Bear's Adventure

by Brian Wildsmith

Bear appears on television, wins a race, and dances at a pop concert--all of which leave him slightly bewildered and quite exhausted.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Adventure

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 1982

About the author

Brian Wildsmith (1930-2016) was raised in a small mining village in Yorkshire, England, where, he says, "Everything was grey. There wasn't any colour. It was all up to my imagination. I had to draw in my head..."

He won a scholarship to the Slade School of Fine Art where he studied for three years. For a while he taught music at the Royal Military School of Music, but then gave it up so that he could paint full time.

He has deservedly earned a reputation as one of the greatest living children's illustrators. In 1962, he published his first children's book, ABC, for which he was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal, Britain's equivalent to the Caldecott Medal. He was also a runner up for this medal for The Owl and the Woodpecker.

Wildsmith has said: "I believe that beautiful picture books are vitally important in subconsciously forming a child's visual appreciation, which will bear fruit in later life."

In 1994, the Brian Wildsmith Art Museum was established in Izukogen, a town south of Tokyo, Japan. Almost one and a half million people visited a traveling exhibition of his work in 2005. Eight hundred of his paintings are on loan to the museum.

Brian is married, has four children, and currently lives in the south of France.

— Source

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations as always with Brian Wildsmith. The story follows a bear that falls asleep in a hot air balloon. It was a bit far fetched in the middle but children might enjoy the unexpected events. The ending was nice and had a no place like home feel.

Read on open library.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a review of another of Brian Wildsmith's books and looked to see if my local library owned it. They didn't, so I decided to make a choice from the books that they did own, as I wanted to get a sense of Wildsmith's work. Bear's Adventure is one of two books owned by my local library.

On the back inside cover I read, "the late Brian Wildsmith was raised in a small mining village in Yorkshire, England, of which he once said, "Everything was grey. There wasn't any color. It was all up to my imagination.""

Wildsmith had a vivid imagination and this book is beautiful! Also according to the blurb on the inside cover, "he changed the way children's books were illustrated."

I loved it! The bear takes a ride in a hot air balloon, a taxi, a motorcycle, a helicopter and a fire engine before the hot air balloon magically appears to transport him back to his comfortable and familiar den. What a marvelous and imaginative adventure and so beautifully illustrated. This one is a keeper!

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

After two men land their hot air balloon to have a snack, a curious brown bear wonders over. Bear finds the balloon's basket interesting and climbs in for a nap. While he sleeps, the hot air balloon whisks him away high in the sky. While the balloon flies high over a city, bear awakens, and eventually floats to the ground below where his adventure begins.

We thought the story was interesting and funny at times, however, what really caught our attention were the illustrations. The book is so colorful. I thought parts of the story were a little over the top and a little confusing, but it's a children's book and a bear flying in a hot air balloon isn't really realistic as it is, so I was willing to overlook the outcome at the end even with its unlikeliness. Overall, this is a cute children's book, perfect for young readers.

4****

I'd like to thank NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like other Brian Wildsmith work, the story of Bear's Adventure is fine, but it's the artwork really shines.



There are some truly beautiful illustrations in this book, and some are detailed enough to allow curious little ones with strong imaginations to build upon the existing story.



This is definitely a good cuddle-to-read-together book.



Thank you to NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book.

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have called my husband "Bear" for so long I cannot remember when it started. Our first daughter was Baby Bear and now we are Grandma and Grandpa Bear, so we love all stories about bears. Bear's Adventure is about a Big Brown Bear who falls asleep in a balloon basket which he mistakes for a den. It takes off, up and away carrying him on an adventure of a lifetime. A sweet story that will be fun to share with little ones.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bear appears on television, wins a race, and dances at a pop concert--all of which leave him slightly bewildered and quite exhausted." Same.

Probably my favourite of Brian Wildsmith's works so far. Humour is quite similar to Wildsmith's 'Give a Dog a Bone', as it's very bumbling, polite British humour in a way. I could see a parent and their child mutually enjoying this book.

Some of the work I've seen in Wildsmith's other picture-books is quite clumsy, but the illustration in this was really lovely. There were some pages that were really visually stunning, and Wildsmith did things with pattern and space I have seen few other illustrators do.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear has an amazing, though undesired, adventure when he decides to take a nap in the basket of a hot air balloon. This was a lot of fun, and Wildsmith's artwork is, as always, sublime.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is almost as if this story was written to showcase the illustrations. Bear climbs into a hot air balloon that floats away when he accidentally falls asleep. He ends up landing in a town and then has all sorts of exciting things happen to him along the way. Of course, the people who live there think he is a man in a bear suit. He gets picked up by two men in a hot air balloon (the same ones? How did they get the balloon back?) and taken back home. That is about it. Not sure what I think as far as a rating goes. The pictures held the attention of my grandson and he talked about them, but he didn't seem to be impressed with the story. I give it 3 stars because of the illustrations. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love the illustrations in this book, but was less wild about the writing itself. A bear ends up on a strange adventure through a series of misadventures. The text reminded me of something a child would write for school. I have a cloth bound picture book that I wrote in 4th grade about a friendly dog who inadvertently catches a burglar who breaks into the house, and it reminded me of my writing in that. That's not to say it's not well done. It's just less strong compared to the tone, rhythm and vocabulary of a really well written children's book. That said, my 7 year old daughter enjoyed it and I really did love the colorful and engaging art.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

[Ren ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ IsBuriedInBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bear’s afternoon nap turns into the wildest of adventures, especially for a bear! Though Bear thought he found the perfect little den for a quick rest, he didn’t realize he was actually curling up in the comfortable basket of a hot air balloon.

He finds himself in the craziest of situations, one after another, without having uttered a single word. He’s a bear! The humans don’t realize this, of course, or they’d likely be terrified. Bear goes with the flow, and after a most unlikely series of events, finds himself back at home wondering what happened.

Bear’s Adventure is written and beautifully illustrated by none other than the talented Brian Wildsmith. It’s a colorfully amusing and timeless book that I recommend to everyone.


Thanks to Star Bright Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #Bear’sAdventure

[Ren ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ IsBuriedInBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bear’s afternoon nap turns into the wildest of adventures, especially for a bear! Though Bear thought he found the perfect little den for a quick rest, he didn’t realize he was actually curling up in the comfortable basket of a hot air balloon.

He finds himself in the craziest of situations, one after another, without having uttered a single word. He’s a bear! The humans don’t realize this, of course, or they’d likely be terrified. Bear goes with the flow, and after a most unlikely series of events, finds himself back at home wondering what happened.

Bear’s Adventure is written and beautifully illustrated by none other than the talented Brian Wildsmith. It’s a colorfully amusing and timeless book that I recommend to everyone.


Thanks to Star Bright Books and NetGalley for the provided e-ARC and the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest, unbiased, and voluntary. #NetGalley #Bear’sAdventure

[Magy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bear finds a recently landed hot-air balloon and takes a nap in its basket. As he sleeps, the hot-air balloon takes off, and Bear's adventure begins. Landing at the beginning of a costume parade lets everyone assume that Bear is just a man in a costume, so he is able to go from event to event (from being interviewed by a reporter to riding on a motorcycle and more). Bear, however, is still a bear and is easily spooked by loud noises and too many people around him. He eventually makes his way back home, but truly has an adventure along the way.

Overall, Bear's Adventure had potential but something was a bit off. It may be the longer text or the odd situations bear found himself in, but I was hoping for more out of the text. The illustrations, on the other hand, are quite unique and interesting and helped carry the story.

[Vonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about Bear. One day, Bear stumbles upon a hot air balloon. Thinking it is a den, he curls up inside and falls asleep. He awakes to find he is aloft, but not for long. A bird ends up puncturing the balloon. Bear ends up in a series of unusual adventures that include a parade, a taxi ride, an interview, a motorcycle ride, a race, a helicopter ride, a concert and more!

This book doesn’t seem to have any underlying message or lesson, other than the adventure. It left me wanting more depth or relationship. There is no emotion and no real friendships were developed. It’s just a series of events. The illustrations are colorful, but again, did not really draw me in.

I was provided a digital Copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are super colorful so I'm sure children everywhere will love them, but it almost bordered on gaudy and their sort of unfinished quality was not my cup of tea. Then, the story seemed a bit stilted - like the illustrations came first, and he had to make the story fit. The plot was hilariously improbable (poor Bear!), but the writing just didn't flow well and seemed to lack segues from one scene to the next.

[sweet orange books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Wildsmith is great at creating stunning colorful illustrations, but not as much as writing stories. This one was long, improbable, and I only felt sorry for the bear all along. Let's leave the bear alone and happy.

Thank you NetGalley and Star Bright Books for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-12-06

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was cute! I loved the bears adventure first in the balloon, then leading the parade. Too, too funny! Bear was so confused by what was happening to him. And I loved the reaction of all the people he encountered! Kids are going to enjoy this story. The illustrations were so detailed and lively. Great story!

[Elizabeth Seibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to #netgalley for giving me a copy of #Bear'sAdventure to review. The illustrations in this book are beautiful. I love all the colors and the use of watercolor. Bear stumbles into a grand adventure into the city. I loved bear's antics and everything he got to do on his adventure. This is a cute storybook that I will be sharing with my students and my kids.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A far-fetched story of a bear wandering into the world of humans. Use with preschool/K units on transportation. Bear rides in a variety of vehicles before returning to his den.
Tie-in with study of artist/illustrator Brian Wildsmith. Another great example of his detailed , colorful, and imaginative painting.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVE the illustrations so much. What an adventure Bear goes on! News stations and rock concerts are some of the fun places this forest animal visits as he ambles from one place to another. Would be a cute one for bear storytime.

[Kimberly Souza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about a bear who has an adventure in the city. Painting like illustrations. Kids will love it.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear's balloon ride takes him into the heart of the city and a wild time awaits him.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bear mistakes a hot air balloon for a cozy den. When he wakes up, he finds himself on the adventure of a life time across a bustling city.

So much of this book was whimsical and fantastical from being a part of an animal themed parade to being chauffeured to a news station to do an interview to being driven on the back of a motorcycle. It was definitely an adventure of grand proportions. Also, the watercolor art in this book was absolutely beautiful!

I received a copy of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bear goes on a grand adventure when he stumbles into a hot air balloon. This leads to a meandering that gets him on TV, in a foot race, and eventually a concert. Everyone thinks he is a man in a suit, instead of a real bear. The story is long and winding. The idea is nice, but very improbable, but not in the funny slapstick way, more the depressing “poor bear” way.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning artwork. I'll be searching for a good copy of this one to use as wall art. Brain Wildsmith has quickly become one of my top three favorite illustrators.

[Cheryl]

I agree with the last line of the text: "How strange." Learian nonsense? Surrealism? Wildsmith was awfully popular a few decades back; do any of you remember his work?

[Sally Wilsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great bedtime story for young children and a good intermediate reader book. This is the story of Bear. One day a balloon lands near him and he goes in it thinking it was a good den to take a nap. While asleep the balloon takes off with Bear in it. When he woke up he was floating over a city which he thought was strange trees,. A bird puctures the ballon and it lands in a costume party where they think he has the best costume. Being scared of all the noises he gets into a cab with a tv reporter and winds up on television. All the while people thinking this is a costume and he is not a real bear. Bear has more adventures more places and the story goes on from there. Illustrations are very cute and rough which goes with the story. I recommend this book to 3-7 yr olds.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[TheOtherJessyca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how we loved this book. The story is original and fun, and the illustrations are simply stunning. My boys loved the story so very much, they giggled throughout the book. I have a feeling this will be a new bedtime favorite. I would highly recommend this gem.

[***Book Lady *** · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny children's book with beautifully detailed and colorful illustrations. About a bear who takes off in a hot air balloon and has quite an adventure! He makes many choices that lead him on a wild ride, and he never knows what is happening to him, because they are choices he has no knowledge about. It's funny what other people read into his adventure.