Two kids plant mysterious seeds (all thatÂ’s pictured on the envelope is a blue top hat), and up grows a remarkable flowering vine, out of which eme...
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reviews
Oct 16, 2008
Elizabeth
rated it: 
As far as I know there are no hard and fast rules that govern an illustrator’s debut picture book. No guidelines on what to do or what to avoid are written down for easy reference. If an illustrator were to ask me, however, I would probably advise against going wordless your first time out. The general buying public is comfortable with certain wordless books, all right. Anno's Journey and The Red Book and The Snowman, for example. But these are award winners or literary classics. By and
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Sep 09, 2008
Tasha
rated it:
This wordless fantasy book will carry children away into a dream-like world filled with luscious foliage and flowers, silly monkeys, huge bubbles and flying dolphins. From the very first pages where the two children are planting watermelon seeds and hat seeds, children will know that something special and even strange is about to happen. The story has no real foundation, drifting along from one lovely notion to the next, lingering and then moving on again.
Unlike some dreamlike sto More...
Unlike some dreamlike sto More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 01, 2008
Roxanne Hsu
rated it: 
Such tender joy in this wordless picture book. The silk screen art is expertly done with an added dimension of texture to the pleasing combination of secondary colors. Although it seems plot-less, there is a full story and whimsical flights of fancy that is deeply satisfying and appealing to the core of one's heart.
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Sep 20, 2008
Carter
rated it:
I first saw this, cover only, in a box with the rest of the F&G's for Fall '08. I was instantly drawn to the cover. Only a few colors: green, blue, yellow, orange; and there was that great texture on the cover, of the swirling ground cover at the bottom. I couldn't wait to see the real thing.
So today I went into my local independent bookstore and I saw it sitting on the shelf. Yay!
It is a wordless picture book about two children who plant some needs in the ground before More...
So today I went into my local independent bookstore and I saw it sitting on the shelf. Yay!
It is a wordless picture book about two children who plant some needs in the ground before More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 13, 2009
Molly
rated it:
This is a fun and imaginative wordless book. I found myself going through it again and again and creating a new story each time. I would love to have one of the pages framed and on my wall. Ages Birth+
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Jun 03, 2008
Susan
rated it: 
I found this wordless picture book to be strange and confusing. It just wasn't my cup of tea, but I'm sure lots of other people will love it.
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Jan 22, 2009
elissa
rated it:
The 2nd psychedelic picture book that I've personally gotten to see this year, but this one is wordless. It was done as a School of Visual Arts thesis by an MFA student, and I thought of Dr. Seuss twice within the first few pages. The trees vaguely made me think of THE LORAX's truffula trees, and then when the wonder bear pulls monkeys out of his hat, it's like little cat A and little cat B... from THE CAT IN THE HAT COMES BACK. The story is very dream-like (sea creatures flying in the air, sl
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Mar 11, 2010
A fabulously imaginative book with no words, ideal for bedtime. A boy and girl plant a garden and go to sleep beside it. A fabulous large swirly plant emerges and in the flower is the Wonder Bear, a large white bear who comes down to the kids with a magic hat from which monkeys spring! The monkeys do various tricks and the bear blows lion bubbles, and the monkeys get in some of the bubbles, and with the boy and girl and a blanket, he catches them as they pop. He also makes sea creatures th
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Oct 18, 2008
your neighborhood librarian
rated it:
I'm not usually sucked in by the wordless beautiful magical dream journey type of picture book. I'm one of the few people I know who wasn't entranced by The House in the Night. Imagine a Night leaves me worse than cold. And I seem to remember some kind of flying magic bed book that made me actually groan.
But man, I love Wonder Bear. I love the wordless narrative - so simple that even a five-year-old can follow and predict, yet so subtle that his older brother will find repetitions an More...
But man, I love Wonder Bear. I love the wordless narrative - so simple that even a five-year-old can follow and predict, yet so subtle that his older brother will find repetitions an More...
Sep 21, 2009
Kathryn
rated it: 
A very interesting wordless story following the imaginative adventures of Wonder Bear and a boy and girl. Some of the scenes are absolutely beautiful and charming (I loved the "sea" creatures soaring through the night sky) but some were just a bit too... odd for my taste. (The monkeys were a bit too much like evil sock monkeys for my taste!) Still this is a creative story and I think one that some people will absolutely love.
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Sep 06, 2009
Nelly Paulina
rated it:
what a wonderfully imaginative and illustrated book. i was caught completely off-guard with this wonderfully imaginative and beautifully illustrated book. our imaginations are something that we feed and i love that the children in this book don't simply drift off to sleep and imagine this bear - they plan and care for the garden that grows him and then, not belonging to them, he flies off into the air in his magical hat. lovely.
Jun 08, 2011
J.F.
rated it:
Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu is a beautiful wordless picture book illustrated only in Orange, white, blue and green. This is such a gorgeous story of children dreaming and having an adventure with a magic hat and a polar bear. Will make an excellent addition to any child's picture book collection. Perfect for hesitant readers to start the conversations needed to engage their interest.
Feb 21, 2009
Sam
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This book is sort of like the visual representation of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," right down to the tangerine trees and marmalade skies (actually, the skies look more like grape jelly than marmalade, but... whatever, close enough). Pretty trippy stuff. Man, I've read some weeeiiiiird picture books the last few days.
Mar 03, 2011
Jennybeast
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I think Tao Nyeu may rapidly be becoming my favorite children's book author/illustrator of all time. Looking through the book, my response was to gasp in wonder on more than one occasion. Aptly titled, beautiful.
Dec 26, 2008
Kate Hastings
rated it:
Wordless picture book-- a trippy, less destructive cat-in-the-hat story of a white gummy bear and his magic hat that works magic that the Grateful Dead would rejoice in. Not my bag, but exactly the sort of book that wins Caldecott.
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Feb 08, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I've loved this one since I first saw it in a toy store/ bookstore a few years ago. It was really fun "reading" it with my 5 yr old since it's wordless and he got to describe what he saw to me.
Apr 29, 2009
Melissa
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This book is awesome. Utterly awesome. The drawings are incredible. Every time I see this on the shelf at the library, I have to pull it out & read it, and it always cheers me up.
Dec 13, 2008
Lindsey
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Very trippy and terrifying! I still don't think I'd get in some random bears hat. But honestly, if I were on acid, who knows what I'd do?
Feb 25, 2010
Abigail
rated it:
A young boy and girl plant their seeds one day in this gorgeously-illustrated book, and awaken to discover that something magical has occurred! Wonder Bear takes them on a series of fantastic voyages in this wordless picture-book, only to return them safe and sound to their beds.
Tao Nyeu's lovely illustrations, which must carry the entire story, are reminiscent of Wanda Gag's work in style, although they utilize a far more subtle array of colors. Generally speaking, I find wordless p More...
Tao Nyeu's lovely illustrations, which must carry the entire story, are reminiscent of Wanda Gag's work in style, although they utilize a far more subtle array of colors. Generally speaking, I find wordless p More...
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Oct 07, 2009
Dream-like pictures that made me hear Beatles while I was looking at it. Many pictures would be great prints in my house!
Sep 19, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
Wonder Bear is wunderbar! This beautiful, bright, slightly retro picture book is entirely wordless, and yet it conveys so much. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. I've been waiting for this to come out with great anticipation, and I was thrilled to finally see it all put together, rather than just a glance or two I got at some galley pages and an original spread. The Wonder Bear is like Puff the Magic Dragon and Mary Poppins and Pooh all in one... so fun, and yet so entirely s
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Oct 16, 2009
Lindi
rated it:
Gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS, illustrations in this lovely wordless fantasy about generosity and, well, wonder.
Feb 03, 2009
Jessilynn
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I don't know if it has officially won any awards, but I loved it. No words, just an incredible imagination.
Apr 02, 2011
Natalie
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one of the most beautiful books i've ever seen and the first wordless book that i've LOVED.
Aug 27, 2010
Heather
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The pictures are beautiful, but this is one of the weirdest books I have "read" in a long time.
Jun 27, 2009
K
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This book is so gorgeous. Kinda a crazy Frosty the Snowman story but glorious illustrations.
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Jan 16, 2009
Kathy
rated it:
Also on my shortlist of best picture books for 2008. This is an enchanting wordless book.
Jun 26, 2009
Christin
rated it:
Incredibly beautiful wordless children's book. I want to frame the illustrations.
Jan 30, 2009
Zack
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2 wordless picture books in as many weeks! This one is strange and beautiful!
