Matilde e Orso

Maudie and Bear

by Jan Ormerod, Freya Blackwood (Illustrator)

Five stories about a playful, sometimes bossy, little girl and her dependable bear friend.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Juvenile, Animals, Fantasy, Family

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Jan Ormerod grew up in the small towns of Western Australia, with three older sisters, and as a child she drew constantly and compulsively. She went to art school and studied drawing, painting and sculpture. After completing her degree, Jan become an Associate of the Western Australian Institute of Technology and Design in Education, taught in secondary schools on enrichment programmes, and lectured in teacher’s college and art schools. Jan's first picture book, "Sunshine", won the Mother Goose Award in 1982 and was highly commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Her recent titles include "Ben Goes Swimming", "Emily Dances", "Who’s Who on Our Street?", " A Twist in the Tail" and "Ponko and the South Pole".
http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/authors...

Reviews

[Mir]

Is this a commentary on motherhood, on how mothers slave and sacrifice for their thankless, selfish vampire brats?

Is it a warning about the reality of toxic friendships where one "friend" does nothing but take and the other gives beyond exhaustion?

Is it a blackly humorous observation of the reality that the world favors the cute and disadvantages the ugly, fat, and ungainly?

Is it a parable of the working class and the false consciousness that keeps them subject to the demands of the uncaring elite?

In any case, the first panel of every story tells it all: Bear toiling over the housework while Maudie lounges about with a toy bear tied to a leash.

[Ingrid]

I think I dislike this book more than any other book I have purchased for the library. It is the story of a young girl and her bear friend. There is no explanation of why she is friends with a full-sized live bear--I have no problem with this. Together they undertake minor adventures. In each little vignette, the girl treats the bear with total disrespect. She is bossy, impatient, lazy, demanding, dismissive and ungrateful. The bear is a total doormat.

I think the point of this book was to paint a picture of unconditional love, a common message in children's literature. A wonderful message, but why does the girl need to be a complete brat? In my family, unconditional love is accompanied by calling someone out when needed. I kept waiting for some humorous comeuppance. If the bear had eaten the girl in the end, then I might have enjoyed it.

My one compliment is to the illustrator. It IS a beautifully illustrated book, it just happens to have a terrible message.

[Abigail]

Bear indulges the demanding Maudie in this picture-book from Australian author/illustrator team Jan Ormerod and Freya Blackwood, displaying endless patience and self-denial in his dealings with the pint-sized human in his care. Whether waiting for Maudie to get ready, after her declaration that they should get some exercise, or forgoing a snack (that he prepared), because she has decided that the table looks too good to be disturbed, he is ever ready to fall in with her ideas, and to work to fulfill her desires. He scrubs floors on his hands and knees, fixes special meals on demand, bicycles Maudie up steep hills, carries her on his shoulders when out walking, and apologizes (with treats!) when he has wounded her pride. He never snaps, he never disagrees, and he never - even when exhausted (no doubt from all that work!) and dropping off to sleep - says no.

My tags tend to have descriptive, rather than editorial names: things like "childrens-fiction," or "russian folklore." Recently however, inspired by some of my more inventive online friends, I created my very first editorial tag, "out-of-step-with-the-zeitgeist," to keep track of children's books that promote social ideas that are quite widespread - the paramount importance of inculcating self esteem; the idea that setting limitations of any kind is akin to stifling a child's imagination, and is an act of cruelty - but with which I disagree. Maudie and Bear is definitely the kind of book that belongs on this shelf! I don't really understand how anyone could find the relationship chronicled here cute, although many reviewers obviously do, but as someone who has had to pick up after over-indulged children, I found it depressing. Now I know what home-life was like for the little terrors who would come into the bookstores where I worked, and proceed to tear everything off the shelves...

ETA: the artwork by Freya Blackwood - the entire reason I picked up the book - was simply gorgeous. I thought there was something almost 1920s-style about Maudie, with her little red hat. It's a shame that the story wasn't as charming!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)]

Beautiful illustrations but I disagree with the message. Basically a child is taught that it is okay to be rude and demanding and take for granted the care and dedication and love of a caregiver. A parent's love (which the Bear is suppose to represent) may be unconditional but that doesn't mean that a child shouldn't be held accountable for inappropriate behavior.

[Arminzerella]

Lovely and appealing watercolor illustrations draw your eye to this book. Unfortunately, Maudie is a whiny, over-indulged, bratty child. The first story isn't so bad - it takes forever for Maudie and Bear to take their bicycle ride because Maudie keeps forgetting, then remembering things that they need to do/bring/wear before they can leave the house. Maudie's messes might have been endearing if she didn't throw tantrums and need So.Much.Special.Treatment. and Understanding. This picture book just seems to encourage children to do whatever they want, because their indulgent parents will be understanding, forgiving, and nurturing no matter what. While that's certainly reassuring for the kids, it's pretty unrealistic for parents, who have got to be rolling their eyes by the end of this. Watch out, Maudie, people are lining up to throttle you, if Bear won't do it! This made me wonder if kids in other countries/cultures are as whiny, spoiled and bratty as Maudie. I don't think it's particularly spirit-crushing to choose not to be your child's doormat.

[Karen]

Maudie is adorable - willful and imaginative and charming. She has a bright personality, and to those reviewers that take that to task....lighten up. My daughter was like this as a kid and she's a creative bright 20-something now with a full-time job and a Hollywood internship and creative friends. There's a place in the world for girls like Maudie who are acting out their imaginative impulses on their own terms. Bear is wise to be patient and kind and play along! I love how this book gets to the core of that relationship. And I love the pictures featuring Maudie's quirky outfits and her range of emotions. Bravo!

[Lois]

Other reviewers have criticized this book for its bratty and capricious little girl. She certainly is a handful, and Bear (parent figure) is endlessly patient with her. In my experience children like reading about characters who are naughty so that they can live vicariously without getting into trouble. The illustrations are gorgeous and can be particularly enjoyed by those familiar with Australian architecture and birds.

[Dana]

Why is it that some of literature's most serious and honest depictions of intimacy, with all its attendant horrors and joys, are dealt with in children's picture books about bears? I don't know. I fucking do not know. But here's a starter list:

Maudie & Bear (co-dependency)
A Visitor for Bear (fear of rejection)
The Lonely Doll (trust issues, also: spanking)

[Donalyn]

While a lot of reviewers focus on Maudie's bratty, ungrateful behavior, I prefer to focus on Bear's unconditional love for her. Beautiful illustrations.

[Jenna]

Kirjan viidessä sadussa seikkailee pieni, hieman määräilevä Maija ja Karhu. Karhulla riittää kärsivällisyyttä odotella Maijan pakkailut ulkoilureissua varten, löytyy erilaisia lepyttelytapoja ja kokkaustaitoja vaikka muille jakaa. Toivoisin Karhun piipahtavan meillä kahvilla ja kertovan pieniä vinkkejä Maijojen käsittelyyn.

[Cheryl]

Mir said it better than I could, but gave it one more star than I. I love many of Ormerod's other works but this one about a spoilt bossypants is terrible, imo. I have tried but cannot guess how to share it with a child.

[Shh]

On our first visit to the library together my daughter and I picked this as one of the first we checked out with our new library card. Let me say I honestly picked this picture book because of the cover and the illustrations. I did not pre-read any of the text. Now, after reading the book let me start with what I liked about the story, I liked the idea of Maudie and the Bear having a close friendship. I also loved the charming illustrations. Unfortunately, I find myself in agreement with what many others have said in their reviews of this book on the GoodReads site...Maudie is not well behaved. In other words, she is not the role model I want for my daughter. Let me add that my daughter is 19 months old, a red-head, and she has a temper if she does not get her way, so a story that has the central character not behaving well just did not work for me. I write this review after having just given my little red-head a timeout for not listening to me. One read was all we gave the book. I was tempted to give Maudie and Bear two stars, but instead gave it three because of the illustrations. I am very glad it was a library book and I can return it. It was among the new books in the children's section of the library and truly grabbed my attention because of the gorgeous cover illustration.

[Barbara]

Maudie is used to having her way, and luckily for her, her companion, Bear, is quite patient and quietly tolerates her detours, her rudeness, and her insecurities in a series of five different adventures. It's a good thing Maudie has Bear since there aren't a lot of individuals who would be content to leave a just-set table filled with all sorts of yummy breakfast items such as fruit and pancakes to take a walk. Even when they settle together in a comfy chair to listen to a story, Maudie becomes annoyed since Bear keeps falling asleep, understandable since Maudie is quite a handful. And yet, throughout the story, it's clear how much Bear loves Maudie. In a similar fashion that occurs to many troublesome youngsters who grow up and look back in astonishment at their own parents' patience with them, I suspect someday she'll realize just how much she's put Bear through. The illustrations, filled with soft, warm colors, are lovely tributes to this relationship that often seems out of balance but, nevertheless, is filled with mutual affection. They remind of illustrations from books published in a bygone era.

[Kirah Marshall]

1. Maudie, a young, opinionated, demanding girl, has adventures with her friend Bear. They ride bikes, have picnics, dance, and tell stories together. The daily adventures are always Maudie's idea, however, Bear usually does most of the work while Maudie piddles around.
2. This book would be good for grades pre-k -1st.
3. This book would be fun to share during story time. You could ask the students if they thought Maudie was nice to bear or not and discuss what happens in the story.
4. Students who like animal fantasy books would like this story. I think little girls would like this story more than little boys as well.
5. You could have the students identify references to other stories. (EX: Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.)
6. You could read this book aloud to students, but it would have to be read to younger students because I think older students would lose interest.
7. Related books are Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, Clifford, and Arthur.
8. There are youtube videos related to this book.

[Clare]

The illustrations are lovely, but it isn't pleasant reading about a spoilt child who never learns to apologise.

[Melissa]

Sweetly old-fashioned illustrations but MAN Maudie is a bully. Bear and the Giving Tree should start a support group.

[Joanne Roberts]

I guess I've never reviewed this, though it's been in the family for some time. This is a series of tiny stories in a big beautiful edition like Frog and Toad only a much bigger Bear and a much bossier Maudie. Maudie is rather naughty to Bear, but her dialogue is so genuine for a very little girl, and the illustrations are so cozy and delicately rendered with lots of scope for the imagination that you will fall in love with Maudie even when she is micro-managing his cooking or not speaking to Bear at all. And you will want your very own companion like Bear who listens patiently and loads your plate with pancakes or chocolate cookies and dances with you under the moon until bedtime.

[Raksha]

I got this book from the library for my 6-year old. This book caught my eyes because of beautiful illustrations by Freya Blackwood. However, wouldn’t be sharing this one with my child as this book is about an extremely ungrateful, unkind child devoid of even the slightest empathy. Blurb says ‘love is inexhaustible’ to explain the love that bear feels for the child. In my opinion, love needs to be nurtured and reciprocated and cannot work in the way it is described in this book.

[Ruthie Jones]

Maudie and Bear is actually a few short stories in one little book. I have to say that the little girl, Maudie, is a bit spoiled and self-centered, but Bear tolerates her and readily gives in to her whims because he loves her. Take heed, children, and appreciate that true, unconditional love because it comes from the heart. Friends like Bear want nothing in return except to be in your presence.

[Rebekah]

This is a charming book about a little girl, (Maudie) and her Friend (the bear). It contains a few short stories. The illustrations are very whimsical and adorably old fashioned.

Their friendship is sweet. It is full of A friend of mine described it as how you see your teddy when you are little.

Maudie isn’t a perfect child but what book character is it should be!

[Michelle Rodes]

This is a magical book. The little chapters and wonderful illustrations take you on a series of jaunts with a girl and her bear. The words are meaningful and endearing, while the pictures tell more and open the imagination.

[Nancy]

A delightful book with 5 fun stories! The illustration is beautiful! I love just staring at the page. I especially liked the last story where Maudie is telling a story which is illustrated in small boxes at the top of the page. I highly recommend this gorgeous book.

[Taylor Kundel-Gower]

Something about this is very cute, but I think Maudie treats bear so poorly.

[Yoursexylibrarian]

Four stars for beautiful drawings. Maudie is a horrible brat!

[Kristen EJ Lauderdale]

Holy brat-child.

[Courtney Canino]

The main characters of this story were Maudie and her servant who was a bear, and quite fittingly named so; Bear. The point of view was second person, and the lexile was 300 so it is best for primary grades. The setting was in Maudie's house. The plot was that there were about 5 short stories about Maudie and her servant Bear. Each story had a small problem within it, but then it was quickly solved, normally by Bear. For example, in one of the stories Maudie is dancing and so Bear laughs with excitement but Maudie takes it the wrong way and gets upset. Bear makes it up to her by dressing up and asking her to dance. The main idea of this book was to always fix your mistakes. I would not recommend this book because Maudie would do stuff wrong all the time and she never apologized which bugged me. My personal reaction was that I thought Bear was going to eat her after the first story because she was such a rude and snotty little girl.

Concluding statement: Apologize for things you have done wrong.

[Rabia Saeed]

The Book, Maudie and Bear, by Jan Ormerod & Freya Blackwood is a book about a little girl named Maudie and her friend who is a bear, which is told through 5 little short stories. Maudie is a little bossy, and wants things to be done her way. She is always telling bear what to do and what not to do. However their relationship with each other is like a mother and daughter’s relationship, where the daughter would sometimes behave badly, but the mother’s attitude would still be the same with her child. The bear’s feeling for her are firm, and don’t change throughout the story.
This book was awarded the Early Childhood Picture Book of the Year 2011 by the Children's Book Council of Australia. The book overall is well organized, with nice illustrations, good font size, nice colored pictures which look like a mixture of water colors and pencil sketch. It is divided up into five short stories, so kids can have a variety of stories. I think it is a really good book, well suitable for young readers.

[Tasha]

Through five short stories, readers get to know Maudie and her best friend Bear. Maudie is a little girl who is always planning the next thing for them to do. She can be bossy, definitely has opinions, and yet has a charm that is hard to resist. Bear certainly does not resist at all, instead helping Maudie plan their next escapade. The pair have a series of adventures from a bike ride that is more about fashion than exercise to a very Goldilocks-like encounter to dancing under the stars. The two are not without friction, having to apologize occasionally for things that go wrong. They are a cheery pair to read about and one wishes for a Bear of their very own.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.

[Jenny]

This is a smart, cute series of stories featuring a young (at times spoiled) little girl and a bear who has taken on a parenting role. The idea behind the stories is a kind of loving that persists. The back of the book sums it up perfectly by saying: "Love is inexhaustible."

The illustrations and writing complement each other and there is subtle sort of almost ironic humor that is noticeable when you read and then look at the drawings.

Examples of Things I found Amusing:

(1) Maudie suggests a bike ride and then the bear ends up biking while she sits in the basket. She says: "Exercise is so good for you."

(2) Maudie pulls around a bear on wheels (with a leash) that looks like a miniature version of the Bear in the story. And she does this in a story where she is ordering Bear around and telling him how to make breakast.

[Melissa Posten]

I am amused by the number of reviewers calling Maudie out for being spoiled and bratty. I actually liked the way Bear dealt with most of the situations. Would I have done all that cooking? No. But walking away when a child is still mad and wants time to themselves to calm down? Absolutely. Taking a long time to get out of the house? When doesn't this happen? Maybe I liked it because Maudie reminds me of Molly, who I indulge when I can time-wise because isn't so much of childhood sped up now? It's easy to get frustrated when a child wants to take their own time doing something; in a lot of situations, we all might be a lot better off if we were more like Bear.