Mother Bruce

I freaking love this book. Actually, so does Scott. He found it hilarious and for Christmas bought me the entire Bruce series. (Forget that we don't have kids yet. Forget that I was 29 when he did that). Honestly, this is a favorite of mine.

It's about Bruce, a very grumpy bear. One day while making a fancy meal (this bear googles recipes, y'all), he becomes a victim of mistaken identity. His meal hatched and goslings think Bruce is a she and she is their mother. As you might imagine, Bruce is pissed and looks for any and all ways to get rid of them.

The first time I read the book and got to the end, I spit out my water. It's so hilarious. Adults will definitely appreciate the humor as well as their children/readers.

Bruce was a grouchy bear. He liked his solitude, he liked his computer, and he liked eggs. On the hunt for the ingredients for a new recipe - boiled goose eggs drizzled with honey-salmon sauce - he got far more than he bargained for when his eggs hatched before he could cook them. Imprinted on him, the goslings simply wouldn't go away, no matter how many times Bruce rejected them. Eventually deciding to make the best of the situation, our ursine hero became 'Mother' Bruce, and set out to raise his four unexpected offspring...

An entertaining tale, one whose title plays upon the idea of 'Mother Goose,' Mother Bruce is the first of a prospective picture-book series about this grumpy bear and his unexpected charges. The artwork is show more absolutely charming, capturing the humor of the tale, from Bruce's chagrin at finding himself placed in the unwelcome role of mother, to the goslings' determined devotion to him. That said, although I enjoyed the illustrations and appreciated the story idea, there were times here that I felt that the humor - as when Bruce asks the goose whether her eggs are free-range organic - was intended more for adult readers than children. With that caveat in mind, I recommend this to children (and their adults) looking for stories with a little prickly-penned humor. show less

Bruce is a grumpy bear. He's also a thieving and unscrupulous bear, and he likes to take eggs from nests ("He cooked them into fancy recipes he found on the internet"). But four eggs he grabs from a goose don't cook. They hatch. The four goslings that emerge follow Bruce everywhere, and no matter how he threatens-even when he bares his fangs and roars-the adorable big-footed goslings look merely puzzled. Little by little, the geese break Bruce down ("Bruce was stuck with them. He tried to make the best of it") and wear away at his dignity; in one scene he glares darkly beside a wading pool in water wings and flippers. Having passed through goose infancy and goose adolescence (complete with headphones) into adulthood, the geese refuse to show more migrate; Bruce has to improvise. Higgins (Wilfred) dwells satisfyingly on Bruce's forbidding scowls and tubby middle, and even portrays properly the change from gosling fuzz to adult Canada goose plumage. It's a droll look at conflict won by the underdog and-in its way-a book about unconventional families. show less

The illustrations are fantastic, and the storyline is cute. I love that some little goslings won the heart of a grumpy bear - who is awfully cute, by the way! I love the line, "Bruce became the victim of mistaken identity." My favorite pages are when Bruce goes shopping for ingredients for hard-boiled goose eggs drizzled in honey salmon sauce! OMG! I'm totally recommending this one to my sister who works at a daycare!

I really loved this twist on the class Mother Goose story and how creative it was. It also shows a new perspective of how the story could have happened. It was filled with humor and showed a different side to the bear as the story went on. I would for sure use this in my classroom for writing prompts and as a read aloud.

The Bruce Bear books are hilarious!! While I feel like much of the humor will be more appreciated by adults and older children, little ones will still enjoy the stories and illustrations.

Mother Bruce written and illustrated by Ryan Higgins is a hilarious story about a grumpy bear who becomes a "mother" to a group of goslings after a thwarted attempt to cook them up as eggs. Bruce ends ups raising the goslings. When Winter comes and he needs to hibernate, he tries to explain to the goslings about migration. When all attempts to get the goslings to migrate fail, Bruce packs up the goslings and they all "winter" at the beach, lounging in "tacky shirts."

While children will find Mother Bruce engaging and funny with the vibrant pictures and crazy antics, adults will also chuckle at "inside" jokes. For example, Bruce collects honey from the local bee hive because "he liked to support local business" and "I will have to ask show more Mrs. Goose about her return policy" when he tries to return her eggs that he has stole to eat and have become goslings. I predict this will be a favorite with the students this year as they seem to enjoy sarcastic humor. While I tend to read these books k-3, I believe this book would make 4th and 5th graders chuckle also. show less