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Bear
Good Luck Bear
Bear and Mouse are looking for luck. Four-leaf clover luck. Will they find it? Monkey says there?s no such thing. Turtle thinks it?ll take too long. And Groundhog wonders if they?ll be unlucky if they can?t find one! Suddenly Bear isn?t sure if he should keep looking or give up . . . until Mouse sees something unusual. ?Does it have four leaves?? asks Bear.
?No . . .? says Mouse. Maybe Bear and Mouse?s luck has changed. But which way?
Greg Foley gives us another wonderful, heartwarming surprise with Good Luck Bear.
?No . . .? says Mouse. Maybe Bear and Mouse?s luck has changed. But which way?
Greg Foley gives us another wonderful, heartwarming surprise with Good Luck Bear.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2009
1 person is currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Greg Foley
16 books41 followersAward-winning author-illustrator Greg Foley grew up in Austin, Texas, and attended the Rhode Island School of Design. He now designs and creative-directs Visionaire, V Magazine, VMAN, VFiles and lives and works in Austin, TX and Greenwich Village, NY.
For more information visit https://www.gregfoley.co/
For more information visit https://www.gregfoley.co/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 4, 2013
Another disappointing children's book. I'm beginning to wonder: Are books for children more about the pictures than the story?
Let's consider:
This book is about a bear who randomly comes across a three-leaf clover one day. His friend, Mouse, says "Hey, I heard that if you find one with FOUR leaves, you'll be lucky!" So, Bear goes in search of a four-leafer. He encounters a couple other unhelpful anthropomorphs: A monkey who says they don't exist, a turtle who says it'll take forever to find one if they do, an elephant who says he found one once, but doesn't remember where, a gopher who wonders aloud whether Bear will be unlucky if he never finds one...
And then Bear gives up.
But never fear! Mouse has stuck through the search with him, and while Mouse didn't find what Bear was looking for, exactly, he found something better: a FIVE leaf clover. I'm extrapolating here in the assumption that was in fact better, because that is literally the end of the story.
So, the moral to this story is that if you give up on something, someone will just... give it to you.
The artwork again is the saving grace for this one. It was adorably cute. Story? Not so much.
Originally reviewed on my blog, Escapism Through Books.
Let's consider:
This book is about a bear who randomly comes across a three-leaf clover one day. His friend, Mouse, says "Hey, I heard that if you find one with FOUR leaves, you'll be lucky!" So, Bear goes in search of a four-leafer. He encounters a couple other unhelpful anthropomorphs: A monkey who says they don't exist, a turtle who says it'll take forever to find one if they do, an elephant who says he found one once, but doesn't remember where, a gopher who wonders aloud whether Bear will be unlucky if he never finds one...
And then Bear gives up.
But never fear! Mouse has stuck through the search with him, and while Mouse didn't find what Bear was looking for, exactly, he found something better: a FIVE leaf clover. I'm extrapolating here in the assumption that was in fact better, because that is literally the end of the story.
So, the moral to this story is that if you give up on something, someone will just... give it to you.
The artwork again is the saving grace for this one. It was adorably cute. Story? Not so much.
Originally reviewed on my blog, Escapism Through Books.
May 31, 2011
Foley's bear and mouse are just adorable! Here is a story about dealing with disappointment, making your own luck and honoring friendship. I didn't like it quite as well as the other Bear books but it's still adorable and would make a good tie-in with St. Patrick's Day given the four leaf clover focus.
April 18, 2011
I read this book to my 1st graders for St. Patrick's Day and the absolutely loved it! They enjoyed Bear's search for luck in a four leaf clover and understood that Bear was lucky all along, lucky enough to find a five leaf clover.
July 8, 2019
This is a sweet story about an adorable and contented bear who suddenly feels unlucky when he cannot find a four-leaf clover. The story shows how superstition can wreak havoc on a person's psyche, especially when the belief is strongly held.
The illustrations are fairly simple, but cartoonish and colorful, likely to appeal to young children. I read this book while visiting an ice cream store and really enjoyed this fun, fast read.
The illustrations are fairly simple, but cartoonish and colorful, likely to appeal to young children. I read this book while visiting an ice cream store and really enjoyed this fun, fast read.
October 2, 2024
After being told about luck, a four leaf clover can bring, Bear goes in search of finding one. After searching in vain, Bear is about to give up, but when his friend Mouse shows Bear something amazing, Bear rethinks his opinion on luck.
December 17, 2016
Part of the Bear picture book series and revolving around a cuddly cub of a Bear.
My Take
It's a simple discovery that leads to a journey of negatives with the first three encounters while Groundhog poses a scary question, and Bunny is quite naughty, lol.
Parents may find each moment an opportunity to talk to their child about the possibilities — their negatives AND the positives.
Foley alternates pages with white for the graphics and a colored background for the text, using his typical, simple line drawings with his soft colors not quite filling in his characters. There's a warmth in them that pulls you right in. They make me want to cuddle them up in my arms.
And that ending will make you laugh…!
The Story
While playing in a field one sunny day, Bear finds a three-leaf clover and decides to look for luck.
It's a long, heartless search, and Bear isn't sure if he should keep looking or give up . . . until Mouse sees something unusual.
"Does it have four leaves??" asks Bear.
"No . . ." says Mouse.
The Characters
Bear is the main character while Mouse is his best friend.
Monkey, Turtle, Elephant, Groundhog, Squirrel, and Bunny each has their own reaction to Bear's hunt.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a soft yellow background with a caramel-colored, line-drawn, snuggly bear standing on his head — on ONE arm! — and curious about a three-leaf clover. There's a milk-coffee mouse doing the same stunt on top of Bear's foot only with the opposite arm. The title fills most of the cover beginning in the upper left corner, using a deep iron-textured brown in a rounded serif font. The author's name is in the same brown and teeny in the lower left corner.
The title is what is being sought, for he wants to be a Good Luck Bear.
My Take
It's a simple discovery that leads to a journey of negatives with the first three encounters while Groundhog poses a scary question, and Bunny is quite naughty, lol.
Parents may find each moment an opportunity to talk to their child about the possibilities — their negatives AND the positives.
Foley alternates pages with white for the graphics and a colored background for the text, using his typical, simple line drawings with his soft colors not quite filling in his characters. There's a warmth in them that pulls you right in. They make me want to cuddle them up in my arms.
And that ending will make you laugh…!
The Story
While playing in a field one sunny day, Bear finds a three-leaf clover and decides to look for luck.
It's a long, heartless search, and Bear isn't sure if he should keep looking or give up . . . until Mouse sees something unusual.
"Does it have four leaves??" asks Bear.
"No . . ." says Mouse.
The Characters
Bear is the main character while Mouse is his best friend.
Monkey, Turtle, Elephant, Groundhog, Squirrel, and Bunny each has their own reaction to Bear's hunt.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a soft yellow background with a caramel-colored, line-drawn, snuggly bear standing on his head — on ONE arm! — and curious about a three-leaf clover. There's a milk-coffee mouse doing the same stunt on top of Bear's foot only with the opposite arm. The title fills most of the cover beginning in the upper left corner, using a deep iron-textured brown in a rounded serif font. The author's name is in the same brown and teeny in the lower left corner.
The title is what is being sought, for he wants to be a Good Luck Bear.
July 8, 2009
I don't think I saw the first two in this series, or maybe I did and they didn't make much of an impression on me for some reason, but I rather liked this book. Simple, subtle and wise (in both content and execution), I think this is a very good young picture book.
February 5, 2015
Read via We Give Books ... I'm bery fond of bear stories and even though there's not a whole lot to this story, the cute illustrations worked for me.
August 17, 2025
This book is rather depressing. The pessimistic bear wants to find a four leaf clover but is not having any luck. You would think that a book about a four leaf clover would be bright and sunny with rainbows and blue skies but alas, it's a dreary picture book. Ps. The sky is white and there's little to no details in the drawings.
February 25, 2021
I like how the background of the pages matches the animal that Bear meets along the way. That's clever and brilliant. I don't know if all the books do this as this is the second time I've noticed this. I love it. The story and illustrations are cute. I love Bear's and Mouse's friendship. It is so sweet and precious.
May 10, 2024
This was cute, simple, and lovely. A bear is told if he finds a four leaf clover, he will have good luck. I enjoyed the bunny page 😂. The bear starts to feel down, but a friend comes to the rescue. Loved the simplicity and the illustrations.
January 31, 2017
This book could be about a bear being optimistic about finding luck, or a bear thinking luck is a necessity that needs to be found. Either way a cute book.
November 17, 2018
Super cute art style!
March 5, 2019
It was fine. Ok. Short.
March 12, 2019
Cute, short, great for younger kids. Adorable pictures.
March 8, 2021
When Bear's friend Mouse tells him that finding a four-leaf clover means one is lucky, the little bear searches for one, despite the discouraging words of other animals.
December 15, 2021
This book is 4 stars strictly based off the adorableness of bear. Soooooooo cute.
March 13, 2024
Holt-Delhi library PJ story time 03-13-2024
March 11, 2025
Cute little book for a kids story time. It's simple enough to keep the youngest kids engaged and includes a lot of animals for them to look at besides just Bear.
October 24, 2014
Good Luck Bear, written and illustrated by Greg Foley, is about a little bear who is hanging out in the grass one afternoon with his friend Mouse. They come across a three-leaf clover. Mouse tells Bear that if it has four leaves than it is lucky. Bear begins looking for a four-leaf clover but has no luck. His friends walk by and see him in a strong search and provide some of their knowledge that might be useful. Monkey does not believe they exist while turtle does not think the time it will take is worth it. Elephant thought he saw one but can not remember where it was, and groundhog asks him, "If you don't find one, does that make you unlucky?" Bear continues to get discouraged when his friend Mouse comes by. What he found does not have four leaves, but makes Bear feel much better.
This story has the advantage by having the author also illustrate the book. The text and images work well in correlating the over all message. The story line is for younger children and with the pastel colors and simplistic and soft lines, young children will easily relate to the story. Also, each character that is drawn has the correct emotional stance to the situation. If they are optimistic, you can look at their image and easily identify their emotion. This ability sometimes is lost when you have two different minds working on one story.
Books that focus on younger audiences tend to have a simple moral for the reader to take away with. This one requires a little thinking. For children who are in Pre-K or Kindergarten, this would be a perfect story to have a discussion afterwards. The character development of Bear is something children will experience everyday. It would also be beneficial to point out the friendship aspect between Bear and Mouse.
This story has the advantage by having the author also illustrate the book. The text and images work well in correlating the over all message. The story line is for younger children and with the pastel colors and simplistic and soft lines, young children will easily relate to the story. Also, each character that is drawn has the correct emotional stance to the situation. If they are optimistic, you can look at their image and easily identify their emotion. This ability sometimes is lost when you have two different minds working on one story.
Books that focus on younger audiences tend to have a simple moral for the reader to take away with. This one requires a little thinking. For children who are in Pre-K or Kindergarten, this would be a perfect story to have a discussion afterwards. The character development of Bear is something children will experience everyday. It would also be beneficial to point out the friendship aspect between Bear and Mouse.
March 30, 2015
A short story that shows children to never give up. Good Luck Bear begins with mouse and bear searching for a four leaf clover because it is lucky. As Bear searches he never finds one and thinks to himself that he is unlucky but his good friend Mouse has his back and they find the luckiest clover of them all. I really enjoyed this book because the text would be easy to read for a young reader who is just beginning reading. For example, the max number if words used on one page was twenty-one showing the text is not complicated and can be read clearly upon reading the first time. Another great addition this book added was when you feel down on your luck their is luck around the corner. The Bear shows this as he is about had it with finding clovers and just in the midst of his unlucky day his friend brings him more luck. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this story because it brings a moral to young readers and the book is easy to read.
August 22, 2017
An okay book. It's got a simple plot and seems fairly soothing, giving listeners a little fun twist at the end which will bring spirits up without ramping up general feelings. That said...I'm afraid I won't remember this for long. Despite having such a specific focus--the four-leaf clover--the book itself hadn't stuck enough in my head over the last two days for me to recall the plot on my own. Not a good sign, for a picture book.
This does work as a non-leprechaun-filled book about the tradition of four-leaf clovers, so it might be nice for a change of pace. This also isn't Bear's first book, so, if your kid winds up entranced by his character and the simple story style, go look for more of Foley's releases.
This does work as a non-leprechaun-filled book about the tradition of four-leaf clovers, so it might be nice for a change of pace. This also isn't Bear's first book, so, if your kid winds up entranced by his character and the simple story style, go look for more of Foley's releases.
January 18, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Summer Reading Day 59: Our pick for today was Good Luck Bear by Greg Foley, an adorable book in both story and art. Bear is told by his friend Mouse that finding a four-leaf clover means that you are lucky, so Bear sets out to find one. He runs into many creatures who provide him with very little to no help, but he sticks with his search, and his sole helpful and supportive friend in Mouse, so that he can be a “good luck bear.”
This is a great little story, a time-old tale told in a very enjoyable way. As I mentioned, the illustrations are darling, and the colors are fun and engaging. The length is perfect for a baby bookworm, as is the way the story is written (this is a book that was MADE to be read aloud). We loved it!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
March 5, 2014
There seems to be a sad shortage of really good books about St Patrick's day. We have read many, but this is the only one I truly love for the younger age group. This is actually the third book about Bear by Greg Foley. They are all sweet and simple. In GOOD LUCK BEAR, Bear finds a three leaf clover and begins searching for the luck of a four leaf clover. Monkey, turtle, other animals all have opinions about luck or discouragement for Bear. A book about luck, not specific to St Patrick's day or the Irish, but fun nonetheless. Foley's winning combination of simplicity and softness triumph again.
June 17, 2010
My second book by this author and I really enjoy his illustrations. The concept of the book itself is also simple, yet still deals with some disappointments that a young child might face. The only problem is it doesn't work well for a storytime. Few words for toddlers, but the concept might not be grasped. And preschoolers would probably think it dragged. A lap-read would work fine, I think. And probably a great choice for early readers who want more of this kind of picture book than many of the other formats for beginning books. I liked the ending.
April 7, 2009
Recommended Ages: 2-6 years
Bear and Mouse are looking for luck. Four-leaf clover luck. Will they find it? Monkey says there’s no such thing. Turtle thinks it’ll take too long. And Groundhog wonders if they’ll be unlucky if they can’t find one! Suddenly Bear isn’t sure if he should keep looking or give up . . . until Mouse sees something unusual.
Bear and Mouse are looking for luck. Four-leaf clover luck. Will they find it? Monkey says there’s no such thing. Turtle thinks it’ll take too long. And Groundhog wonders if they’ll be unlucky if they can’t find one! Suddenly Bear isn’t sure if he should keep looking or give up . . . until Mouse sees something unusual.
August 22, 2010
I liked this book mainly because my daughter was an absolute EXPERT at finding four leaf clovers when she was young!! The illustrations are sweet, though the monkey is a little harsh looking. The story line does get a little tedious for me, but more than willing to try it with the preschool clsses. Like the other reviewer's suggestion to use on St. Patrick's Day.
March 17, 2011
Selected as my St. Patty's Day read aloud. It provides an introduction to the four leaf clover as a symbol of luck but the first page fails... it says bear is lying in the grass but all we see is the a clover.
The kids asked "where is the bear?"
The bear does persist which is a good skill to have.
The kids asked "where is the bear?"
The bear does persist which is a good skill to have.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews