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Grizzwold
Grizzwold the lovable bear is having a tough time finding somewhere to live. He's too big for most places, and too clumsy for others. He's not even any good as a live bearskin rug! Will Grizzwold ever find a home that's just right?
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
7 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Syd Hoff
211 books69 followersWhether you’re seven or seventy, the chances are you’ve probably come in contact with one of his many books (150 plus), or cartoons that have appeared in over 200 magazines in the course of his lifetime, including Laugh it Off which was syndicated for 20 years. His comic strip Tuffy, about a little girl who did funny things, was declared essential for national morale during WWII by William Randolph Hearst.
Syd has worked in diverse genres. He had the distinct honor of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen as a contributor of short fiction writing. He was awarded national advertising commissions for large companies such as Chevrolet, Maxwell House Coffee and others. He had his own TV show (Tales of Hoff on CBS), traveled the world as entertainment on cruise ships and entertained children and teachers in schools and libraries across the country.
Syd has worked in diverse genres. He had the distinct honor of working with Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen as a contributor of short fiction writing. He was awarded national advertising commissions for large companies such as Chevrolet, Maxwell House Coffee and others. He had his own TV show (Tales of Hoff on CBS), traveled the world as entertainment on cruise ships and entertained children and teachers in schools and libraries across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 9, 2018
This book is featured for Shabby Sunday @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2018/...
Syd Hoff is one of my absolute favorite illustrators and this story goes way back to my own childhood. It’s an “I Can Read” book from 1963 that my children still enjoy reading today.
The book is about Grizzwold, a huge bear who lives in the forest. One morning he hears some loud sounds and discovers some lumberjacks cutting down the forest. Grizzwold doesn’t understand why they have to cut down all the trees, but he knows he can’t live there anymore. He sets out on an expedition to find himself another home. He searches high and low, eventually arriving at a house where’s he’s told he’ll make a wonderful bearskin rug. Then, he attends a party where people tell him he simply doesn’t belong.
“You don’t belong here,” said the people. “You belong in the zoo.”
Grizzwold is exhausted and enters another forest only to come face to face with two hunters who are very happy to see him. Luckily, it’s a national park where people aren’t allowed to shoot animals. Grizzwold has found a home in a forest where he can be happy amongst kind rangers.
The book remains well-timed today, in my opinion, as we deal with deforestation and animal habitats being destroyed. It’s a reminder that animals are living beings who deserve to live happily in safety and humans have the power to grant them with it.
Our copy is super shabby, but my kids still cherish this one, even though they’re mainly reading chapter books now. It’s an old library copy we bought at a book sale and one we’ll more than likely never part with. They enjoy recreating Syd Hoff’s illustrations whenever we read his books and he remains an inspiration today.
5*****
Syd Hoff is one of my absolute favorite illustrators and this story goes way back to my own childhood. It’s an “I Can Read” book from 1963 that my children still enjoy reading today.
The book is about Grizzwold, a huge bear who lives in the forest. One morning he hears some loud sounds and discovers some lumberjacks cutting down the forest. Grizzwold doesn’t understand why they have to cut down all the trees, but he knows he can’t live there anymore. He sets out on an expedition to find himself another home. He searches high and low, eventually arriving at a house where’s he’s told he’ll make a wonderful bearskin rug. Then, he attends a party where people tell him he simply doesn’t belong.
“You don’t belong here,” said the people. “You belong in the zoo.”
Grizzwold is exhausted and enters another forest only to come face to face with two hunters who are very happy to see him. Luckily, it’s a national park where people aren’t allowed to shoot animals. Grizzwold has found a home in a forest where he can be happy amongst kind rangers.
The book remains well-timed today, in my opinion, as we deal with deforestation and animal habitats being destroyed. It’s a reminder that animals are living beings who deserve to live happily in safety and humans have the power to grant them with it.
Our copy is super shabby, but my kids still cherish this one, even though they’re mainly reading chapter books now. It’s an old library copy we bought at a book sale and one we’ll more than likely never part with. They enjoy recreating Syd Hoff’s illustrations whenever we read his books and he remains an inspiration today.
5*****
July 20, 2020
Grizzwold is the biggest bear around and no one bothers him. That doesn’t help him much when men come and cut down his forest home. Poor Grizzwold searches for a new home in all kinds of exciting places, like suburbia, the circus, the desert but he never seems to fit in. The illustrations are very charming and full of character.
November 15, 2008
Synopsis
: Grizzwold the lovable bear is having a tough time finding somewhere to live. He's too big for most places, and too clumsy for others. He's not even any good as a live bearskin rug! Will Grizzwold ever find a home that's just right?
Review : One of my childhood favorites. While it's initial premise is a bit on the depressing side, Grizzwold continually perseveres. Yes, his happy forest home is being destroyed by logging but the loggers are nice, apologize and smile throughout. So somehow that makes it "ok"--and we begin to follow Grizzwold through different scenarios looking for a place where he can live and fit in. He tries the dessert, urban housing, a telephone pole all to no avail. His adventures lead to a costume party which is a nice respite until it is discovered that he isn't wearing a costume and gets kicked out. Grizzwold tries the zoo, the circus and finally ends up face to face with hunters! In this tense moment, you wonder if this is it for our friendly homeless friend. Enter the national park ranger and a safe haven for Grizzwold after all. Readers can breathe a sigh of relief that atleast one wild bear made it through...whew!
Critical Reviews :Kyle and Henry from Kidview World reviewed this book and said, "I recommend this book because I liked how the ranger saved Grizzwold and kept him safe in the forest." While Henry felt, "I do not recommend this book because there are mean people who cut down trees." I agree on both counts.
Review : One of my childhood favorites. While it's initial premise is a bit on the depressing side, Grizzwold continually perseveres. Yes, his happy forest home is being destroyed by logging but the loggers are nice, apologize and smile throughout. So somehow that makes it "ok"--and we begin to follow Grizzwold through different scenarios looking for a place where he can live and fit in. He tries the dessert, urban housing, a telephone pole all to no avail. His adventures lead to a costume party which is a nice respite until it is discovered that he isn't wearing a costume and gets kicked out. Grizzwold tries the zoo, the circus and finally ends up face to face with hunters! In this tense moment, you wonder if this is it for our friendly homeless friend. Enter the national park ranger and a safe haven for Grizzwold after all. Readers can breathe a sigh of relief that atleast one wild bear made it through...whew!
Critical Reviews :Kyle and Henry from Kidview World reviewed this book and said, "I recommend this book because I liked how the ranger saved Grizzwold and kept him safe in the forest." While Henry felt, "I do not recommend this book because there are mean people who cut down trees." I agree on both counts.
April 8, 2015
Not a bad book, but I hated the part where the forest was cut down, and the only explanation was "we had to do it - all the trees will be sent down the river to make paper".. Really? This is what we teach our kids about conservation?
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August 1, 2016Why won't people just leave poor Grizzwold alone! He needs a home, too. I'm glad he found one.
July 15, 2020
Syd Hoff's Grizzwold is almost exactly like Syd Hoff's Oliver, about an elephant trying to find a place in this world. Only the species has changed to infuriate the innocent. This time it's a grizzly bear named, naturally, Grizzwold. Grizz is left out of his own forest when loggers tear down his trees, so he humphs along looking for a new home elsewhere. He can't find one in the circus, or the nearest cave, or amongst society with its little jazz dance parties. Sure it's a carbon copy of Oliver and maybe a few others but guys, I just wanna honor a legend in kids lit who gave us Danny the Dinosaur. And sometimes, just sometimes, we need a repeat of the same old same old tried and true lessons of a few hundred other books, just in case we didn't catch it the first time.
Four stars
Grizz is the word!!!
Four stars
Grizz is the word!!!
July 5, 2023
I was surprised that this book got a lower rating than Danny and the Dinosaur book because I preferred this one over that. Grizzwold is a big bear who is forced to leave his home when woodcutters destroy the forest that he loves so dearly. So he's off to find himself a new home and a place where he belongs, but this proves difficult. I'm kind of becoming a Hoff fan and this book really felt like it moved more than some of the other books I started with. My rating - 5/5
January 4, 2019
Grizzwold was a very big bear who lived in the forest. No one bothered him. Deforestation forced Grizzwold to look for someplace new to live. He tried the mountains, the desert, the city, the circus, and even the zoo, but he was too big, or too clumsy. Grizzwold finally found a safe forest to live, where the only shooting was of people taking pictures of him.
August 15, 2017
This one made me laugh as it's entirely random and unpredictable - your child will *not* get bored with this read. It's pretty guaranteed.
Reading Level: K -2nd grades
Reading Level: K -2nd grades
September 17, 2019
An old classic. I love to read this aloud to preschoolers. They ask a lot of followup questions.
January 4, 2020
An adorable tale about a bear displaced by logging who searches high and low for a new home and ends up in a national park!
March 22, 2020
3* art
2* story
A classic oldie. Squirt's reading is starting to improve, and he did rather well with this one.
2* story
A classic oldie. Squirt's reading is starting to improve, and he did rather well with this one.
May 15, 2020
Bear meets home. Bear loses home. Bear gets new home.
July 4, 2021
Grizzwold is a big bear who doesn't feel like he fits anywhere. After having to leave the forest when men chop down all the trees, he struggles to fit in and find a new forest to live in.
November 24, 2021
A classic book about a bear trying to find a place in the world when his home forest is destroyed by loggers.
July 27, 2023
It’s a good story with a slightly random plot.
August 25, 2023
Cute with some funny.
June 18, 2010
Reason for Reading: My son read aloud to me as his reader.
Grizzwold is typical Syd Hoff. Wonderful, expressive, humorous illustrations decorate a funny story with a subtle message and an oversized lovable main character. Grizzwold is a huge bear, the biggest in the forest. Soon there is a bang and he sees men chopping down trees until one day there are no trees in the forest. Grizzwold takes the men to task and they apologize but explain they are loggers and how paper must be made. Grizzwold can't live in a forest without trees so he goes to look for trees in a desert, on a mountain, in a house, etc. He even tries out the zoo and circus where he finds other bears but that's not for him. When he finally comes to a new forest he is so happy and so are the hunters, until a park ranger saves the day telling all that this is a National Park where bears are safe and hunters do not belong.
I really appreciate how the 1960s version of this environmental message is portrayed in a subtle way, telling both sides of an issue fairly. While at the same time, it still comes out siding with nature and gives the reader something to think about or discuss. Many of today's writers of children's environmentalist stories could take a lesson on the form shown here. It shows when a book published in 1963 is still in print almost 50 years later! Yeah Syd Hoff!
back-to-books.blogspot.com
Grizzwold is typical Syd Hoff. Wonderful, expressive, humorous illustrations decorate a funny story with a subtle message and an oversized lovable main character. Grizzwold is a huge bear, the biggest in the forest. Soon there is a bang and he sees men chopping down trees until one day there are no trees in the forest. Grizzwold takes the men to task and they apologize but explain they are loggers and how paper must be made. Grizzwold can't live in a forest without trees so he goes to look for trees in a desert, on a mountain, in a house, etc. He even tries out the zoo and circus where he finds other bears but that's not for him. When he finally comes to a new forest he is so happy and so are the hunters, until a park ranger saves the day telling all that this is a National Park where bears are safe and hunters do not belong.
I really appreciate how the 1960s version of this environmental message is portrayed in a subtle way, telling both sides of an issue fairly. While at the same time, it still comes out siding with nature and gives the reader something to think about or discuss. Many of today's writers of children's environmentalist stories could take a lesson on the form shown here. It shows when a book published in 1963 is still in print almost 50 years later! Yeah Syd Hoff!
back-to-books.blogspot.com
June 21, 2012
Hoff, S. (1984). Grizzwold. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. This is a good book of a loveable bear that has a hard time finding a place to live, after his forest starts to disappear when the trees get chopped down. The bear searches everywhere for a forest and finds different homes that are not for him. The bear seems to have outrageous and humorous adventures throughout. What a catchy way to fictionalize this humorous bear with yet a realistic reality of our vanishing forests and animals of today.
March 22, 2010
Honestly this is a classic easy reader and it was nice to share it with my kids who enjoyed it as much as I did years ago. Grizzwold lives in a forest that is being cut down so he leaves to search for a new home. He almost doesn't find one until a park ranger steps in to assure him a spot in a national park. Of course, the hunters with their guns will completely freak out some parents...but c'est la vie!
March 1, 2021
Genre: modern fantasy
Grade: PreK- 1
This is a good book for students to read on their own! I would probably wait until the end of kindergarten to have kids read it on their own. It has a lot of sight words that students would already know. And the pictures are very good so when the student doesn’t recognize the word, they can sound it out and use the pictures as an aid. I could really see myself using this book. It also talks a little on the environment.
Grade: PreK- 1
This is a good book for students to read on their own! I would probably wait until the end of kindergarten to have kids read it on their own. It has a lot of sight words that students would already know. And the pictures are very good so when the student doesn’t recognize the word, they can sound it out and use the pictures as an aid. I could really see myself using this book. It also talks a little on the environment.
June 19, 2016
Follow Grizzwold on his journey to find a suitable home! It's a very cute story about a bear finding his place in the world. You will fall in love with all his quirks and relate to him easily! Perfect for your little ones who are just learning to read! When I was little we had this book so long it was torn and doodled on! Everyone needs this book on there bookshelf!
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March 15, 2016This book is about a bear named Grizzwold who has to find a new home because men are cutting down the forest he lives in. Grizzwold goes all over looking for a new place to live, and eventually finds a national park where he decides to live. I enjoyed this book, and I thought it had a good message behind it as well.
May 24, 2008
This is a great book for first-graders. It tells the story of a bear who is too big for his home (which is being cut down). He struggles to find a place to live, and eventually settles in a national park. It's a great book because it's readable and has some character development and plot.
May 28, 2008
A great little tale for indoctrinating your child against two of the greatest human evils--you know, cutting down trees and hunting. Poor, poor, Grizzwold. Let us be thankful for National Parks, though, where friendly bears, if only left unmolested, will happily smile and wave to people!
November 14, 2009
This is a good book to read with beginning readers. Syd Hoff's simple narrative and cartoonish illustrations are sure to entertain young children and encourage them in their reading. Our girls like Syd Hoff's stories.
April 17, 2007
My favorite book as a youngin'. I didn't want to give it back to the library and cried when I had to. My mom gave me my own copy when I graduated from college.
August 13, 2008
Favorite part: When the people walk on Grizzwold as a bear skin rug and it hurt.
January 21, 2010
I don't know what it is about this book, but I really like it. That's good because I have to read it every single night for three weeks now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews