Let's Scare Bear

by Yūko Katakawa

"Let's scare bear!" says the tiny mouse. But the pint-size bully's plan backfires in this takeoff of a Japanese tale.

Bullies come in all shapes and sizes.

Mouse, Fox, Spider, and Snake want to scare Bear. But nothing scares bear. Except for one thing. Bear says that he's scared of manju cakes. Mouse and his friends try to scare Bear by throwing their manju cakes at him. But their plan backfires because Bear really loves manju cakes, and he eats them all up!

Based upon "Scary Manju," a Japanese rakugo tale.

Subjects include teasing, bullies, animals, friendship, Japanese culture, Japanese folktales,

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Storytime, Food, Humor, Childrens, Folk Tales

40 pages, Hardcover

Published July 9, 2019

Reviews

[Shaye Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cute little tale is based on a classical Rokugo story that is traditionally performed onstage by a storyteller. Based on the cover, it appears that bear is scared. However, we quickly learn that bear isn't scared of sharp teeth, sticky webs, a coiling snake, or being yelled at. Nope, he says Manju cake could very well be his downfall. Children will definitely enjoy this surprise ending! The artwork in this book was created with mixed media.

For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly energetic mixed media illustrations complement a modern updating of a classic Japanese tale in this picture book. Tales like this are known as rakugo and are typically told by a talented storyteller. In this one, four animal friends are ready to devour their manju cakes when Bear lumbers by. For some reason, they decide to scare him, and one by one, Fox, Spider, Snake, and Little Mouse give it their best efforts. Bear has no trouble fending them off. After he tells them that only one thing scares him, they decide to follow him to his cave and attack him with the treats. Of course, that's just what he wants, and he devours every morsel. I enjoyed this story with its strong messages as will many young readers. I'm also betting that they will make note of the messages being written by Spider with the help of its web. Maybe it would have been better to continue their feast and leave Bear to his own devices.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was like, "Heh, that's pretty good, yeah." And then I read the little author's note about the story, its origin, and definition of manju buns and I'm diggin' it more now. I love see children's books based on stories from other countries and cultures (I'm kind of sick of the rehashings of the same five classical German and English fairy tales).

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminded me of the Brer Rabbit story, in which he tricked another animal by begging NOT to be thrown into the briar patch, which of course, was exactly where he wanted to be thrown. In this story, Bear pretends to be frightened of manju cake... Appealing, expressive illustrations.
Manju cake is a Japanese steamed bun treat.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to read more by this author. I'd also like to try manju cakes. It's very clever how the spider "talks" through its webs. Alena and I enjoyed this book.

[Eric Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 3-year-old son loves this book. There is a fun twist to this book that really delights him and makes him burst laughing out loud every time. The illustrations are active, playful, and creative.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for library storytime.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s Scare Bear by Yuko Katakawa. PICTURE BOOK. Holiday House, 2019. $18. 9780823439539

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Four forest friends are enjoying their manju cakes when Bear stomps by. Each of them try to scare bear in turn, but Bear tells them what he is really afraid of – manju cakes. They friends pelt Bear with manju – but maybe the joke is on them?

Based on a traditional Japanese story, the sly twist at the end makes for a great tale. A definite good addition for an international story collection.

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

[Pat Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty and handsomely illustrated update on a folktales that will tickle young readers. Each characters has a unique approach in their effort to scare bear and their expressive features and body language tell the story beautifully even for those little ones who can't read yet. The trickster twist ending will have them wanting to reread the story again and again. A wonderful debut picture book with really engaging, delightful art.

[Annina Luck Wildermuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my new favorite picture book! I love the humor and all the characters in this story which is based on the Japanese oral story tradition called rakugo.

It's a great read-aloud and also is very fun to read over again because the ending is so clever. The characters are well drawn with so much personality in each one--and, of course, the bear....if I had only looked super-carefully at the cover I would have known another part of his personality right away.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wherever you go there will always be those individuals who take pleasure in playing pranks on others. These tricks range in complexity from a jump and shouted boo to an elaborate deception taking days, or even weeks, to put in motion. Responses of the recipients of these high jinks range from reluctant admiration, irritation, discomfort, fear or to thoughts of retaliation or justice. The bottom line, truthfully, is no one likes to be the target of another's shenanigans.

When we see antics like this in action, we have an opportunity to offer support to the unfortunate individual or individuals because, more often than not, there is a very fine line between practical jokes and bullying. Let's Scare Bear (Holiday House, July 9, 2019), debut picture book written and illustrated by Yuko Katakawa, uses a

a tale in the Japanese oral tradition known as rakugo

to shape an original and lively look at behavior of individuals. It, like life, gives readers wisdom in making choices and in determining their reactions.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lesson of comeuppance for not including a friend, based on a classic rakugo story from Japan.

Mouse, Fox, Spider, and Snake are enjoying a snack of manju. Instead of asking Bear to join them in their snack, they decide to scare him. When they fail in their efforts, Bear admits that there is one thing that scares him: manju cake. Their reaction? To pelt Bear with the manju cake they were snacking on with hilarious results.

From the washi paper-inspired endsheets to the forms that each animal takes, this is very strong both visually and in the text with Japanese art and lore - including the tea that Mouse pours, the shape of Fox's face, the sssspectaclesss on the snake, and the yummy manju cakes on the table. There is an endearing simplicity to the text that would make this an easy story for storytellers to share. Katakawa's mixed media artwork is lively and "just right". Don't forget to read the messages left by Spider!

This would be perfect to add to units on manners, friends, forest animals, and Japan.

Sure to ensure chuckles from Toddlers - grade 3.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of animals are sitting around snacking on manju cakes when Bear comes along and makes a big racket. They decide that it would be awesome to scare Bear, since he's so big and strong and noisy. All of their efforts only make Bear laugh. Then Bear tells them that the only thing that frightens him is manju cakes. According to the author's note at the back of the book, this story is based on a "classical rakugo story 'Manju Kowai,' which means 'Scared of Buns.' Rakugo is a traditional entertainment performed onstage by a storyteller. Manju is a steamed bun that typically has a sweet filling, such as red bean paste." This is a fun trickster-tale and might be good to use with a collection of folk tales.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four forest friends - Mouse, Fox, Snake and Spider - are enjoying manju cakes when Bear walks by. Everyone knows Bear is the strongest and bravest animal in the forest, but maybe the feasting foursome can scare him. First Fox jumps out at Bear flashing his knife-sharp teeth, but Bear just laughs. What about being caught in Spider's web? Nope, Bear just tears it down. Neither of the other animals can scare Bear, but then he tells them the one thing he is terrified of - manju cakes. Will the four friends finally frighten Bear or will he outsmart them? This is a silly story based on a classical rakugo story that will have young readers giggling. The mixed media illustrations delightfully bring the characters to life.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox, Mouse, Spider, and Snake love manju cake. In fact they are just about to sit down to a lovely snack when Bear comes by and they get the delightful idea of scaring bear. Unfortunately none of their attempts pan out until Bear tells them there is only one thing that frightens him--manju cakes! Soon they are tossing them into Bear's cave and giggling, but Bear has the last laugh. This is based on a traditional rakugo story--a type of Japanese storytelling. It's a fun trickster tale with a surprise ending that will make young readers giggle. The big bold illustrations are big enough for group sharing. Add it to multicultural collections.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox, Mouse, Snake, and Spider are sitting down to a monju feast when Bear walks by. Mouse gets the idea that they should try to scare Bear, but their efforts backfire.

This isn't bloody or anything if you were worried about that. Bear just tricks them out of their monju. The author's note says this is based on a Japanese rakugo story "Manju Kowai." It's basically a Japanese trickster tale. I do like that the last page has the forest critters saying next time they should share and not try to scare Bear. And the illustrations are very cute. We don't have a ton of Japanese folktales, so this will be a good addition to our library. Now I'm hungry for monju...

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this cute story, though there were a couple hiccup moments for me. All the animals are eating manju cake (which sounds delicious), when bear comes and they all try to scare him (unsuccessfully). Bear says the only thing he's scared of is Manju cakes, so they all pummel him with a bunch of manju cakes in his cave (which, if not for the ending, would have been pretty mean-spirited, but I'm guessing the animals knew he was joking and were just playing along?). Of course, bear actually loves manju cakes and just wanted to "trick" his friends into giving him a bunch.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some animals are about to eat some manju cake when big scary bear walks by. Can they scare him in turn? Echoes of Brer Rabbit and the briar patch in that bear tells them that the only thing that scares him are manju cakes....and it turns out that it scares him how many of them he can eat. I didn't get why they wanted to scare bear. Did he try and bully them? If so, their attempts to bully him back didn't succeed. If not, I didn't get why they were ganging up on him, just because he was much bigger than them.

[Christine Turner]

HCPL Juv Picture Book
Based upon "Scary Manju," a Japanese rakugo tale.

Bullies come in all shapes and sizes.
Mouse, Fox, Spider, and Snake want to scare Bear. But nothing scares bear. Except for one thing. Bear says that he's scared of manju cakes. Mouse and his friends try to scare Bear by throwing their manju cakes at him. But their plan backfires because Bear really loves manju cakes, and he eats them all up!

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a Japanese story, this edition has the forest animals teaming up to scare bear. Bear bravely shows he has no fears only to let it be known he is afraid of manju cakes (sweet buns). The animals throw all the cakes into his cave to make him scared only to realize he pulled a trick on them.
The story reminds me of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. It would be fun to have kids read this and then Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens. It would be interesting to compare and contrast.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouse, Fox, Spider, and Snake plot to scare bear. Will they succeed?

I loved the twist at the end and the last laugh that the bear gets. This is based on a classical Japanese rakugo story (traditional verbal entertainment performed onstage by a storyteller). Reading this made me want to eat some manju (steamed bun with a sweet filling like red bean paste).

[Chris Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this book starts off a little zany. The artwork has a couple of pages that could be frightening. However, this is a great book that I will use in class at some point. I have not wrapped my head around the social aspects before its use, yet I look forward to students thoughts.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a classic Japanese folk tale and funny, funny, funny (my upper-elementary kiddo read it to me and loved it!)

Use it in your folk tale unit, especially if you want to present how people all over the world laugh and learn from the same themes. Highly recommended!

[Brandilan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book told the story of some woodland creatures who had their manju party interrupted by bear, and then choose to scare bear, but fail. It was a cute story, very simple. My favorite part was the authors note when I learned that it was based on a classical rakugo story.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This silly story is based on a classical rakugo story. It's unclear if bear was only *pretending* to be scared of manju so that the other animals would throw a bunch at him to scare him... and fill his belly.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully illustrated, lighthearted tale that is a twist on a classic story from the Japanese oral tradition of rakugo.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great humor and energy—will make a fun read aloud.

[Janet Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated story based on "Scary Manju." When four friends try to scare Bear, the bravest animal in the forest, there are unexpected results.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute folktale

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I wasn't thrilled with the behavior of the other animals and bear's response but once I learned more about rokugo, I appreciated this interpretation of the tradition!