Nicholas Oldland

Bear, Moose and Beaver, three woodland friends whose escapades have been chronicled by Canadian author/illustrator Nicholas Oldland in five previous picture books, return in this sixth tale, this time celebrating Christmas. Making all of the preparations—baking, hanging stockings, stringing lights—the trio realize they have forgotten something very important: the Christmas tree! But when their sojourn to find one locates the perfect arboreal specimen, a problem arises: tree-hugging Bear show more will not let Beaver chop down the fir, in order to bring it inside. Is Christmas ruined? Or can an alternative be found...?

As always with the books in Oldland's Life in the Wild series, there is a message in One Wild Christmas—in this case, about preserving the beauty of the natural world, and finding a way to celebrate the holiday that satisfies all participants. I found the story here amusing, particularly as it hearkened back to the hilarious initial book in the series, Big Bear Hug, which established our ursine hero's great love of trees. Fans of these characters will enjoy the holiday hi-jinks, and the amusing cartoon-like illustrations. For my part, I see that there is a seventh installment, Hockey in the Wild, which I now plan to track down. show less

Canadian children's author and artist Nicholas Oldland, whose series of picture-books about a group of woodland friends - Big Bear Hug, Making the Moose Out of Life, The Busy Beaver - are a hilarious triumph, turns in this latest venture to the field of paleontology, and to the world of counting books. Beginning with the number ten and counting down, the book presents a number of different dinosaur types - ten striding velociraptors, nine lazing deinosuchus, etc. - on each two-page spread. show more The book concludes with zero, and a little lesson about dinosaurs being extinct.

Having greatly enjoyed Oldland's first three books, I was quite excited to discover that he had a fourth in the offing, and having waited eagerly for my library system to obtain it, checked it out as soon as possible. Truthfully, and perhaps unfairly, I was a bit disappointed. I think I was expecting something a little more akin to the other books, in the way of offbeat humor, even though I went in knowing that it wasn't a storybook. That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Dinosaur Countdown: it is an engaging enough counting book, focusing on a theme that many young children will find appealing, and featuring artwork this is quite fun. I enjoyed the different decorative designs - stripes, polka-dots - used for the different dinosaurs. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers in the market for counting books, and to fans of Oldland's artwork. show less

It's another hilarious picture-book from Canadian children's author/artist Nicholas Oldland, whose debut venture in the field, Big Bear Hug, had me in stitches - and the results do not disappoint! Taking up the story of Beaver, the castorine friend of Big Bear, and of Moose (the star of Oldland's Making the Moose Out of Life), this endearing picture-book follows it titular hero as he wreaks havoc amongst his companions and neighbors, not through malice, but through carelessness. Busy, but show more heedless, Beaver causes any number of accidents, until he himself is the victim of his own thoughtlessness. Can he reform himself? Will those he has harmed accept his apologies...?

Like its two predecessors, The Busy Beaver is an amusing book, and I got a good chuckle out of many of the scenes, particularly the one in which Beaver returns from the hospital, and Bear (along with all the other creatures) takes to his heels, screaming: "Run for your lives!" Oldland has a distinctively droll sense of humor, that comes across very well, both in his simple text and his expressive (but simple) artwork. I appreciated this one, however, not just as an amusing tale, but as a sensitive, non-didactic look at a number of important issues: being mindful in the way one lives, recognizing the mistakes one has made, and seeking to make restitution for the harm one has done. Well done, Nicholas Oldland - this was an entertaining and thoughtful little picture-book adventure! show less

"There once was a bear so filled with love and happiness that whenever he roamed the forest and came across another living thing, he would give it a hug." Yes, this was a bear that believed in spreading the love, and he'd never met a creature he didn't want to embrace, whether moose or snake. He was especially fond of the trees: big and small, apple and pear, this bear "never met a tree he didn't like." And then one day, coming upon a man about to chop down one of the oldest, tallest, and show more loveliest trees in the forest, the bear suddenly didn't feel like hugging anymore...

Canadian artist Nicholas Oldland's debut picture-book, Big Bear Hug reduces me to helpless giggling every time I read it. The startled (one might even say, distressed) expressions on the faces of the various creatures on the receiving end of the bear's big hugs are simply hysterical! The bear's enthusiasm - at one point he tries to hug a beaver and a tree at the same time - is delightful, and his solution to the problem of the would-be tree-chopper satisfying. A simple parable about loving the forest and its creatures, this little gem should appeal to any tree-hugger out there with a sense of humor! show less