Nothing Can Frighten a Bear

by Elizabeth Dale, Paula Metcalf (Illustrations)

"Gives caregivers a new response in their arsenal of answers to the nighttime question 'What was that noise?' " - Kirkus Reviews

Daddy Bear insists he's the scariest creature in the forest -- didn't you know that nothing can frighten a bear? When a noise in the night awakens Baby Bear, he starts to believe maybe there is something scarier out there than Daddy Bear. The bears set out to investigate. But as the monsters vanish one by one, it looks like Daddy Bear might not be so brave after all! This hilarious, rhyming text about bedtime frights is a perfect read-aloud with a funny refrain.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Storytime, Family, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2016

About the author

Elizabeth Dale always dreamed of being a writer, but somehow got sidetracked into studying for a physics degree. When her children were born, she returned to her dream and found she loved writing children’s books more than anything. She loves traveling and seeking inspiration for her stories. Having seen what a wonderful life she leads, two of her daughters have grown up to be children’s authors, too. Elizabeth Dale lives in West Sussex, England.

Reviews

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet short story about how to overcome fear...

... but also how we are all still afraid of various monsters (beings or thoughts)....

even though we are big and strong.
I know by myself.

[Elfo-oscuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es una historia muy cortita para leer a tu peque pero tiene unos dibujos muy bonitos y una historia contada de modo excelente

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a good read aloud and kind of cute how they lose the family along the way.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very cute. It has lots of not-so-scary suspense that is great for little kids. The rhyming patterns throughout this book make it a great read for kiddos learning how to read. The family is so real and cute, it will remind you of a human family. If you have little kids who do funny things in their sleep, this would be a great book for them.

[Aaron W. Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, interactive story book to read aloud. Good rhyming, excellent illustrations, anticipation at each turn of the page.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a roar wakes baby bear from a deep sleep, he insists it was a monster. To convince him that there are no monsters, Daddy bear takes Mommy, Grace, Ben, and Baby bear into the forest to search for monsters. During the search strange things happen, but in the end the mysteries are revealed.

[Sofia Pi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Και αποχαιρετούμε τις αγαπημένες μας αρκούδες για το χειμώνα και τους ευχόμαστε έναν υπέροχο χειμέριο ύπνο με έναν παραμύθι κατευθείαν από τα δάση της Αγγλίας. Τίποτα δεν Μπορεί να Τρομάξει μια Αρκούδα της γνωστής Βρετανίδας συγγραφέως Elizabeth Dale σε όμορφες εικόνες της Paula Metcalf και πρώτη έκδοση της Nosy Crow, εταιρεία που ξεχωρίζει για τις καλαίσθητες εκδόσεις παιδικών βιβλίων στη Γηραιά Αλβιώνα. Στα ελληνικά κυκλοφορεί από τον εκδοτικό οίκο Τζιαμπίρης- Πυραμίδα σε μία προσεγμένη σκληρόδετη έκδοση και μετάφραση που διατηρεί το ρυθμό και την ομοιοκαταληξία. Δυστυχώς, όσο και αν ψάξαμε, δεν μπορέσαμε να βρούμε τα ονόματα των μεταφραστών να αποδώσουμε τα εύσημα.

Ολόκληρη η αρκουδοοικογένεια ξαπλώνει στα κρεβάτια όταν το μικρότερο αρκουδάκι ξυπνά από ύπνο βαθύ εξαιτίας ενός δυνατού Ροαρ! Τι να είναι άραγε, μήπως τέρας, μήπως κάτι άλλο; Όσο και αν το καθησυχάζουν οι δικοί του, αυτό το καημένο δεν μπορεί να κλείσει μάτι ξανά. Οι γονείς του προτείνουν να ψάξουν στο δάσος για βεβαιωθεί το μικρό αρκουδάκι ότι τέρατα δεν υπάρχουν. Για να δούμε πώς θα εξελιχθεί αυτή η βραδινή βόλτα; Θα βρουν τελικά από που προήλθε αυτός ο ήχος που τρόμαξε το αρκουδάκι;

"Το φόβο διώξτε" είπε ο μπαμπάς, τρίβοντας τη μουσούδα.

"Τίποτα δεν είναι ικανό να τρομάξει μια αρκούδα".

Μας άρεσαν τα ζεστά γήινα χρώματα και η αποτύπωση των εκφράσεων στα πρόσωπα των αρκούδων , ο έμμετρος λόγος καθώς επίσης και το έξυπνο εύρημα του τέλους μια πρότασης στην επόμενη σελίδα. Αυτό προτρέπει τους μικρούς αναγνώστες σε μαντεψιές για το ποια λέξη μπορεί να είναι παρακάτω [Τη συμβουλή δεν άκουσε έγκαιρα ο Τυχερούλης, τρόμαξε και έπεσε μέσ' στα νερά... ο καημενούλης (όπου η τελευταία λέξη βρίσκεται στην επόμενη σελίδα)]. Ιδανικό για ηλικίες 2-5 και για όσους φοβούνται το σκοτάδι ή τους ήχους της νύχτας.


Τίτλος πρωτοτύπου: Nothing can Frighten a Bear
Συγγραφέας:  Elizabeth Dale
Εικονογράφηση: Paula Metcalf
Εκδόσεις: Τζιαμπίρης - Πυραμίδα, 2017

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Nothing Can Frighten A Bear, written by Elizabeth Dale and illustrated by Paula Metcalf, a fun-filled modern fairytale about a bear family dealing with a few nighttime scares.

Snuggled into their cave in the woods, the Bear family – Mama, Daddy, Grace, Ben, and Baby – are awakened when Baby is startled from sleep by a mysterious roar. Insisting that he won’t be able to sleep until the source of the noise is identified, the bears head out on an expedition to help Baby face his fears. Various noises greet them but are easily explained away (a crow, a deer, a frog, etc.), all while Daddy Bear cheerfully proclaims that nothing can frighten a bear. But neither he nor Baby have noticed that the other family members are being left behind, caught up in various sticky yet non-threatening situations. And when the two realize they are alone, and more mysterious noises are headed their way, even Daddy Bear begins to feel a little nervous. Especially of those strange shadows approaching from the woods…

Wonderfully amusing fun. I don’t want to give away the ending because it’s delightful, but I promise that there is nothing even vaguely scary about this book; the bears are never in danger, and their fear is played for some really enjoyable laughs. The layout of the story is wonderful for encouraging the involvement of little readers, with easily identifiable animals and rhymes that they can join with their adult in reading aloud, and filled with bouncy text that is easy and fun to read. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and filled with lovely details, the length is great, and JJ loved it. A fantastic story about facing the fear of what goes bump in the night, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Abigail Trithart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute little boy that reassures children that it is okay to be afraid--every is afraid sometimes, even daddy!
Baby Bear wakes up in the middle of the night convinced that he heard a monster. Mommy Bear and Daddy Bear tell Baby that nothing can frighten a bear and they prove it by exploring the woods to show Baby that there are no monsters. As the family of five walks throughout the night, they begin to get lost one by one until only Daddy and Baby are left. When the two turn around, they see three monsters and Daddy is afraid! However, Baby Bear quickly realizes that the three monsters are actually his mother and his two siblings. They all laugh about the confusion and they stick together on their way back home. When they fall back asleep, Baby Bear wakes up once again to a monster sound. But they realize it is actually just Baby Bear's snoring!
This story has a great rhyming scheme, so it will be easy for a child to read it. This would be a sweet story to read around Halloween time, when children start to get scared.

[Haley Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing Can Frighten a Bear reassures children that it is okay to feel afraid and that everyone gets scared sometimes. Baby Bear wakes up in the night and is frightened that a monster is going to get him, so the family goes out in search of a monster. Throughout their adventure the whole family experiences at least a few frights except for Papa Bear. The father keeps saying, “You see? There’s no monster out there. And anyway, nothing can frighten a bear.” However, even Papa Bear gets scared when he sees a startling sight! Nothing Can Frighten a Bear is fun and exciting to read out loud and it is a great book for kids who might have trouble sleeping alone at night.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great fun story to read with FS and KS1 children. It uses lots of rhyme and dialogue (which helps with characterisation) to tell the story along with colourful illustrations. In addition, key words are in bold which help with expression when reading aloud. Children could enjoy guessing the word on the next page using the rhyme and it would be a good class story. There are some vague similarities between this and Goldilocks and the Three Bears which some children may pick up on, particularly at the beginning. There’s also repetition of the phrase “nothing can frighten a bear” which adds to the enjoyment for younger children.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

Some books fly by when you read them and others not so much. This was a bit iffy for me; maybe it's because I am particular when it comes to rhyming books. I would like to try this in storytime and see how it goes. I like the counting aspect. The illustrations are big, the bears are very appealing, and for a nighttime book, it is very bright. Why don't I love this book? I wish that I could put my finger on it. Something just isn't clicking for me. Maybe after trying it in storytime, I will have a better grasp of what works or doesn't work.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears, Rhyming, counting, what more could you ask for. The illustrations are adorable and this would make a great book for a child who might be fearing those monsters under the bed or in the closet. I started to worry as the book came to an end that I might not find out who made the roar from the beginning but luckily they wrap things up wonderfully. The rhymes of the story flowed beautifully and made for a wonderful read.

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bears are woken up by a scary thing and must go find out what it is. Father is good at reminding the littlest of the group that Nothing Can Frighten a Bear. However that statement is put to the test when Father bear turns around and does not find what he expects to find.
Cute story, easy to read, makes a great story to read aloud.

[Kat Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Dale's "Nothing Can Frighten a Bear" is a rhyming read-aloud that really capitalizes on its page turns - making young readers guess at the word to finish the previous page's line. It's perfect for kids who may be a little spooked in the dark. I also loved the metallic detailing on the cover!

[Heydi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story about being scared of things that go bump in the night. I think it's perfect for a bear, family, or night storytime. It's about a family that goes out to look for what scared their little cub. It turns out to be that he woke himself up with his roar while he was sleeping. Super cute.

[Abby Peskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that’s a great way to portray that often things that are innocent seem scary at nighttime. Noises may be just the wind but may seem like a howl. A simple snore might sound like a growl! So when a scared little boy can’t fall asleep because he is scared, the family takes a walk to look at what might be causing all of the noises he hears.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful rhyming picture book about a bear family and a baby bear who is scared to go to sleep because he fears there are monsters. So his dad, who assures his baby that nothing can frighten a bear, and the whole family go out in the woods to search for monsters... and get some unexpected surprises!

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an adorable twist on "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" in which the bear-family is looking for the scary thing. I loved the rhyming and rhythm of the words. The illustrations are adorable. This would work best for K-2nd grade.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many pages in the book are literally page-turners. It is a rhyming book and in many instances the reader has to turn the page to get the final word in the rhyme. This creates a feeling of excitement and anticipation for the reader...like a little cliff hanger.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is very funny and would buy this one to read to children and have them show me why nothing frightens this bear until. . . and then enjoy the ending. Bear family goes out on a night walk and things happen. There are 5 bears in this family not 3 and written in a rhyme scheme.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's that sound outside? Is it a monster? The bear family goes outside to see what is could be.....

A suspenseful tale to be sure for young ones. Super cute illustrations make for a fun read aloud.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes for a simple, appealing read aloud.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great preschool read-aloud...rhyming and repeating text as well as prediction.

[Leanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better for when CA is older!

[pati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well...bears can be frightening, especially if they have fallen behind. Wonderful story, great rhyming scheme!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, rhyming book. Love the illustrations, too!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story and great artwork. This would be a great bedtime story.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice rhyming and repetitive story. I love the illustrations! Good read-aloud for 4-7 y/o.