The grizzly bear who lost his grrrrr!

Rob Biddulph

Book - 2016

Fred has won the Best Bear in the Wood contest for the past three years, but when he loses his "Grrrrr" he finds help in unexpected places.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Biddulph Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Stories in rhyme
Picture books
Published
New York, N.Y. : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2016.
Language
English
Main Author
Rob Biddulph (author)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
ISBN
9780062367259
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Fred, reigning Best Bear in the Woods champ, is in fine form for this year's competition. He can snatch fish from the stream like nobody's business. Hula-Hooping is a breeze. As for frightening the socks off of picnicking humans, don't even worry about it. Fred's greatest talent, however, is his resounding grrrrr! In fact, Fred is so focused on staying in tip-top shape that he doesn't have time for anything else, including making friends. His gleaming trophy collection makes up for this fact, though or does it? On the eve of the competition, a mustachioed blue bear arrives and steals Fred's famous roar while the grizzly sleeps. The next morning a team of woodland creatures rallies to help Fred search for his roar, but to no avail. Can he still be Best Bear without his grrrrr? Biddulph's humorous take on competition carries a winning message about the value of friendship. The rhyming text has a singsong cadence ideal for reading aloud, and the vibrant, cartoonlike illustrations will score lots of laughs with their amusing details.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Out in the forest, it's once again time for the Best Bear in the Wood contest. Fred, a grizzly with a three-year winning streak, excels in all of the events-fish catching, hula-hooping, and scaring humans. His terrific GRRRRR of a growl, however, is gold medal plus. Fred trains hard, wins, and has a wall full of medals to show for it. But this year, Fred has some competition from a newcomer, Boris, who sports a mustache and glasses on his large blue frame. His GRRRRR is reportedly the loudest ever. But he seems rather sneaky and has been seen around Fred's cave at night. Soon it's the morning of the contest, and there is trouble for Fred. He has lost his roar. Luckily, his animal friends-Owl, Raccoon, Eagle, Beaver, and others-join the search for it. Alas, they do not find his roar before the start of the competition. Boris is a worthy opponent, and he and Fred are tied going into the final event of the day. Boris scores a 10, but without a GRRRRR, Fred stands a good chance of losing. So, all his friends line up and produce the loudest GRRRRR for him that they can. They are so loud, it causes Boris to jump, and out of his sweater falls Fred's GRRRRR. A repentant Boris admits that he's new and he just wanted some friends. "I hoped that if people thought I was a winner, then maybe, sometimes, they might come around for dinner." Fred forgives him and suggests that they be friends, and gives Boris-what else?-a bear hug. Biddulph's artwork was created with pencil, digital devices, and software. The nonproportional and cartoonish animals lighten the mood and add to the humor. The overall impression is upbeat. VERDICT Not the most original concept, and the plot is rather predictable. However, the message in this rhyming tale about friendship and acceptance is sweet and endearing; this title should find an appreciative audience.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Fred claims he doesn't need friends; his trophies from the Best Bear in the Wood Contest are enough for him. Then, just before the next competition, a newcomer steals his prize-winning growl, and Fred learns something about forgiveness--and friendship, too. The bouncy rhymes are entertaining, and the lesson is light-handed; the illustrations' elongated animals, offbeat coloring, and other humorous touches will hold readers' attention. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Two bears vie for the title of Best Bear in the Wood in this picture book.For three years running, grizzly bear Fred has won the Best Bear in the Wood contesta contest that involves catching fish, hula-hooping, scaring humans (the humans depicted appear to be white), and, most importantly, emitting the loudest GRRRRR. Fred has set his sights on winning this year too, and he is training hard. Problem is, he has no time for friends with all that training. Then Boris, a new bear with a waxed mustache and a turtleneck, shows up and is seen entering Freds caveand on the morning of the day of the contest, Freds GRRRRR is missing from its speech bubble. Coincidence? Perhaps not. Biddulphs story has no unexpected twistssome are deliberately given away, others are easily foreseenso yes, the overall storyline is predictable, and the rhyming text strains at times. Still, the illustrations are quirky and humorous, and the books designwith its well-thought-out mix of double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and single-page illustrationsbrings a great deal of liveliness to the tale. The endpapers cleverly summarize the denouement, and there is an only-in-the-illustrations side story that little ones will enjoy discovering. In fact, it is the clever, small touches rather than the often used theme (the value of friendship, extending forgiveness) that mark this story a cut above the typical. This may not be GRRRRReat, but its pretty darned good. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.