nature. This book would be a good story to read to your own child as opposed to in the classroom, but the beautiful artwork and masterful facial expressions are touching in any situation.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very hot day and a little bear suggested to his daddy bear that they could go to the river and cool off. It was a long way and the little bear had to be brave. This is a sweet story nicely illustrated.

[Sourimak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un album joli pour les yeux et pour le cœur des papas puisque c'est la relation de papa ours avec son petit qui est ici contée. Contée est un grand mot car personnellement ni la narration, ni les dialogues ne m'ont enchantée. C'est joli, un beau cadeau de fête des pères, mais pas incontournable.

[M. Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minimal text but a small storywell told of a bear and his father going to the river to cool off on a hot summer day.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little bear reminds me of my grand-daughter - intrepid and a tad physically overconfident. Mom here is calm and helpful and they enjoy their day because she builds the cub's confidence.

[Crystal Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Precious!

[Jeffrey Yasskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice story with a caring dad.

[Rub3n F3lip3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter’s all time favorite kids book! She can’t read yet, but has the whole thing memorized. This one is a gem.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrative was a bit lackluster, and the little bear's moment of bravery happens fairly early in the story. Beautifully illustrated, however.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations! So fun and very well done!!

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sweet

[SL · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a sweet story and the illustrations were beautiful but it just felt too long and slow that the rhythmic writing started to lose its charm for me as a reader.

[Melly · Rating 1 out of 5]

'Dad Bear says, "I think a pair of hot bears is probably the hottest thing in the world."'

Doesn't end as expected. Very misleading!!!!!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this during my library sessions and children enjoyed this book

[Neha Thakkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent of the bear went over the mountain and the Berenstein bear books, it missed the mark for me. Cute but nothing special.