How to Talk like a Bear by Charlie Grandy

Abstract

Reviewed by: How to Talk like a Bear by Charlie Grandy Kara Forde Grandy, Charlie How to Talk like a Bear; illus. by Alex G. Griffiths. Flamingo/Penguin, 2023 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593350669 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593350683 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-7yrs This book’s narrator is going to teach its audience how to talk like a bear. But off-screen, someone chimes in via speech bubble to ask, “Why on earth would I want to talk like a bear? I’m just a kid!” The narrator, who resembles a bear, is happy to oblige in a demonstration of the utility of speaking like a bear. With a simple “ROARRRR!!!” all the people in the plaza frantically flee from their tables. The audience may have heard “ROAR,” but, as the bear explains, the phrase was actually, “Give me your ice cream sundaes, humans!” After inviting the audience to try speaking like a bear, encouraging them to roar increasingly louder, the bear claims the audience instead accidentally said, “Go get a haircut.” How many more miscommunications will happen before the listeners attain mastery of talking like a bear? Beyond the fun premise that allows kids to be in on the joke, the structure of the story encourages lively, back-and-forth interaction with a storytime crowd. Though the narrator suggests that talking like a bear will give young readers license to do what they want one hundred percent of the time (“GRRRR!!!” means “Um, I am not doing that, thank you very much!”), parents and caregivers will appreciate that the sentiment is primarily used for comedic effect, as even young bears can’t get off the hook for bath time. Griffiths’ illustrations, done in ink and colored digitally, support the story in a straightforward and cheerful manner. An entertaining romp, this title deserves a spot in the storytime roster alongside Feiffer’s Bark George (BCCB 11/99). Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois