Los osos no leen

by Emma Chichester Clark, Elena García Aranda (Translator)

George no es muy feliz haciendo cosas de osos como charlar y pescar. ¿Pero acaso existe algo más distinto a todo eso? Hasta que un día encuentra un libro debajo de un árbol y, a partir de ese momento, lo único que desea sobre todas las cosas ¡es aprender a leer! Si pudiera encontrar a alguien que le enseñase… Entonces conoce a Clementina, una niña cuyo amor por la lectura cambiará para siempre la vida de George.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Books About Books, Animals, Fiction, Friendship, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2014

About the author

Education:
Chelsea School of Art, B.A. (with honors), 1978;
Royal College of Art, M.A. (with honors), 1983.

Additional information about her life can be found at:
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/1059...

Reviews

[Abigail]

George wasn't like his siblings, or any of the other bears. Not content to spend his days eating and playing, he often wondered if there wasn't something more to life. Then one day he found a book beneath a tree, and deciding that he must simply learn how to read it, he headed to town. Unfortunately for him, humans were afraid of grizzly bears, so George's advent in town was greeted with chaotic scenes and panicked people. Surrounded by police, George only wanted to find someone who could help him learn to read! Then a little girl named Clementine entered the picture...

Bears Don't Read! is an absolute delight of a picture-book, pairing a heartwarming tale of a bear who just doesn't fit the conventional ursine mold, with appealingly quirky illustrations that capture George's many emotional states perfectly. As a bibliophile myself, I entered into George's feelings about learning to read wholeheartedly, and sympathized with his predicament when confronted with a panicking human population. Of course, that sympathy did not prevent me from finding the whole production quite amusing! Emma Chichester Clark manages to create a hero and a story that are simultaneously endearing and entertaining, and her artwork is simply adorable! Recommended to all young children who sometimes feel out of step with those around them, as well as to all youngsters who are eager to learn how to read.

[Linda]

Wouldn't it be lovely if bears could read all the wonderful books that people write about them. In this book, one bear gives it a try, finds a book and cannot resist going to town to find someone who will teach him. It's clever and whimsical, with colorful realistic pictures by Emma Clark.

[Hypatia's Dream]

George es un oso muy curioso y desea salir de su hábitat para entender otros entornos.

Cuando él encuentra un libro, se ve muy motivado a descubrir quién lo ha escrito y comienza una nueva travesía que lo llevará a nuevas aventuras, pero sobre todo a aprender lo que más desea, leer.

Este cuento enseña a los pequeños a luchar por sus sueños y perseverar para cumplirlos y cumplir tus metas personales a pesar de lo difícil que parezca y de que los demás piensen que no te será posible.

Un cuento muy bello y 100% recomendable. Las letras tienen un tamaño aceptable, las ilustraciones son atrayentes y tienen un estilo muy bonito.

Reseña por Ambar Nepomuceno para Hypatia's Dream

[Kate]

George isn't like the other bears. He isn't really into catching fish, or doing other bear-like things. Then, one day, he finds a book beneath a tree. George can't read but he decides to head into the town, to find someone who can teach him.
This was a sweet little tale. With the help of a very understanding little girl, George is able to finally read the book that he found, and he discovers this is just the beginning for him. I would like to think that this could encourage reading for little ones.

[Barbara]

Not content with eating and spending time with others of his species, George isn't like all the other bears. He longs for something more, and when he happens upon a book, he is desperate to learn how to read it. Off to town he heads, where he is pointed to a school. The citizens are frightened by his presence as are the law enforcement officers. But a little girl named Clementine sees a kindred soul in George, and they learn to read together. The illustrations are adorable, and the shared joy of learning how to read and then being able to show off one's reading skills are clearly shown on this book's pages. This one might be good for sharing with early readers, including those who are struggling at cracking the alphabetic code. Plus, George just may provide some needed inspiration as he serves as a reading model for others.

[Ms. B]

George (who is a bear) wants to learn to read, but first he must leave his woods to go to town and find someone who is willing to teach him. Is there anyone in the town who is not afraid of bears?
Introduce the gift of reading and power of words with this one. Or pass on to those who like bears in their stories. Or pair this with A Library Book for Bear by Bonny Becker.

[Isra'a]

ليس من عادتي شراء قصص أطفال بتلك الأسعار وقراءتها في يوم واحد فقط، خاصةً وأنني أشتريها وأقرأها لنفسي وليس لطفل يستفيد منها. ولكن في ذلك اليوم (باعتبار قراري لن أشتري كتب أو روايات) دلفت إلى قسم كتب الأطفال (لأبتعد عن تلك الأقسام الأخرى) وأستمتع بداخلها حتى وجدت نفسي عاجزة عن مقاومة بعض القصص اللطيفة ومن بينها كانت هذه. أخذتها واشتريتها مع قصتين أخريين.

بقدر سعادتي بها إلا أنني انتظرت بداية السنة الجديدة لأقرأها ولتكون من عدَّاد السنة الجديدة وفاتحتها المأمولة بالقراءات الجميلة!

قرأتها باستمتاع جدًا والترجمة كانت جميلة، كان اعتراضي على جزء بسيط من القصة (لم تقنعني رغم أنها كانت خيالية بكاملها وقبلت كل شيء فيها إلا هذا!) المهم أن ذلك الحدث أزعجني<< عندما يفرض شخص واقعي جدًا مثلي آرائه على قصص الأطفال تخرج هذه النتيجة بإسقاط نجمة على قصة تخيلية مخصصة لعقلية الأطفال هههه

متأكدة من أن أصحاب العقول اللطيفة ستضع ٥ نجوم وهي رائعة جدًا لتعليم الأطفال بها.

أنصح بها لمن يرغب بتعليم الأطفال حب القراءة.

[Fatima Seraj Alam]

George is not like any other bear. He has existential crisis when he ponders on whether there is more to life than just being a bear. In this way, George is better than me. When he finds a book, he tries to find a human who will teach him to read. Light hearted book for my three year old, a deep book for thirty year old me.

[Isabel Tolentino]

"Oh, life is lovely, he thought. Tra-la-la and all that. But is this it? he wondered. Is this all there is?"

[Mary]

Las ilustraciones son muy tiernas y fue un libro corto para leer.

[Jamie (treesofreverie) McMahon]

This is a very sweet little story about a bear who just wants to learn to read. I really like the artwork in this book with the layered collage effect even if it does feel a little kitsch in some parts. I love the part where the little girl Clementine is standing up to the police!

[Angelina]

But this one does :)

[Mathew]

George isn't like the other bears; he's not really interested in catching fish, lazing in the afternoon sun or scratching his back against a tree: he wants to read. When none of his fellow bears show an interest or ability to support him, he decides to follow his nose and head into town. Much to his surprise and ignorance, everyone runs away until a young girl and her mother see beyond the shaggy fur and sharp claws and understand what it is that George is looking for.
Chichester Clark's style is always instantly recognisable - warm and welcoming and her worlds are rich in colour and sense of place. In Bears Don't Read, she has written a slightly more political story than her Blue Kangaroo books and this story is richer for it. Prejudices carried about unknown strangers is key here as well as those who might finds a resident's native language a challenge. For me, the Bear carries far more symbolic resonance than a simple animal and this story about one girl seeing him for what he really is, is a powerful one but for many it will just remain a delightful little story about one Bear's desire to learn to read and one young girl's patience to teach him.

[Dawn]

I love this bear! He isn't afraid to do things different from everyone around him. Something aches inside of him for books. I'm kind of a bear too, I'd say!

"His brothers and sisters never wondered about anything. They were perfectly happy chatting, fishing - doing the usual bear things - and telling the same old stories over and over again.

But George was bored. He didn't want to do the usual bear things anymore. He wanted other things. "But what?" he wondered."

I love how the people respond. They judge him and are afraid. However, one little girl isn't afraid of him. She's learning to read and teaches him to read.

This story reminded me of Kenny and the Dragon. It is good that some people see the good in others!

[Rebecca]

George the bear wonders if there's more to life than catching fish and telling the same stories over and over again. When he finds a book in the woods and decides to read it, he is ridiculed by the other bears, avoided by the townspeople, and gets in trouble with the police. A young girl and her mother decide to help George learn to read and watch as his life is changed.

This is a very sweet book that perfectly sums up the difference a book can make in the life of a reader, and how the infectious love of reading is passed along.

[Varsha]

This is such a special picture book for your kids. It really is perfect for children who have just started to learn how to read and may be finding a tad bit intimidating. Beautifully illustrated by the lovely Emma Chichester Clark, this is just a stunning book to help give your kids encouragement.

[Jennifer]

George the bear isn't content with just doing bear things like the rest of his family. Instead of just fishing and eating berries, George wonders what more there is to life and where he can learn more stories. One day he finds a lost book on a path in the woods and sets off to town to find out how to read. As you might expect, his arrival in town causes a bit of an uproar! But, the little girl who owns that lost book sees George and her book and steps in. Has George finally found a kindred spirit?
The illustrations are beautiful and the story is simple and fun. All in all, this makes a nice read aloud.

[Caroline]

Picked this up at the Friends of the Library store but after reading it will donate back instead of giving it to my 4 year old granddaughter. The immediate reaction of a small town’s full police force, in head to toe riot gear, to confront a wayward bear who just arrived at the library to learn to read,, isn’t something I want to explain to a toddler. What is that doing in a book about the joy of reading? A wan effort at kindergarten postmodernism—the bear’s first book is the one we are reading—doesn’t compensate.

[Nancy Prater]

We enjoyed this little story a lot. I am probably going too deep, but while reading it, I thought of people's reactions to slaves receiving an education, and later segregation in the schools, and desegregation, and how that might also have been viewed like this bear going to school. Grateful for those, who, with childlike innocense, saw past outward appearances, and for those who learned to see and love.

[Emma]

A lovely story about how a bear is desperate to read but when he goes into town to find someone to teach him, everyone runs away and the police come as he’s a bear so they think he’s scary. Then a girl realises he’s the bear from his book and he isn’t scary after all, so she teaches him to read. This story would be suitable for children in years 1 to 3 and could be used to teach to look beyond appearances to get to know a person’s true personality, and to help each other PSHE.

[FM Family]

This was a sweet book with engaging illustrations about a bear who wants to learn to read and a little girl who doesn't find him scary at all and wants to help. Humourous, flippant tone throughout works well. The police officer had a bit of an unearned redemption arc, I felt, in that he was so aggressive toward the bear and all of a sudden changed his tune. My three year old always felt happy to read this one durin ghte time we had it out of the library.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU]

Bears don’t read, but this one wants to learn. So much so, that he travels to the town where bears are not welcome. Once he gets to town, he gets to learn to read with a little girl who is also learning.

A great story that shows how it is okay not to fit in, and how you should pursue what you are passionate about! In bear’s case, he is passionate about reading.

[Thu Nguyen]

Lovely book for your books loving bear! The story is funny. The artwork is a bit girlish but cute and rich. The words are long and adult-like, so more suited to kids who really love to read (or listen to your reading). I love this kind of books when kids and adults can both enjoy.

[Ginny]

A review of Bears Don’t Read and a handful of other lovely books from our local children’s library:

https://littlelifebookworm.wordpress....

(Contains spoilers)

[AD]

George the bear is bored with the normal bear things in life. When he stumbles across a book in the forest he decides he will learn to read!
A great picture book about the reading journey - both how it can be hard sometimes and how it can open up your world with new and exciting possibilities.

[Veerlibros Jeaque Vargas R.]

Esta encantadora historia sobre el placer de la lectura y los lazos de amistad que se forjan a partir de ella, tiene las palabras precisas acompañadas por unas ilustraciones increíbles.
📚
Una edición muy hermosa.

[Alison]

This book is probably a 4 star book - good illustrations, snappy writing, and a fun story. But it gets extra stars for being recursive 😁😈

If you aren't a programmer (and even if you are) you might need to borrow it from the library yourself to see what I mean

[Beth Gea]

Me ha enternecido mucho la historia de George, el oso que quería aprender a leer y su relación con Clementina. Los dibujos también me han gustado muchísimo, sobretodo las expresiones faciales de George.

Yo creo que todas, en algun momento de nuestras vidas, hemos sido George.

[Chelsee Halsell]

Funny book!