Be Gentle!

by Virginia Miller

Bartholomew loves to play with his new kitten, but when he becomes a little rough and she decides to hide rather than play with him, Bartholomew learns how to be gentle with the young animal.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Pets, Animals, Family, Friendship, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 1997

About the author

Virginia Miller wrote and illustrated her first George and Bartholomew story after observing a toddler's frustration with potty training. The result was ON YOUR POTTY!, followed by more George and Ba books acclaimed for their simple, authentic dialogue, expressive illustrations, and toddler-friendly themes.


"The next most likely problem needing book treatment," Virginia says, "seemed to be eating -- or not eating -- one's dinner." The winsome EAT YOUR DINNER dramatizes this all-too familiar conflict at the dinner table; in its review of EAT YOUR DINNER, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL declared, "Everything about this book will appeal to toddlers."


"These books," Virginia says, "are intended to help make light of common parent-child conflicts because if they make you smile, things don't seem so bad." She hopes that every parent and child will recognize the benefits and trials of unconditional love that George the father bear and Bartholomew the child bear share. "When the going gets tough for Bartholomew, it's comforting to him to know that George is always there for him--and will love him through all his moods."


Formerly a resident of Wiltshire, England, Virginia now lives in New Zealand.

Reviews

[Kris]

I’m trying to teach my littlest how to treat our new cats, and out of all the books I’ve read to him, he related to this one the most. Ba isn’t trying to be mean, he just doesn’t fully understand that the things he’s doing aren’t fun for the kitten. The books looks a bit dated, but the illustrations are cute, and it gets the lesson across well.

[Stephanie]

I really enjoyed this book mostly because I was rofling at the little bear saying, "Nah" every time the big bear told him to be gentle :D

[Jeniece Goellner]

The illustrations on the cat's face are very funny.

[Elizabeth]

AR 2.0

[Jenna Mills]

Very sweet and 2yo definitely understood and linked to her own experiences saying how she is gentle with cats.

[M Patrick]

This teaches me to be gentle to a kitten when it's a baby because it will run away from you or scratch you.

[Jennifer Wrage]

So cute! Great book to read with small children so they understand how to treat pets.

[Renee]

Be gentle is an okay story but did not capture my preschoolers attention.

[silent]

We loved the illustrations and the plot of the story as well.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man]

One of what is apparently a series of stories about Bartholomew the bear by Virginia Miller. This is the first in the series that I have read, so I wasn't familar with the characters. But really understanding the motivations of the characters really isn't a problem.

Essentially this is the story of Bartholomew who receives a little black kitten from his father George. Ba treats the kitten like any toddler does - hugging too tightly, squirting with the hose, banging drums nearby and generally not respecting the kittens personal space. Through this George valliantly, and vainly, calls 'Be Gentle!'. Eventually the kitten runs away and Ba learns his lesson to be gentle.

X-man is still too young to understand the moral of the story here - but I'm sure my three cats wish he could! With time I'm sure that we will be using this story to reinforce our own valliant and vain attempts to get X-man to be gentle with the cats (let alone other toddlers and maybe even his parents!).

[Roland]

I haven't read any of the other books in this series, but I loved this one. It's about a little bear who plays too roughly with a kitten, and his dad keeps telling him to be gentle with her. Let me just state this right now: I love misanthropic writers, such as Jim Goad and Florence King. Most of the books I read are pessimistic, angry, and explore the dark side of human nature. However, I have no shame in saying that a book about a bear and a kitten damn near brought me to tears. If that makes me a puss, so be it.

[Keegan Taylor]

Cute. Wasn't especially amazed by it, but I guess it's just supposed to illustrate the point for children.

[John]

Great storytime fare!

[Aspasia]

Bartholomew has a lot to learn about how to treat his new kitten.

[Mfoot]

Doucement Alfred !

[Theo]

06/01/24 - Read by Grandma :-)

[Irene Palfy]

Very simple - but really cute pictures..