Don't Call Me Bear!

by Aaron Blabey

Koala is NOT a bear! (Or is he?) Find out why Koala is so mad in this new, irresistibly funny picture book from Aaron Blabey, the bestselling creator of Pig the Pug!

"G'day, my name is Warren and I've got something to share... Just because I'm furry DOESN'T MEAN THAT I'M A BEAR."Koala is sick of being called the wrong thing. Koalas are NOT bears, and it is time that everyone knows it! Follow this feisty little koala as he explains why he is certainly NOT a bear (and why no one ever seems to believe him).Rich with author-illustrator Aaron Blabey's hysterical text and unforgettably wacky illustrations -- plus nonfiction facts woven throughout -- Don't Call Me Bear! is a hilarious story about making sure everyone knows exactly who you are!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Storytime, Australia, Fiction

24 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Aaron is an Australian author of children's books and artist who until the mid-2000s was also an actor. His award winning picture books include Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon and the best-selling Pig the Pug.

In the field of acting, he is probably best known for his lead roles in two television dramedies, 1994's The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award, and 2003's CrashBurn, before retiring from performance in 2005.

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little story or so I thought. I got to the end and felt like I missed something in this story about a koala explaining why he was not a bear. So I read it again and discovered I did miss a couple pages.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my pet peeve! I loved it! On the back it says ‘This is a book about a koala bear’ (and bear is scratched out). The story is in rhyme, which is cute. It tells why koalas were first called bears. It also gives great points about other animals looking like other animals but we don’t screw up their names. It is a koala. A marsupial. No need to add bear.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute Book Fair find and then we discovered it's by the same author who wrote Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas which we loved, so it's no wonder we love this one!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren the koala objects strongly to being described as a bear in this entertaining picture-book from Down Under, setting out the history of how his species came to be so erroneously named. The rhyming text follows his complaints, and concludes with a scenario in which his fellow Aussie animals label him a bear regardless...

Like so many of author/artist Aaron Blabey's picture-books, Don't Call Me Bear! pairs an entertaining tale told in rhyme with bright, colorful artwork that perfectly captures the madcap sense of humor to be found in the text. Unlike most of Blabey's other books, this one is also educational, offering a basic explanation of how koalas came to be called bears, and discussing the marsupial family to which they belong. Recommended to young animal lovers, and to fans of Aaron Blabey.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

...soooo next week's story time will definitely feature me doing an Australian accent while reading this book to preschoolers. What could go wrong?

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the critters depicted are males, if one goes by the visual cue of tighty whities. Also, in this context, I prefer "colonizers" to "pioneers".

Library copy

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron Blabey creates another sassy animal character, this time, a koala who is tired of being mistaken for a bear. His artwork is engaging and so is the rhythm and rhyme of the text. The youngest preschool reader will have no idea what the whole bear vs. marsupial debate is all about, but from age 2-8 will enjoy the koala's attitude and will laugh at something on every page. Libraries with a readership of Blabey's Pig the Pug or Thelma books will definitely want this one.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warren, a feisty koala, sets things straight about his identity and gives a brief history of how his species came to be called koalas. Using a chart and simple text, he points out that koalas are marsupials. Despite his sound arguments, he isn't able to convince the other animals who still see him as an adorable bear. He concludes the book just as annoyed as he begins it. Readers may or may not be convinced to drop that bear when they talk about koalas, but they will surely be amused by the book. The illustrations have been created with pens and pencils using acrylics against abundant white space. I always finish books written by this Australian author/illustrator with a smile on my face. I enjoy his sense of humor, and I would expect that many young readers would agree with me.

[Amanda French]

Text-to-world connection
This story is a cute little case of mistaken identity. While it is adorable and could work in the classroom for younger grades, especially its expressive nature, it is very worldly. I feel like there are a lot of people in this world who deal with being stereotyped, or mistaken for something they are not, based on how they look. Its important that we remember in the class room that while we preach diversity, its important to study and learn about other cultures and types of people, without potentially assuming something. We have to teach the kids that getting to know someone beyond how they look or sound is the real acceptance, and not just co-existing and being nice per say.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

LFL find that I found absolutely charming. I'd love to read it aloud to kids and teach them the word 'chooks' with my best fake Australian accent. Calling koalas bears is indeed one of my pet peeves, so thank you Blabey and Scholastic for trying to stop ppl from saying that.

Older children can research the term "convergent evolution."

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and what's even more funny is that we are aussies and we put on an even aussier accent to read this out aloud. And yes! Please stop calling koalas bears. They are marsupials. The faces on the characters is an absolute scream!

[Kerrikoala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, people. Stop it. This koala is very upset.

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrative is a bit of a mess.

[Megan Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an angry bear...

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Australian accent needs work but this book was so fun to read aloud!

[Shanya Putri · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a poor little bear koala.

Read by Jenna Ortega for #SAVEWITHSTORIES

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t Call Me Bear by Aaron Blabey. PICTURE BOOK. Scholastic Press, SEPT 2019. $15. 9781338360028

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Koala is sick being called a bear. He is a marsupial, NOT a bear. He blames it all on Captain Cook, of course and just wants everyone to understand what he really is. Just drop the “bear” part of what you call him!

I get Koala’s frustration – he does it well. However – I wish this ended on a high note. Instead he stomps off angrily when even his fellow marsupials tell him he does look like a bear. There had to be a more positive way to finish this.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren the Koala would like the whole world to know that he is not a bear. He is a marsupial, like kangaroos and possums. He doesn’t eat fish or frighten hikers. He doesn’t even live where bears do. He lives in Australia. There are no wild bears in Australia. Using diagrams and examples to demonstrate, Warren explains politely and eventually screams loudly in protest, but no matter what he tries, everyone still calls him bear.

Warren may not sway readers to stop calling him a bear, but he’ll put a smile on their faces. This lively koala is hilariously passionate about being called by his proper name. There is a little educational content in this book as he briefly mentions Captain Cook and explains what a marsupial is, but for the most part the book is for entertainment. The comments made by Warren and other animals are funny and the illustrations give the characters detailed facial expressions that bring them to life. As Warren’s frustration grows the font of his words becomes bigger and bolder, and his facial expressions and apparent body language becomes more extravagant and adamant. This is an engaging book that should prove especially enjoyable for children from preschool to early elementary.

++Review originally published on Children's Book and Media Review ++
http://byucbmr.com/reviews/dont-call-...

[Christine Turner]

Koala is NOT a bear! (Or is he?) Find out why Koala is so mad in this new, irresistibly funny picture book from Aaron Blabey, the bestselling creator of Pig the Pug!"G'day, my name is Warren and I've got something to share... Just because I'm furry DOESN'T MEAN THAT I'M A BEAR." Koala is sick of being called the wrong thing. Koalas are NOT bears, and it is time that everyone knows it! Follow this feisty little koala as he explains why he is certainly NOT a bear (and why no one ever seems to believe him). Rich with author-illustrator Aaron Blabey's hysterical text and unforgettably wacky illustrations -- plus nonfiction facts woven throughout!


Subject: Koala -- Juvenile fiction.
Marsupials -- Juvenile fiction.
Stories in rhyme -- Juvenile literature.
Humorous stories -- Juvenile literature.

[C Exley Books (Cassandra) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this with my four and a half year old son.

With the amount of people mistakenly calling Koalas, Koala Bears, it was a really clever idea to use that concept for a picture book. Cute book reinforcing the fact that a koala is not part of the bear family. Colourful illustrations. Good on Scholastic for providing it at only $2 in their latest book club offering!

All questions answered by my son (Nicholas).

Do you like this book?
yes

What's your favourite part of the book?
the part when he points to the koala that has a possum, kangaroo, wombat and Tasmanian devil

What do you think of the cover?
like it

Do you want me to read it again?
yep

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

“G-day, my name is WARREN and I’ve got something to share ...”

Warren the koala has had enough. He is NOT a bear and wants everyone to know it. He talks about how it all started with Captain Cook misclassifying Koalas. He points out major differences between koalas and bears and the fact that no bears live in Australia. His arguments are very well thought out and expressed very clearly, but he looks like a bear, as everyone keeps pointing out, so no one will change what they call Warren. How would you feel if no one ever recognized you for who you are?

Chart of Common Marsupials is hilarious.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has brought joy and excitement into my storytimes for a long time, and I love this book! A koala with attitude! It's a lot of fun to read as part of a storytime with children ages 4-8. I enjoy talking to them about koalas and where they live, so it taps into STEM just a bit with that biological science. But I also enjoy teaching print awareness by pointing out the size of the font. We can take turns talking about how loud to shout based on how big the font is. And it's always a lot of fun to encourage children to shout while reading a book! It helps them to see the fun part of reading, as well as less conventional aspects of books.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I don't usually enjoy Blabey's books so I wasn't looking forward to anything when I opened this up. Imagine my surprise when I found myself reading this in my head in a (very bad imitation) Australian accent--I do that--for this Koala's story. The rhymes snuck up on me, and they weren't annoying.

Heads up: some grownups might not appreciate the mention of Rum in the history of Captain Cook.

Altogether funny, and I laughed throughout. P.S. How did I miss in school that Koalas are marsupials?

[Mary Bilbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love, love, love the book "Don't call me BEAR!," by Aaron Blabey. The book takes place in Australia, and the Koala (bear) is enraged because EVERYONE thinks he is a bear when he is not "in any way" a bear-he is a marsupials. The Koala goes to great lengths to explain why you should not call him a bear, and you will have to read the book to see if he is able to convince his fellow Australians that he has been wronged. This would be a fantastic read aloud for an introduction to Australia, or just a fun to read book for kids.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super fun! I still catch myself using the word bear and each time I giggle as I did learn much from this simple story. We use a mood meter in my schools and there was much talk with students about the mood of the animals in the illustrations throughout my reading of it.

You will get to play with voices in this one as there are several characters that join in with the Koala as the story continues. Fun, Fun, Fun! (With a dash of historical and geographical knowledge tossed in, too.)

[Becky B · Rating 2 out of 5]

A koala tries to set the record straight, get others to stop calling koalas bears, and acknowledge their marsupial status.

This could have been amazing, but it just missed the mark. I wish Blabey hadn't had the line up of Australian animals in tighty whiteys. There was no reason to do so except some cheap laughs. I think that would be the only thing some readers will remember about this, though, rather than the point of the book. There's also the ol' adage that you win more people with honey than vinegar, that this koala certainly hasn't taken to heart.

[Lara Samuels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall highly readable and appealing. I was sad that Blabey chose to include Captain Cook “went off in a search of a flagon of rum.” This was a crucial moment in the book that went one step too far making it hard to use with students. Disappointing because otherwise this would have been a clever book to inspire STEM learning. Eight words make this an library purchase that kids will in general will have to find themselves instead of being a featured book.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

If your students are fans of Blabey's other books, they'll probably like this one, as well. Although this is the newer Scholastic edition published in 2019, it does use a little Australian vernacular so you might have to translate a bit for younger readers. But the text flows well and kids will probably enjoy it.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Koala yelling about how they aren't a bear and don't want to be called one anymore. It is kinda funny that there are some illustrations of the animals in underwear, but others show them wearing pants and tee shirts, which then makes me wonder why they were in underwear...
If you can read this aloud with the right tone of voice it would probably be funny, but there is no conclusion, just the koala storming off.

[Triston Dutschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Call Me Bear! is a great book about a koala. He explains why he doesn't think he should be a bear. Other animals and people, however, continue to call him bear. This upsets him and explains other examples of this. One is the platypus who is not a duck because of the way he looks. This can help to cover no teasing in the classroom. Also that you shouldn't judge someone based on the way they look. Two very important ideas to have in your classroom.