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One Bear Extraordinaire
Bear is a rambling musician. An entertainer. A legend. One Bear Extraordinaire.
Bear wakes up one morning with a song in his head, but something is missing. What’s a one-bear band to do? He travels the forest in search of his song and meets a few other musicians along the way, but even with their help, his song still feels incomplete. Will Bear find the perfect accompaniment and learn that every song sounds sweeter with friends by his side?
Jayme McGowan brings Bear and his merry band to life with intricate and innovative threedimensional cut-paper art that is nothing short of extraordinary.
Bear wakes up one morning with a song in his head, but something is missing. What’s a one-bear band to do? He travels the forest in search of his song and meets a few other musicians along the way, but even with their help, his song still feels incomplete. Will Bear find the perfect accompaniment and learn that every song sounds sweeter with friends by his side?
Jayme McGowan brings Bear and his merry band to life with intricate and innovative threedimensional cut-paper art that is nothing short of extraordinary.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2015
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 23, 2016
I didn't like this book.
It's about a bear who is a traveling one-man band. Or, one-bear band, as the case may be. He has a ton of instruments.
http://theroarbots.com/wp-content/upl...
BEAR woke up one morning with a song in his head. But, of course, Bear ALWAYS woke up with a song in his head.
http://is3.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/P...
Blah, blah, blah. Then,
But today, as Bear tried to play this PARTICULAR song, it didn't make the forest dance the way he expected it to.
His song DROOPED...
WILTED in midair...
and CRASHED to the ground.
"Something is missing," he thought. "I don't know what it is."
http://is3.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/P...
So he looks all around the forest for what's missing, and finds a fox who plays banjo. He asks to tag along with bear. So they both travel together.
Then they pick up an accordion-playing raccoon. Then they pick up a fiddle-playing rabbit.
Then a wolf pup begs to join them. Bear lets him try all his instruments, which Wolf Pup destroys.
http://www.abramsbooks.com/wp-content...
"Well, all that's left now is the kazoo," said Bear.
"It might be just the thing for you, little tyke. ANYONE can play it."
That night, the band plays all together around the campfire, but 'something' was still missing.
Then Wolf Pup howls and everyone rejoices. Wolf Pup's voice completes the band.
"We've got ourselves a singer!" Bear said.
He watched the music SWIRL and HOVER over the ridge...
ECHO through the canyon...
and FILL the sky
as he and his wayfaring band whooped and hollered their song to the stars.
And the tune sounded just right.
That night, Bear fell asleep with a song in his head and a band by his side.
http://www.abramsbooks.com/wp-content...
THE END.
...
Well, that was one of the most boring books I've ever read and the children agreed.
It has no strong storyline. What is the point? That everyone has a talent? That songs need a vocalist to be great? That annoying orphaned children who follow you around all day and wreck your stuff are really the very key to your success?
It's disjointed, uninteresting, and poorly written. I was not engaged with any of the characters. I didn't feel concerned about bear finding a "good song" or a "good sound" or whatever the &*@#* he was looking for. I didn't care that the (presumably adult) animals looked down on Wolf Pup and were skeptical that he had anything to add to the group (especially after he broke a few instruments).
Tl;dr - Boring and pointless. Unclear in its plot and message. Skip this.
Ages 0-6.
It's about a bear who is a traveling one-man band. Or, one-bear band, as the case may be. He has a ton of instruments.
http://theroarbots.com/wp-content/upl...
BEAR woke up one morning with a song in his head. But, of course, Bear ALWAYS woke up with a song in his head.
http://is3.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/P...
Blah, blah, blah. Then,
But today, as Bear tried to play this PARTICULAR song, it didn't make the forest dance the way he expected it to.
His song DROOPED...
WILTED in midair...
and CRASHED to the ground.
"Something is missing," he thought. "I don't know what it is."
http://is3.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/P...
So he looks all around the forest for what's missing, and finds a fox who plays banjo. He asks to tag along with bear. So they both travel together.
Then they pick up an accordion-playing raccoon. Then they pick up a fiddle-playing rabbit.
Then a wolf pup begs to join them. Bear lets him try all his instruments, which Wolf Pup destroys.
http://www.abramsbooks.com/wp-content...
"Well, all that's left now is the kazoo," said Bear.
"It might be just the thing for you, little tyke. ANYONE can play it."
That night, the band plays all together around the campfire, but 'something' was still missing.
Then Wolf Pup howls and everyone rejoices. Wolf Pup's voice completes the band.
"We've got ourselves a singer!" Bear said.
He watched the music SWIRL and HOVER over the ridge...
ECHO through the canyon...
and FILL the sky
as he and his wayfaring band whooped and hollered their song to the stars.
And the tune sounded just right.
That night, Bear fell asleep with a song in his head and a band by his side.
http://www.abramsbooks.com/wp-content...
THE END.
...
Well, that was one of the most boring books I've ever read and the children agreed.
It has no strong storyline. What is the point? That everyone has a talent? That songs need a vocalist to be great? That annoying orphaned children who follow you around all day and wreck your stuff are really the very key to your success?
It's disjointed, uninteresting, and poorly written. I was not engaged with any of the characters. I didn't feel concerned about bear finding a "good song" or a "good sound" or whatever the &*@#* he was looking for. I didn't care that the (presumably adult) animals looked down on Wolf Pup and were skeptical that he had anything to add to the group (especially after he broke a few instruments).
Tl;dr - Boring and pointless. Unclear in its plot and message. Skip this.
Ages 0-6.
September 22, 2015
It was cute, and the reminder that everyone has a part to play and can bring their own special something as an individual is good. But this just didn't really strike me.
October 30, 2015
The story itself is charming but somewhat one-dimiensional, especially compared to the intriguing layered (literally layered) illustrations and their expressive characters. I kept hoping for more on the concept-side, but kids will pore over the images.
Read
December 29, 2015wanted to like this more than I did...
May 11, 2018
McGowan, Jayme One Bear Extraordinaire. PICTURE BOOK. Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2015. $17. 9781419716546
Bear is a rambling musician who loves to take his songs throughout the forest. But one morning his music seems to be missing something: more players. And so Bear travels through the wilderness in search of the perfect accompaniment.
This is a fun, colorful story with a cozy ending. The unique artwork comes complete with a description of the artist's process at the top of the CIP page, making it useful for art classes or for discussions of how picture book illustrators work. For the latter, it would pair well with selections from Eric Carle's What's Your Favorite Color? along with other picture books with unique artistic concepts.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
Bear is a rambling musician who loves to take his songs throughout the forest. But one morning his music seems to be missing something: more players. And so Bear travels through the wilderness in search of the perfect accompaniment.
This is a fun, colorful story with a cozy ending. The unique artwork comes complete with a description of the artist's process at the top of the CIP page, making it useful for art classes or for discussions of how picture book illustrators work. For the latter, it would pair well with selections from Eric Carle's What's Your Favorite Color? along with other picture books with unique artistic concepts.
Pre-K, EL (K-3) -- ADVISABLE. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
March 26, 2018
Wolfgang thought the book “was great. Wow that book was amazing! I liked everything about it.”
He liked it when the wolf cub cried “AWOOOOOOO!”
The illustrations and story married perfectly. Highly recommend!
He liked it when the wolf cub cried “AWOOOOOOO!”
The illustrations and story married perfectly. Highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2019
It's cute enough story-wise, but a bit simple. The artwork is great, however, and I loved the sort of paper/cardboard look to it.
March 27, 2019
was ok. a bear walks around gathering animals who make other sounds - they come up with an outdoor animal band of sorts, not as fun as i'd hoped it would be though. musical, but not "have to read".
April 8, 2019
Cute, but better for the art than the story. This is definitely the sort of book you want to read one-on-one, because the papercut art is so cool.
February 5, 2020
Cute and with a good message. Not extremely captivating but it was quite cute.
October 19, 2015
This is a book about a musical bear trying to find his song. He woke up one morning with a song in his head but he knew something was missing. He took a walk and found Fox playing the banjo. Bear also met Raccoon playing an accordion and Rabbit playing the fiddle. None of those animals and their instruments were the missing link so they all decided to walk together up the mountain. That’s where they found the missing piece to their song.
I read this book to my three year old brother and we both really liked the story. We both play piano and love music. It was cool to know that all the animals could play together and they never stopped trying to find their music. It was a good story with lots of humor and fun pictures. I think it’s really a story about friendship and shows you should include everyone because everyone has a place. My brother and I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to preschoolers and kindergartners.
Review by Cameron H., New Mexico Mensa
I read this book to my three year old brother and we both really liked the story. We both play piano and love music. It was cool to know that all the animals could play together and they never stopped trying to find their music. It was a good story with lots of humor and fun pictures. I think it’s really a story about friendship and shows you should include everyone because everyone has a place. My brother and I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to preschoolers and kindergartners.
Review by Cameron H., New Mexico Mensa
September 22, 2015
ONE BEAR EXTRAORDINAIRE by Jayme McGowan is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a bear and his growing band of musician friends.
One morning a musical bear wakes up with a song in his head. As he explores the forest, other animal musicians join his growing band and contribute to his song. However, the bear still feels like something is missing until an unlikely young talent discovers the missing sound.
Librarians will find lots of ways to connect this colorful picture book with the music curriculum.
Consider creating a display of books by illustrations that use collage techniques including Marianne Berkes, Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, Steve Jenkins, Leo Lionni, Faith Ringgold, and Melissa Sweet.
Learn more about the author/illustrator at http://roadsideprojects.com/.
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers on September 8, 2015.
One morning a musical bear wakes up with a song in his head. As he explores the forest, other animal musicians join his growing band and contribute to his song. However, the bear still feels like something is missing until an unlikely young talent discovers the missing sound.
Librarians will find lots of ways to connect this colorful picture book with the music curriculum.
Consider creating a display of books by illustrations that use collage techniques including Marianne Berkes, Eric Carle, Lois Ehlert, Steve Jenkins, Leo Lionni, Faith Ringgold, and Melissa Sweet.
Learn more about the author/illustrator at http://roadsideprojects.com/.
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers on September 8, 2015.
June 30, 2016
Bear is a wandering musician. He wakes up one morning with a new song in his head. When he plays it on his guitar, however, he realizes something is missing. Wandering through the forest, Bear meets other musical animals who join with him and form a band. Even with all the great instrumental sounds something is STILL missing. The last member, a small wolf cub, searches for an instrument to play in the band and discovers his voice is the missing piece!
The art is fantastic! Each page has three dimensional paper cut outs. My favorite little character is the fox. I like that bear is inclusive with all the animals, even the wolf cub who struggled to find his musical talent.
The art is fantastic! Each page has three dimensional paper cut outs. My favorite little character is the fox. I like that bear is inclusive with all the animals, even the wolf cub who struggled to find his musical talent.
October 18, 2015
Having had the opportunity to meet Jayme McGowan and hear her talk about her fascinating process for creating her cut paper 3D illustrations artwork, there was an added layer to this book for me. I was delighted and charmed by this story and the look of the illustrations. As Bear and Wolf learn that everyone has their place, and sometimes together we can make more than separately, I was drawn into the story. It's a lovely book I look forward to sharing with my students.
December 15, 2015
Bear woke up one morning with a song in his head. But, of course, Bear always woke up with a song in his head." But something was missing and Bear sets off to find out exactly what that is. Along the way, Raccoon, Rabbit, Fox, and even Little Wolf all add something to make the perfect sound.
The illustrations are described as "intricate and innovative three-dimensional cut-paper art" and they add to the text of the book.
The illustrations are described as "intricate and innovative three-dimensional cut-paper art" and they add to the text of the book.
July 25, 2015
Legendary musical bear assembles a merry band. Charming story with lovely three-dimensional illustrations.
September 20, 2015
So glad to see a picture book with animals depicted as musicians.
September 24, 2015
Sometimes you just can't do it alone. You need a team (or a band) to get the job done.
December 19, 2017
Satisfying story about the joy of making music together with fabulous artwork that draws readers into each page.
December 18, 2015
Could also be used to talk about how to be kind to instruments!
June 20, 2016
Amazing artwork shows Bear's quest for music.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews