Once I Was a Bear

Once I Was a Bear

Irene Luxbacher
$18.99
Publication Date: September 1st, 2020
Publisher:
Scholastic Press
ISBN:
9781338356335
Pages:
40

Description

A beautiful, beguiling tale about adapting to change and finding your place. Especially comforting during this time of social distancing and uncertainty about the future.

"Imaginative and poetically resonant." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Considers nature's way of connecting us to ourselves and to others...poetically expresses feelings of dislocation, vulnerability, and strength." -- Quill & Quire, starred review

Oh, to be a bear in the forest! To rest and play, day after day, always feeling safe and at home. But when change fills the air, and it's time to journey into a different kind of wilderness, will it ever feel the same?

This sensitively imagined story illuminates the difficult transitions we all must face as we learn how to be at home in the world.

About the Author

IRENE LUXBACHER was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for her illustrations in Andrew Larsen’sThe Imaginary Garden (Le jardin imaginaire de grand-papa). She has illustrated several other picture books, including Mittens to Share (Une mitaine pour deux), The Heart’s Song (Le grand cœur de madame Lili), as well as her own picture books Once I Was a Bear (Lorsque j’étais un ours…) and Mattoo, Let’s Play! (Viens jouer, Matou!). She lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband and young son. You can learn more about her work at www.ireneluxbacher.com.

Praise for Once I Was a Bear

Praise for Once I Was a Bear:

"[Encourages] the appreciation of one's own story and recognizing different experiences of loss and change. Imaginative and poetically resonant." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Irene Luxbacher's new picture book considers nature's way of connecting us to ourselves and to others...Transitions, transformations, and distinctive perspectives are elegantly evoked in Luxbacher's signature watercolour, acrylic, and collage illustrations. The text poetically expresses feelings of dislocation, vulnerability, and strength... Inspired by Luxbacher's son, who is on the autism spectrum, Once I Was a Bear tenderly asks the deeply personal yet universal question, "Would others understand me?"" -- Quill & Quire, starred review