Find Fergus

by Mike Boldt

Play the funniest game of hide and seek ever with Fergus, a bear who's very, very bad at hiding.

The hilarious illustrator of I Don't Want to Be a Frog brings picture book fans a super-silly, interactive story that will have children giggling from start to finish. Follow huge, loveable Fergus and see all the many ways in which he is TERRIBLE at playing hide-and-seek, such as standing behind a VERY tiny tree ("Found you, Fergus! That was too easy!") or trying to camouflage in a giant crowd of bunnies and squirrels ("Try bears, Fergus. Bears!").

But wait! The game isn't over yet! The last two pages fold out into a giant panoramic look-and-find scene, where Fergus is well and truly hidden, and young readers can have fun looking for him and lots of other details in the the crowd. There are hours and hours of play value in this adorable book. Children will want to come back to it again and again.

★  Iowa Library Association Bridge to Reading Award, 2022
★  Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2021
★ Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award, 2022
★  Missouri Building Block Award, 2022

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile

36 pages, Library Binding

First published November 3, 2020

About the author

Mike Boldt has been my name
for quite a few years

Some people call me an Author / Illustrator
I’ve been called worse

I like ice cream a lot

I still enjoy cartoons

I‘ve drawn since I was young

I read (picture) books

I like to write & Draw them too

I'm amazed and grateful every day this is my job.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great 'find the character' book for small children. Studies have shown that helping children to differentiate between similar objects is a cornerstone of cognitive development. The book will also make a small child laugh at the first attempts Fergus makes to hide. A book that will be read multiple times with really nice art.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fergus the brown bear is learning how to hide, only he’s not very good at it. Yet.

When we first meet Fergus, his attempts at hiding are pretty much equivalent to a child putting their hands over their eyes and assuming that means you can’t see them anymore. Or hiding behind the curtains but forgetting that their feet are still visible. Actually, maybe Fergus hasn’t quite reached that level yet.

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You’ve got to give him credit though. Fergus listens to instructions and applies what he’s learned to his next attempt. With perseverance, he gradually gets better at hiding until he finally masters it.

This book would not be nearly as entertaining if the animals weren’t so expressive. Fergus is absolutely adorable but you’ll also meet a duck and a fox, and a whole bunch of rabbits, squirrels, elephants, moose and bears (of course).

My favourite finds included a polar bear who’s just heard a joke, a bear hug and “an elephant with a squirrel problem”.

After you finish reading you can go back to the fold-out pages to search for the things (other than Fergus) that there are to find.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read out loud for lower elementary school

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find Fergus was a little underwhelming for me. The illustrations are cute and the premise is solid... but it's just not my thing. I've never really been big on Where's Waldo? and this is just a variation on that. Sort of.

Fergus the bear is really bad at hiding. Most of the book is taken up by his increasingly successful attempts to blend into a crowd. I don't think that part of the book has all that much re-read potential. At the end, though, Fergus gives the reader a list of 14 things to find other than him... so that could keep readers busy for a while.

This is fine if you love those books where you have to find things. The writing is solid and the premise is sound. It's just not for me.

[Jamie Loves Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Fergus the bear just wants to play hide and seek with us the reader but he's not super good at it. First be just stands to the side of the page or behind a skinny tree. The "reader" makes suggestions on what he could do differently to be better. Until at last it's challenging to find him.

This is such a fun interactive book that's great for preschool age kiddos. My daughter loved finding Fergus on each page. Then at the end there is a list of different things for the reader to find. They get challenging but I'm surprised with how much my 4 year old can find.

I highly recommend this as a day time reader. Maybe not great for bedtime because they may want to spend quite a bit of time looking on the last page.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reader is supposed to find Fergus in this fun-filled picture book. However, Fergus must first learn HOW to hide. Can he hide behind a tree? How about among a group of elephants? Once Fergus figures out the best hiding spots, it will be game on! The last two page spreads have a large number of characters and Fergus gives the reader a list of things to find. Very similar to Where’s Waldo, but slightly easier and definitely more humorous.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun book! Fergus is learning how to hide...he starts by hiding behind a skinny tree....he has some learning to do! He's no "Waldo"! He practices and gets better and better at hiding. I read this to my g'little and we were both laughing out loud as his practice got better. I thought it was a fun and interactive book for young children.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 3-year old loves this book! She’s a big fan of seek-and-find books, so this was right up her alley.

We thought it was funny when Fergus didn’t know how to hide properly, and had a fun time trying to find all of the extras at the end of the book.

This is a book my daughter will probably pick up again and again. It’s fun, with cute illustrations, and works your brain.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was lots of fun. I really wish my grandkids were here for me to read it with them. Fergus is a bear who at first is not very good at playing hide and seek. With a little help from the author and reader he gradually improves. Eventually Fergus ends up challenging us to find a list of things hidden in the pages of the book.

[Melenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute. A little old for my little guy, but he will enjoy it more as he gets older.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous hide and seek picture book where Fergus is supposed to try and hide from the reader. And "try" is the operative word. Young readers will giggle as Fergus makes several silly attempts to hide. This will be a fun book to share one-on-one or in small groups.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute easy read. No wonder it's a Firefly nominated book.

[Synthia Salomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presented just the right amount of challenge for my three year old. She enjoyed reading it. Hide and Seek is her favorite game so she was thrilled to find Fergus. The pullout page was a fun surprise and the revised list of things to find by Fergus himself was a great family activity.

[Velia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Fergus! Yay me!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, interactive, and original. :)

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful seek-and-find book that breaks down the fourth wall. A book guaranteed to make any readers go back and start it again.

[Sue Hodara · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the playful back cover barcode, to the front flap copy and end papers... Mike Boldt thought about every detail in "Find Fergus" and executed each one brilliantly.

Witnessing Fergus' transformation into hide-and-go-seek ninja is obviously wonderful and funny, but the best part is that a character "owns" something he's not good at from the start (is okay with that) and keeps at it until he's finally adept at it, all the while with a smile on his face--but not a didactic word in sight. Fergus is simply given suggestions by the narrator, takes them into consideration, tries again, and keeps going.

Though his desire is clear from the outset, without feeling the strain of struggle, readers find they can easily smile along with Fergus--not just because we're in on the joke, but because the lesson is delivered with a light touch.

A fun read for little ones, and a gentle reminder for adults.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Fergus the bear is really bad at hiding! Track him down on each page--and eventually, as Fergus learns a bit more, keeping an eye on him becomes a little tricky!

This could be a fun read aloud, though I think there is a printing issue toward the end? For two spreads in a row, the text says "Still not a moose, Fergus. Try bears." The first page is paired with illustrations of Fergus with some moose, pretending to be dressed like a moose, but the next page has Fergus in a sea of polar bears. The same illustration appears to be printed on the next page again before the spread opens into the first real I Spy challenge? I'm not sure what is wrong with those last few pages.

[Luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find Fergus is about a big brown silly bear who is bad at hiding. As we go through the story, he gets better at hiding, & at the end, where can he be???

The illustrations are great; the language is simple; the font is a great size for emphasis when reading the story & personally, I think young children will love it because truly, at a young age, hide & seek & peek-a-boo are 2 games that children so enjoy & Fergus does a great job with this!

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Too cute!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so funny and charming! A bear named Fergus wants to be in a "Look and find" book, but he's not that good at hiding. With the careful coaching of the narrator, he learns how to successfully hide in a crowd. Silly and fun!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little ones love to play Hide-and-Seek, and as caregivers know, they aren't always very skilled at finding the best places to hide. That makes this picture book featuring a bear named Fergus quite relatable for them. You see, Fergus is determined to master this game even though it starts out by hiding in the middle of the page in plain sight, and then, after some urging, moves to the side and then behind a tree. Since the text is printed in large type, backgrounded against yellow, usually across the page from the illustrations, it's easy for beginning readers to read. Further tips about blending into a crowd result in a countdown and a gatefold that unfolds to reveal a challenging search for Fergus. Clearly, he has learned his lesson well, and takes a marker to add to his list (seen on the first and last endpapers) some more things (14) for readers to find on that gatefold. Youngsters will get a kick out of Fergus and also enjoy carefully scanning the fold-out pages in order to identify him and the other items. This picture book might be useful in teaching prediction skills but also in honing visual acuity.

[Francis S. Poesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun puzzle search book that turns the genre on its ear in a humorous way and still delivers search activities in the end.

[Brianna Kinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute, adorable book gives me I Spy vibes.

[Jenn Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been, without a doubt, one of my kids' favorite reads this summer. It's incredibly engaging and fun.

[Kelly]

This might be Mike Boldt's best book yet. It's simple, interactive, and fun. The end pages change from beginning to end which is cool, and it becomes a Where's Waldo type of search!

[Camila Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book! We liked the illustrations and the sense of humor. We picked up several books and my little 4 yr old wanted this one read over and over again.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Too cute!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fergus the bear wants to play hide-and-seek, but he needs to be taught how to hide so that he is not easily seen. Cute and funny story. Great illustrations, with plenty of seeking at the end.

[Tiffany White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would make a wonderful read aloud with a group of small children. My boys LOVED finding everything at the end of the book and thought teaching Fergus how to hide was so fun.