Don't Feed the Bear

by Kathleen Doherty, Chip Wass (Illustrations)

It’s Bear vs. Ranger in the funniest food fight ever. 
Mac and cheese, Carrot cake, Meatball stew: Bear loves when campers leave him grub. The park ranger does not. Smackity smack, Ranger pounds a sign into the ground: DON’T FEED THE BEAR! Upset—no more chewy cookies? No more juicy burgers?—Bear quickly crosses out the “don’t.” Now, it’s war in the park! But when both Bear and Ranger end up losing out, will the two antagonists finally call a truce? With its delightfully cartoonlike pictures and clever wordplay, this picture book will keep kids laughing for hours.

"Delightfully funny, with much verve and style—but please don't feed the bears." -Kirkus Reviews

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Storytime, Childrens, Food, Animals, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

Published April 10, 2018

About the author

Kathleen enjoys bringing kids and quality literature together. She's a Reading Specialist and an Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction. Her love of learning has led her to graduate from four different universities.

Nothing scares her. Kathleen has taught elementary school for over 30 years. A student once told her she'd make a great vampire because she's tall and her teeth are sharp!

Her 1st picture book, DON'T FEED THE BEAR, is featured on Kirkus Reviews' recommended list and is in its ninth printing. Her 2nd picture book, THE THINGITY-JIG, received a STARRED REVIEW from Kirkus Reviews and has been published in 11 foreign languages. THE TWIST-A-ROO, her 3rd picture book, is on Kirkus Reviews' recommended list and has been published in two foreign languages.

Her work has appeared in TIME Magazine, The Mailbox, Spider Magazine, Highlights Hello, Highlights High Five, and Highlights for Children. She's won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry Contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI's Magazine Merit Competition.

Kathleen's author earnings are donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

She lives in Indiana.

Kathleen is on X: @Doherty60
Author website: https://KathleenDohertyAuthor.com
Instagram: instagram.com/kathleendohertyauthor/

Reviews

[Heidi Roemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Bear versus Park Ranger in this hilarious picture book filled with puns, word play, slap-stick humor, and visual jokes. You can't help but smile as you read about the two clever, word-crafty, dictionary-reading adversaries who go to extremes trying to out-trick one another. If you share DON'T FEED THE BEARS with children, be prepared to read it again and again. They'll love it! I know I did!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and funny. “A war with words had begun.” Shenanigans and a food feud.

[Kathleen Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

DON'T FEED THE BEAR is in its ninth printing!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful and quirky, it's a great read. The only reason it doesn't have higher ratings is (probably a little too demanding of me) that it's tough to read a book about feeding bears in an area where it's prohibited for both the safety of people and the bears.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the rather resourceful bear who will stop at nothing to ensure he is adequately fed. This would make an awesome read aloud. One of the funniest picture books of 2018.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet one!

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute word play

[Natalie Rompella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this clever book. Kids will "eat up" all of the fun words. And the illustrations are adorable.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun, cute and clever book! And the art is so modernly engaging! PLUS it promotes National Parks. A must have for any time of year!

[Ashley P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our library has this book up as a Story Walk in the park. We have done the loop to read it twice. It’s such a cute, funny story. The baby loves seeing the pictures as we read and walk!

[Michael Arndt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book checks all the boxes for me. Bears, word play, retro-style illustrations, clever writing, typography, and positive message. The prose writing has a wonderful lyricism and pacing to it that doesn’t quite make it poetry, but utilizes meter, alliteration, just the right amount of rhyme, lots of fun onomatopoeia, and even a pun or two all the same. Bite-sized amounts of text are dispersed through narration, sounds, and fun signage. A big, lovable, and crafty bear and a formidable tiny human ranger embark on a war of words, one more clever than the next. Who will win? Perhaps both can, but how? The illustrations are just what I think a kid would love, at least this grown up kid who was reminded of Saturday morning cartoons. They have that mid-century vibe that so many of us find nostalgic and appealing. The geometric tree patterns on the end papers would make a terrific pattern for shirts or furniture. This is a smartly conceived and deftly executed book and one I enjoy reading over and over.

[Mindy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sure to make you smile! A hungry bear and a park ranger make subtle changes to each other's signs in an epic battle of words and paint! Could a bear and a ranger become friends? The bright and bold illustrations pair perfectly with the author's colorful word choices. I love the color palette! I love word phrases like: chowed down, smooshed marshmallows, lip-smackin,' slimy spinach, wormy apples, stompity stomp, clomped off, and perfect picnic. The end pages feature a forest with clever sign like "real meal," hammer clamor," spray wordplay," and "more s'mores," which are snippets that give hints to the content of the story. I love the end pages so much!! Bravo!
This would be the perfect book to read with a spring or summer picnic in the park or backyard!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s Bear vs. Ranger in the funniest food fight ever.
Mac and cheese, Carrot cake, Meatball stew: Bear loves when campers leave him grub. The park ranger does not. Smackity smack, Ranger pounds a sign into the ground: DON’T FEED THE BEAR! Upset—no more chewy cookies? No more juicy burgers?—Bear quickly crosses out the “don’t.” Now, it’s war in the park! But when both Bear and Ranger end up losing out, will the two antagonists finally call a truce? With its delightfully cartoonlike pictures and clever wordplay, this picture book will keep kids laughing for hours.

"Delightfully funny, with much verve and style—but please don't feed the bears.

[Bess Blumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest book! My daughters thought the story was so fun and silly! We read the book after going camping and they enjoyed seeing the illustrations similar to what they experienced - S'mores, meals at the picnic table, evergreen trees and more. The clever storyline is weaved into the illustrations with campsite signs and shirts, keeping things fresh and fun. The characters are full of animation and expression, reinforcing the inside joke between the bear and campers that's fun to play along with while you read with your little one. I'd recommend this to anyone with a child who loves animals, silly jokes, and the outdoors!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right away my students were mesmerized by this book because of the Illustrations and we couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next as we excitedly turned each page. The Park Ranger and Bear each had their own creativity on display to acquire leftover food from the nearby campers and it proved to be quite entertaining.

Be sure to grab "Don't Feed The Bear" for your family to enjoy. The ending is quite delicious!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Don't Feed The Bear" is a funny little tale filled with colorful, bold illustrations and room for imagination. My three year old and I enjoyed placing ourselves in the wilderness with bear and of course, the s'mores! I enjoyed the descriptive, playful words and "off-text" words to read within the story and artwork. It is a book we will happily and graciously add to our library, and the ending is very sweet!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen Doherty’s Don’t Feed the Bear is playful, funny, and just plain fun! A battle of wills ensues as a ranger and bear both work to prevent the other from receiving food from campers at a park. As sign after sign is erected, the two work against each other until they ultimately realize they’d both benefit from teamwork. Chip Wass’s adorable illustrations pair nicely with Doherty’s use of onomatopoeia for a book that’s delicious to read aloud again and again!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and I've gifted it to children! It's a fun story of a bear who loves treats, and a ranger who puts up a "Don't Feed the Bear" sign. The bear puts up his own sign, and the battle of words begins! I love the fun resolution, and Doherty's vivid language and Wass's gorgeous illustrations are wonderful. I especially love that the ranger is female! The kids in your life will love this book.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a war with words between a ranger and a bear as to who gets yummy treats to eat, and who goes hungry. This is one very tasty tale, made even more delectable by Chip Wass's awesome illustrations.

[Edwin N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the admin of our children’s storytime group, I’m always on the lookout for books that bring both giggles and a little life lesson and Don’t Feed the Bear was a hit! The kids roared with laughter at Bear’s antics and Ranger’s frustration. I loved the clever wordplay and how the story shows the importance of compromise. This one will definitely be making a return appearance in our reading circle.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a huge conflict, between a bear and a ranger. Definitely, no one should feed bears in the wild, but this time, in an imaginative story, the bear doesn't like that he doesn't get treats and fights back. So does that ranger. Finally, in the end, they learn to compromise and share. The illustrations are bright, colorful and wild!

[S.K. Wenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious show-down and clever war-of-words in the battle for being hand-fed by park visitors! This funny tale brings to mind the lovable, classic Yogi bear, but spins it to a whole new level by focusing the competition for food to one between Bear and Park Ranger! What a hoot! Definitely add this book to your collection!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this delightful book, the Ranger puts up signs so people will not feed the bear. However, this is no ordinary bear & he starts putting up his own signs. The war of signs continues until they realize neither of them is getting what they want – so they join forces. Children will love this funny book full of great illustrations, onomatopoeia and friendship.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous look at the battle between a ranger and a bear, both whom are big fans of all the edible treats left for them by tourists and both determined that the other one doesn’t get fed. Each make signs trying to curtail the others’ food intake and each make subtle letter or word changes to the others’ signs to change meaning.

Recommended for preschool through grade 3.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED the humor of the Bear and Park Ranger in this book! It’s fun to see how these two characters plot against each other at first but then realize working together has some delicious benefits! The author is clever and witty! The illustrator did a great job showing the humor! I look forward to reading more of Kathleen Doherty’s books to my children!

[Su P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our book club had so much fun with this one. The illustrations are so vibrant and cartoonish that even the adults couldn’t help but smile. The kids especially loved Bear crossing out the “don’t” on the sign it sparked so many little chuckles. As a club admin, I’d call this one of the best laugh-out-loud read-alouds we’ve had in a long while.

[Shirley J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Don’t Feed the Bear to my book club’s “mini members” section (our youngest readers), and the room was full of laughter. What I appreciate most is how the humor carries the story, but there’s also a gentle message about working together. The kids asked to hear it again right away that’s always the mark of a winner for us.

[Jack S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say, this was one of the most entertaining picks for our club’s family reading night. The Bear and Ranger rivalry had both kids and parents chuckling, and the playful language made it easy to read aloud with energy. As an admin, I love when a book entertains across ages, and this one absolutely does.

[Edward B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I introduced Don’t Feed the Bear to our group, I didn’t expect the kids to be shouting “Smackity smack!” along with me by the second page! It’s the kind of book that pulls everyone into the fun. The clever writing and silly showdown between Bear and Ranger make it a must for any book club with little ones.

[Patricia W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our group loves books that can be acted out, and this one had us practically performing the scenes! Bear’s dramatic reactions and Ranger’s determined efforts make it perfect for reading aloud with big expressions. It’s a favorite now in our lineup, and I’d gladly recommend it to any book club looking for laughs.