Bear Feels Scared

By the Strawberry Vale, Bear is hunting for a snack. But it is cold, so he turns back. When the sun begins to set before he is home, Bear feels scared. As a storm rages around him, Bear cannot find his way. Bear feels scared.

Back in the lair, Bear’s friends are worried about him. What if Bear feels scared?

As the friends prepare to go out to search for their friend, Bear is alone in the wind; he sheds big tears.

Bear feels scared.

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Young readers, preschool through third grade, ages three through eight, are sure to enjoy the simple rhyming story of Bear and his friends who live in the woods. The repeated “Bear feels scared” encourages the youngest to “read” along as the story progresses.

With its rich full-color show more illustrations, this delightful story shows young readers the empathy the animals feel for their missing friend. Addressing fears young readers might experience, the simple story encourages discussion . . . it’s an age-appropriate lesson cleverly presented to young readers who, like Bear, sometimes feel scared.

The unfolding story leads to a sweet denouement that is sure to bring happy smiles to everyone.

Highly recommended. show less

On a dark and stormy night Bear struggles to find his way home, “And the Bear feels scared.” As bear struggles to make his way through the storm his friends are back home wondering why Bear has not come back. His friends go out into the windy storm to search for Bear. Chapman applies acrylic pain to create illustrations that depict movement during a storm. The illustrator uses acrylic paint with dark shades of blue and gray to create a feeling of gloom and fear. This wonderful read-aloud allows students to connect with Bear’s feelings and emotions portrayed through the repetitive refrain and vivid illustrations.

Bear Feels Scared, written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Jane Chapman, is a heartwarming tale of a big bear and the animal friends who come to his rescue. In the book, Bear goes out for a snack in the woods; however, he is caught in a storm, and is paralyzed by his fright. Fortunately for Bear, his animal friends organize a search-and-rescue party to bring him back home; when they find him, they comfort him and help him overcome his fears. After they all head back to their cave, Bear tells stories and the animals all fall asleep, cuddled together.
The message of Bear Feels Scared is a reassuring one: even the biggest and strongest of us get scared sometimes, but friends can help us through the frightening times in our lives. While show more Wilson’s text flows smoothly and her rhymes seem effortless, the truly striking aspect of the book is Chapman’s illustrations: her acrylic paintings of Bear and his journey are breathtakingly intricate. Chapman’s artwork is simultaneously cute, powerful, and poetic; in this case, her contributions have stolen the spotlight. Although some of the illustrations might seem dark and intimidating to very young children (which definitely captures the frightening surroundings of Bear’s journey), the animals always seem endearing and hopeful. This is a wonderful book, and it provides a great lesson for children of all ages.

Citation:
Wilson, Karma, and Jane Chapman. Bear Feels Scared. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print. show less

A cute book which tells the story of bear who at first headed for a secure home with his other critters, but then grew hungry and went back to look for food. In returning, he became lost. It grew dark, windy, cold and scary. In the meantime, his friends are very worried and because they care, they ventured out into the dark, cold forest.

This is a book for younger readers who will feel good about animals taking care of each other.

Bear leaves his lair to find food. Soon it becomes dark and he starts to get scared. As the weather starts to get stormy and Bear cannot find his way home, he becomes even more frightened. Meanwhile, back at the lair all of Bear's friends are wondering where he is and start to worry. They decide to go out into the storm and find their friend. Luckily, Bear was very close to his lair and his friends were able to help him home. A great story about friendship. Beautifully illustrated!

Genre: Fantasy
This is a book about a bear that gets lost in the woods, and when he doesn't come home his friends worry. So they set out to find Bear, and when they do, they all snuggle up at home and fall asleep. I liked this book because it rhymes, and uses simpler words, so it's appropriate for primary grade children. This is a good book to use when talking about feeling scared, or lost. It explains how friends and family can help you feel better, and they will be there for you. The one thing I didn't like about the book, is how long it spent talking about how Bear was lost, rather than talking about friends, or what it means to feel lost or lonely.

This story is a story about friendship that encourages one to not give up. Bear did not give up trying to look for his home, and his friends did not give up looking for him. Even through difficult times and feeling scared, Bear continues to try to find his way home. His friends are scared and concerned for him, and are determined to find him. This story promotes determination, and is an encouraging story to children who might feel nervous with different areas.