A childless couple adopt an unusual foundling that the woman finds in the forest in this adaptation of a Russian folktale. With the head of a bear and the body of a man, Bearhead is not an ordinary child, but he eventually becomes the son they had always wanted. When his father is summoned to serve the evil witch Madame Hexeba, Bearhead goes in his place, and his literal interpretation of the witch's orders eventually lead him to his freedom, after a confrontation with the local lake troll. In the end, Bearhead returns to the forest, to live as a bear...

Pairing an engaging and humorous narrative from author Eric A. Kimmel with striking artwork from illustrator Charles Mikolaycak, Bearhead: A Russian Folktale is an entertaining picture-book, one sure to please young folklore enthusiasts. According to the brief author's note, the story is adapted from the Russian tale of Ivanko the Bear's Son, although Kimmel has inserted his own creation, in the form of Madame Hexeba, and reversed his hero's physical characteristics, by changing him from a figure with a bear's body and a man's head, to one with a man's body and a bear's head. Leaving that aside, this was an amusing tale, offering a folkloric example of a story type - the contretemps created by a wholly literal interpretation of everything said - that is quite popular in other forms of childhood storytelling. One thinks here of figures like Amelia Bedelia, for instance. The artwork is immensely appealing, as is always the case with Mikolaycak - expressive, colorful, full of unexpected detail.

All in all, a delightful addition to any folklore devotee's shelf! Highly recommend to folklore enthusiasts, as well as to admirer's of Mikolaycak's work. ( )

This folktale is about a bear named Bearhead, who has the body of a human and the head of a bear. He is found by a lady and her husband in the woods one day. They take him in and raise him, he grows up to be very strong and rather large. When he got older, Bearhead was summoned by the witch to be her servant. Bearhead had to follow all of the witch’s orders even though sometimes he did not do a very good job at what she asked of him. Bearhead always followed her commands and one day she asked him to go collect rent from the goblin down by the lake. When he got down to the lake, the goblin told Bearhead that he looked funny just like him. They make a bet and Bearhead wins and takes all of the Goblin’s gold, and his hat and brings back to the witch. The witch thinks Bearhead is the Goblin and sends him away. Bearhead brings the gold to his parents and then sets off to find people like himself. I felt like this book was in a way like traditional tales, and in another way different. The plot with the witch seems familiar but using a character that is part human and part animal is different because most folktales use one or the other. ( )

A retelling of a Russian Folklore, this story explores Bearhead, who has the head of a bear and a body of a human. Found by a woman in a forest, she and her husband raises him to be strong and large. When Bearhead is summoned to be a witch's servant by Madame Hexeba, he takes his father's place and proves to be a nuisance to her. Disposing Bearhead by sending him off on a deadly mission to the goblin to collect the rent, Bearhead outwits the goblin by winning riches of cart full of gold for his family. Through a clever ruse, he manages to scare Madame Hexeba away with a goblin's hat and returns back to his adoptive family although he leaves them to look for his real family.

This is a great book I enjoy because of the twist on the good and bad guy. Normally, the bad guy pulls a trick and wins the possession, but in this book, the good guy pulls a trick and wins the possession. Also, Eric Kimmel does an excellent job of retelling this Russian folklore based on "Ivanko the Bear Son." All in all, this is a classic Russian folklore of an anthropomorphic bear who repeatedly triumphs by taking instructions literally. ( )

While Madame Hexaba does not show any magical existence, she still has a powerful hold on the people in her land. Bearhead is a physically strong character yet he proves to be strong-willed and clever that leads him to getting out of troubling situations and overpower Madame Hexaba. He also shows loyalty towards his parents by taking the place of his father knowing he is younger and stronger. Illustrations capture the witty story and provide humor and laughter to the readers. ( )

This book is a re-telling of a Russian folktale, but I don't know why the story needed to be revisited. Bearhead has a man's body and a bear's head. There is no explanation of how this hybrid came to be. Little background is provided for the witch in the book either. The adaptation seems like a combination of too many ideas and stories to be successful. ( )