We're in Big Trouble, Blackboard Bear

Blackboard Bear

by Martha Alexander

When goldfish and delicious treats start disappearing, it is presumed that the markings left at the scene are Blackboard Bear's footprints, so Anthony must find a way to prove him innocent of the crimes so that no harm comes to his furry friend.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Born in Georgia, Martha attended the Cincinnati Academy of Art, and lived in many places, including New York, Alaska, and Washington state, before settling in Honolulu, Hawaii. She had two children, eight grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Reviews

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yeah

[MarineCAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this is actually the better of the stories I believe. The bear sneaks out at night and eats some of the neighborhood belongings. It was fun to read how they investigated and figures out that it was his own bear that did it. They figure out the solution and fix it. Great story to read and have in your library.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It could've been really cool but all bear did was get in trouble

[Earl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though, my A to Z Children’s Picture Book Series Reading Challenge was so 2011, I decided to continue it.

The more I read in this series, especially with "We're in Big Trouble, Blackboard Bear", the more astounded and amused I am by the loose morals of the stories.

[Gospodyina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flipped through it at the book warehouse. It's completely adorable. I especially like that the bear doesn't talk, but the kid responds to it as if it had, making the reader infer the bear's part of the conversation. Easy for me, probably not as easy for the book's target readers.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute series!

[Alice]

Imaginary friend

[Sarah Stumphf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blackboard Bear books ignite the imagination of young children. These books are great.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost weeded this today, but think it might work great as a read aloud. It will keep the students guessing how the boy and bear will solve their problem.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently the blackboard bear has a series of books. I did not know this and it matters slightly. The bear is drawn on a blackboard which belongs to a little boy. At night the bear climbs down from the blackboard and wanders the town, unbeknownst to the little boy. During the day he frequently accompanies the little boy as he joins his friends for play.

One day the friends are excitedly discussing what happened the previous evening. Obviously a monster came through their neighborhood: eating goldfish, blueberries and stealing honey. There are gigantic footprints proving the existence of the monster. of course, the young friends soon recognize that the prints match those of the bear and they storm away in anger. The little boy at first defends his bear and is then dismayed when the bear admits to his wrong-doings.

The bear communicates to the boy that he wants to use the blackboard chalk. He then draws replacements for all the damage he did. These items come to life and are returned to their previous owners. They are delighted - none more so than the owner of the goldfish who receives more goldfish than he lost. At his exclamation of the numeric disparity in fishes, the bear's owner exclaims that one of the fish must have had babies.

The drawings are simple and charming. The story is cute. The only issue I had is that the bear's ability to come to life is blithely accepted - I assume because readers of the earlier books are already aware of his capabilities. Regardless, the story clearly displays proper behavior and an understanding of responsibility.