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19th out of 37 books
—
87 voters
Bear's Picture
A bear wants to paint a picture, and so he does; however, two fine, proper gentlemen don’t think that it is a very fine picture at all. But just because they don’t see what the bear sees doesn’t make it a bad picture, right? Daniel Pinkwater turns art (and art critics) upside down in this classic tale, now beautifully reillustrated by D. B. Johnson.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
April 21st 2008
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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A bear wants to paint a picture. So he gets out his paper, brushes, and paints and begins to create. He’s blissfully painting when two gentlemen happen upon the bear. One is short and round, the other tall and slim. As soon as they see the bear painting they begin criticizing the artwork. “Bears can’t paint.” “Besides it’s a silly picture.” Exasperated, the bear defends his painting as the two men inch closer to figure out “what it is supposed to be.” Before they know it, the men have stepped in...more
I would love to see the original, with Pinkwater's illustrations. But I'm glad of this edition, too. Johnson's art is apt for the theme and for the early 21st century sensibilities. It reminds a bit of Ish and of Frédéric and other books by Leo Lionni - I wonder if the original would have done so even more.
There are a lot of books with this theme about self-expression... I wonder if they're still so necessary in the West? I picked it up not because of the theme, but because I'm a fan of both Pin...more
There are a lot of books with this theme about self-expression... I wonder if they're still so necessary in the West? I picked it up not because of the theme, but because I'm a fan of both Pin...more
Absolutely fabulous! The text is matter-of-fact; straightforward; and it conveys a great sentiment -- the artist's own interpretation is enough to make any artwork worthwhile. A bear can be a painter and he can paint whatever he feels like and see whatever there is in the picture without being told by others that he can't paint or what his artwork means.
And the ART in this book is unusual, for sure. The contrast between the gray-scale color scheme of the three characters and the vibrant multi-c...more
And the ART in this book is unusual, for sure. The contrast between the gray-scale color scheme of the three characters and the vibrant multi-c...more
I love Daniel Pinkwater, and like DB Johnson. A bear is painting, doing his own thing, when a pair of fine gentlemen come along telling him what he should not be doing, painting is what he should not be doing according to them.
Not as fun as Irving and Muktuk, or Larry the polar bears who make trouble where ever they go. This brown bear obviously has more decorum, not to mention artistic talent. I did like it though, and the dullard gentlemen get their comeuppance in the end.
Not as fun as Irving and Muktuk, or Larry the polar bears who make trouble where ever they go. This brown bear obviously has more decorum, not to mention artistic talent. I did like it though, and the dullard gentlemen get their comeuppance in the end.
I still remember being told in second grade that I drew the sky wrong. When I went home and told my Dad that the sky was supposed to be a big long rectangle of blue in the sky colored in corner to corner, but mine was wrong, he said not so. Mine, a small frenzy of blue, was just fine for a sky. I figured since he was an artist, he probably knew best so I just kept on drawing skies my way. So far, it has worked out well.
This bear and my Dad would understand each other.
This bear and my Dad would understand each other.
A nice sentiment/message here that we should not allow others to judge our artistic talents/pursuits but should enjoy the process and creation for ourselves. However, I think it was better executed by Peter Reynolds in his book such as The Dot
This feels like Pinkwater's child/art analogy to how he feels about one's own writing. And I quite agree! I love the illustrations. And I really like the bear (and his increasingly spattered scarf). I'm not sure I could get this to be as entertaining in a preschool storytime, but it would make an excellent lap-read.
I loved the contrast between the grey bear and the bright picture he is making. I could not wait to see his finished product. This is a reillustrated version of a title from the 1970s. I wonder what those illustrations were like.
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I like Daniel Pinkwater for his sense of humor most of the time. I liked this book for laying out an explanation for art appreciation so eloquently. It was really nicely done. The illustrations were okay, but the text was won me over
Even though "two fine, proper gentleman" give him a hard time, bear paints an awesome picture. The best part is looking at the picture upside down after it's finished. SPOILER: It looks like THE BEAR!
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Feb 10, 2013
Abby
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Abby by:
Tom and Kristin Clowes
A lovely little picture book about being creative and marching to your own drum. Bear makes a lovely picture and doesn't care what the proper gentlemen say about it.
Such creative art - my oldest loved how she knew what the bear painted, even if the stuffy gentleman didn't.
The version with Daniel Pinkwater's illustrations is (in my opinion) so much better!
0-7
As Bear paints a picture, two passing “proper gentlemen” stop to criticize. The reader, along with the gentlemen, watch the painting progress from a few strokes to a complete picture. Johnson displays a nice use of color and geometric shapes. A special detail is bear’s scarf, which starts off black and white, and by the end is a rainbow of paint splotches. Furthermore, Bear’s colorful painting juxtaposes the “proper gentlemen” who are in shades of grey and black. A nice story that promotes cr...more
As Bear paints a picture, two passing “proper gentlemen” stop to criticize. The reader, along with the gentlemen, watch the painting progress from a few strokes to a complete picture. Johnson displays a nice use of color and geometric shapes. A special detail is bear’s scarf, which starts off black and white, and by the end is a rainbow of paint splotches. Furthermore, Bear’s colorful painting juxtaposes the “proper gentlemen” who are in shades of grey and black. A nice story that promotes cr...more
Bear decides to paint a picture--an abstract, much to the chagrin of two proper gentlemen. As Bear works, they try to decipher it, only to find their interpretations are nothing like Bear's intentions, and get sucked into the picture (as if being ignored). Only Bear's painting is in color, brilliantly standing out and drawing the eye to it, each page different as the paint is layered on the canvas. This would pair well with art books (The Dot or Why Is Blue Dog Blue?), as well as poo-pooing adul...more
Mar 28, 2012
Lisainberlin
marked it as to-read
Honestly, I didn't like the bear's picture. Otherwise ok.
May 28, 2013
Amy!
marked it as picture-books
Definitely want to try this with my preschoolers
great artistic elements
with GJA
From 2009 Caldecott contender list.
I loved the illustrations but was not caught up by the storyline. I liked it better than my kids did. They, like me, were drawn to the amazing illustrations. They watched bear's painting change and grow and they loved the colors. We were a little put off by the "two fine, proper gentlemen". This seems to fall into the category of kids books for adults.
I loved the illustrations but was not caught up by the storyline. I liked it better than my kids did. They, like me, were drawn to the amazing illustrations. They watched bear's painting change and grow and they loved the colors. We were a little put off by the "two fine, proper gentlemen". This seems to fall into the category of kids books for adults.
A bear wants to paint a picture, however two proper gentleman feel that he isn't doing it right. As the story goes on, the picture that the bear creates gets prettier and prettier. Mist read to find out what happens! Great illustrations.
Bear draws a picture. It is a picture of stream in the forest with a hollow log with leaves to crawl in and flowers. Two gentlemen who drop by disapprove and say that it doesn't look like what it is supposed to be. But the bear is not at all upset and is still happy with his picture! E picture book for 2-4 year olds.
This book sends a great message about art, creation, and critics. If you're pleased with your art, it shouldn't matter what others think. It's a great story paired with illustrations from one of my favorite illustrators.
This story is about a bear who paints his own picture even though two fine, proper gentlemen tell him that bears can't paint pictures. Really sweet. The illustrations are really different too, almost art deco.
Art is about creativity and not about what others think. Illustrations are cute with use of black and white for the "proper gentlemen" and background and great vivid colors for the paint and art.
New illustrations for the proper Bear's Picture are delightful. Fun. Quirky. A perfect match for the "fine proper gentlemen". Stylized yet the colors leap off out of the story.
I liked the moral of the story. I also get the artistic part of it. But I didn't get into the illustrations and text....just didn't float my boat.
Sweet story about a bear painting a picture despite what others say. A good message about being yourself.
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Daniel Manus Pinkwater is an author of mostly children's books and is an occasional commentator on National Public Radio. He attended Bard College. Well-known books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. Pinkwater has also illustrated many of his books in the past, although for more recent works that...more
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