Bear Despair

By Gaetan Doremus (Created by)
(Enchanted Lion Books, Hardcover, 9781592701254, 32pp.)

Publication Date: September 2012

Categories: Animals - Bears, Toys, Dolls, & Puppets, Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings

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Gaetan Doremus: Born in 1971, GAËTAN DORÉMUS received his degree from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg in 1999, after which he picked up a few other degrees while creating picture books and illustrations for the press. Doremus has illustrated over 20 books and has produced hundreds of freestanding illustrations and cartoons. He loves to bicycle ride, walk in the mountains, and eat green tomatoes with cinnamon. In 2006, he became a Papa.

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"A blue bear lies asleep under a tree, clutching a treasured teddy bear. A long-snouted wolf sneaks up, snatches the teddy bear, and runs off with it... There are no tiresome morals about sharing one's belongings or waiting patiently until they are found; Doremus goes straight to the frustration and rage of childhood, laying them out in 32 pages like a brisk session on an analyst's couch." -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review

"In this wordless tale, the French illustrator uses a storyboard format of large and small encircled scenes on a white page to tell an energetic and emotional tale. [...] Colorful drawings with overlays of swirling lines sweep by at a fast pace as the action grows increasingly frantic, mirroring Bear’s growing anxiety. A lesson to be learned: don’t mess with the teddy. An imaginative and well-designed chase." -- Kirkus Reviews