The Bear in My Family

by Maya Tatsukawa

An overbearing older sibling can really be a bear, but the child in this understated, gently humorous story finds out that they can have their advantages, too.

"I live with a bear," the story's young narrator declares. The bear is loud, messy, uncouth, and very strong (too strong!). For some reason, his parents treat the bear like family, despite his protests. Why can't they see? Then he runs into some bullies on the playground. When the bear ROOAARS with all her might and scares them away, he realizes that there are advantages to having a bear in the family. In a delightful twist, the narrator's older sister (the bear) appears, telling him that she is NOT a bear. But if she is, HE is too--because two bears are even better than one!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2020

Reviews

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty adorable; sibling rivalry... it's been done to death, but there's a fresh spin here. OK, maybe not a fresh spin, but the book's perfectly modulated, carefully constructed: the main character comes around to the presence of his big brother but still holds on to his principles (his imagination) clearly, and the last page is so heartwarming. THIS is good writing. Also, beautiful illustrations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l9uu...

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a bear in the family, who is too loud, too strong, and too bossy! But sometimes it's nice to have a loud, strong, bossy bear on your side. A story about older siblings and younger siblings, and it might be a good one to share with both, if there's quite a bit of bossy loudness going on. I almost feel this would be better for the older sibling than for the younger one!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy lives with a bear, who sleeps in the room next door. The bear is big, with sharp teeth and strong arms. It runs really fast, is bossy and loud. When the boy tries to tell his family that they live with a bear, they tell him not to be silly and to go play outside. Outside on the swings, the boy is approached by some bullies. Luckily though, the strong, mean, big, fast bear is nearby. The bear also shows how it can be pretty fun to have a bear, or big sister, in the family after all.

Younger siblings will adore this book about living with a rather cranky older sibling. It shows both sides of having a bear in the family, from the disruption and orders to the fun games and protection they offer. The tone of the book is just right, using the bear analogy to show the sibling relationship as it becomes strained and then later when peace is made. The final little twist at the end adds to the fun.

The digital art in this picture book is done with handmade textures that add an organic appeal to the images. With a feel of watercolor complete with colors bleeding into one another, the illustrations are colorful and funny.

Missing this one might be unBEARable. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

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

The Bear in My Family by Maya Tatsukawa. PICTURE BOOK. Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House), 2020. $18. 9780525555827

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A boy explains that he lives with a bear. He shows us the door behind which the bear lives, so the reader begins to suspect that the bear is going to be a person. We learn that the bear is grouchy but can also be protective and helpful sometimes. In the end, we learn it is the narrator's big sister.

The illustrations in this sibling story are minimalistic and cute. A lot of siblings will love the comparison of an older sibling to a bear and also see themselves in the bear role. This book is not showy but it lands very well.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: THE BEAR IN MY FAMILY by Maya Tatsukawa, Dial, March 2020, 32p., ISBN: 978-0-525-55582-7

“There was only my sister left. To ask your big sister to be your ally is like asking Nova Scotia to go into battle with you.
But I knocked on her door anyway. Loudly, since the Monkees were playing.
She pulled it open and stood there, her hands on her hips. Her lipstick was the color of a new fire engine.
‘Mrs. Baker hates my guts,’ I told her.
‘So do I,’ she said.
‘I could use some help with this.’
‘Ask Mom.’
‘She says that Mrs. Baker doesn’t hate my guts.’
‘Ask Dad.’
Silence--if you call it silence when the Monkees are playing.
‘Oh,’ she said. ‘It might hurt a business deal, right? So he won’t help the Son Who Is Going to Inherit Hoodhood and Associates.’
‘What am I supposed to do?’
‘If I were you, I’d head to California,’ she said.
‘Try again.’
She leaned against her door. ‘Mrs. Baker hates your guts, right?’
I nodded.
‘Then Holling, you might try getting some.’
And she closed her door.”
--from THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt (2007)

“The bear is really loud,
really bossy,
and always hungry.
Oh, and the bear is strong.
Maybe too strong.
For some reason, my parents think the bear is family.”

The so-called “bear” turns out to be his big sister. And when his big sister stands up to the kids bullying him in the park, he begins to see the up-side of living with his cantankerous and messy elder sibling.

There are many great picture books told from the perspective of the older sibling who is trying to come to terms with the intruder...err...younger sibling. Having grown up as the eldest sibling, I have my own share of those tales.

But this early reader picture book probes the far-less-frequently examined viewpoint of the younger brother dealing with the older sister. It’s a short story that’s fun and enlightening.

THE BEAR IN MY FAMILY is illustrated digitally, employing handmade texturing. The effect is inviting, reminiscent of block- or sponge-printing.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy complains about the noisy, bossy bear living in the next room, but is told there is only family living in their house. A heart warming sibling story that will resonate for siblings of all ages.

[Maria Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 2021 Geisel Honor Book •

Funny and sweet story about siblings! The writing is really strong and the illustrations are beautiful!

Materials used: “created digitally with handmade textures”

Typeface used: unlisted

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little brother claims his older sister is a bear. However, it is not all bad and he claims to be one too.

Maybe 3.5.

[athiathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT'S AN ADORABLE BOOK!! I LOVE IT 🐻💛

[Ashley]

The Bear in My Family is a Geisel Award winning picture book about a younger brother who lives with a bear. The bear is loud, strong, plays too rough, and they don't always get along. But when the brother needs saving from playground bullies he is relieved to have his bear of a sister show up and help. This is an adorable book about sibling relationships and how some younger siblings might view their older siblings.
The Bear in My Family offers a lot of fun lines for reading aloud, including BIG text indicating BIG and LOUD sounds. It would be entertaining for children to hear an adult emphasizing these as if they were the bear. There are a lot of details in the illustrations that can be discussed on every page. From the signs taped on the younger brother's door (no bears allowed) to the grocery lists on the refrigerator, there are so many things to point out with your little reader.

I discovered a great blog called A Pocket of Preschool that has a lot of book recommendations grouped into themes like "Me and My Body" and "Hibernation". There are also lessons, crafts, experiments, and more dedicated to pre-school aged children. There's one section in Teaching Tips that talks about great ideas for reading aloud.
Check it out here:
https://pocketofpreschool.com/

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young child describes the bear that lives with their family, how it is messy, loud, and generally annoying. Then the bear defends them at the park and they realize all those annoying traits can also be good ones. There is an illustration of an older youth who says "I'm not a bear" and the main character saying 'yes you are, and so am I'.
I really like how you can get the impression the bear is a teenage older sibling, but there is no clear gender identifier for either character. The teenage does have earrings at the end, but that is it.

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might honestly be the cutest book I've ever read. Charming illustrations, hilarious narration, and the perfect depiction of a sibling relationship (coming from an older sister, who has MOSTLY grown out of bear-like qualities :) ...)

[Darren Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I love this beautiful book. The illustrations are so lush and tactile and cute. A wonderful, heartwarming story about life with siblings, both the positive (ROAR!) and the negative (ROAR!). This is a really lovely book to read aloud and the children I've read it to seem captivated by it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5? Pretty cute ending.

[Sienna Lyon-Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this picture book, the main character is a young boy who describes this "bear" that lives in his house. He describes how bossy and messy the bear is, and how strong and loud it is. He tries to convince his parents that they are living with a bear, but they don't believe them. When the boy is confronted by some bullies, the bear jumps out to save and protect him. The boy and the bear end up bonding, playing, and spending time together.
In the end, the "bear" in this whole story turns out to be the boy's big brother. He protects and loves the boy, even though they may have their disputes at times. I started reading this story believing the boy really had a bear in his house, or more that he was just using his imagination, but did not think that it represented another human in the end. We see the pace flip as the "bear" goes from mean and lousy to protective and loving. Even, in the end, the boy explains that if his brother is a bear, then he is too.
This book would be perfect for lower elementary and younger children, it would do well if read by a parent as well. Specifically, for those growing up in a family with siblings. This book is relatable to those sorts of family dynamics; constantly fighting with your siblings, but in the end, they will always be there for you and love you no matter what.

[CallmeJames · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲" 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐚𝐰𝐚

👦🏻🐻👧🏻 "The Bear in My Family" is a charming story about a young boy who believes he lives with a bear. This bear is loud, messy, and always hungry, making life quite challenging for the boy. The bear is actually a metaphor for his older sibling, who can be overbearing at times. Despite the bear's annoying habits, the boy realizes that having a bear in the family can be pretty great, especially when the bear helps him out of a tough situation with bullies at the park. In the end, the boy learns to appreciate his sibling's protective and loving nature.

👦🏻🐻👧🏻 The Novel is a delightful book that perfectly captures the ups and downs of sibling relationships. The playful and cutesy graphics by Maya Tatsukawa make the story come alive, adding a fun and lighthearted touch to the deeper themes of the book. The illustrations are vibrant and full of personality, making it a joy to read and look at. The audiobook version is also fantastic, with engaging narration that makes the story even more enjoyable. It's a great way to experience the book, especially for those who love listening to stories. I highly recommend "The Bear in My Family" to all kids. It's a heartwarming and inspiring story that teaches valuable lessons about sibling relationships and the importance of looking out for one another.

[Erin *BookDragon_Library* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audience whom written - age 4 - 8
Audience whom appeal - age 4 - 8
Strengths - From the beginning any child with a sibling will recognize the behaviors and interactions of the bear and little boy as being a sibling relationship. It could turn out the bear is an imaginary part of the family so it is a little bit of guessing. The illustrations are a little blockish with muted colors. It is relatable how siblings come with good and bad sides.
Weaknesses - I think the appeal is average. There aren’t any extremely funny parts to make kids laugh out loud. Not one I’d add to my personal collection.
Special considerations (artwork, curriculum links, community values, beliefs espoused) - Sibling story. Digital illustrations.
SLJ format: Your Verdict, supported with details from the book and about your audience.
Verdict: This sibling story is one any kids with an older brother or sister can relate to. A nice addition to elementary library shelves needing more sibling stories.

[Alli Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bear in My Family is an adorable book for young readers. The book is told from the perspective of a young boy who explains what it is like to live with a bear. The bear is loud, bossy, always hungry, and strong. The young boy does not like the bear until it protects him from some big mean kids. Then the young boy decides that maybe the bear in their family isn’t so bad. Students with siblings would relate to this book because the “bear” is his older sister.
This story could be used as a read-aloud in the classroom to teach adjectives. In the book, the young boy describes the traits of the bear. He also includes a diagram of the bear with the features written on the side of it. Students could create their own lists of adjectives about themselves or someone else in their family. Then, they could write a short story using their adjectives.

[Taylor Baughman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bear in My Family is about a little boy that lives with a bear. In this book, a little boy lives with a bear, who sleeps in the room next door. The bear is big, with sharp teeth and strong arms. It runs fast, is bossy, and is loud. When the boy tries to tell his family that they live with a bear, they tell him not to be silly and to go play outside. Outside on the swings, the boy is approached by some bullies. Luckily though, the strong, mean, big, fast bear is nearby. The bear also shows how it can be pretty fun to have a bear, or big sister, in the family after all.

I believe that children who have older siblings will absolutely adore this book because they can relate to what the boy is going through. Older siblings can often be cranky, mean, and bossy, but they are your siblings after all, and you will always love them.

This is a super cute story!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy tells people about the bear in his family. The bear is sometimes mean and growly, but other times it is very nice to have a bear to look out for you.

There's a bit of a mystery going on with this book in that the little boy is an unreliable narrator and there are clues in the illustrations about who the bear really is. Challenge little ones to see if they can figure out if the bear is real or not. I like the ending of this and how it captures the ups and downs of sibling relationships in an ultimately tenderhearted (and very believable) way. The art style is so unique with the way white is used to outline things instead of black and the almost fuzzy look to the items. A great read for siblings and little sleuths.

[Tangie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story in the ALA Notable Children's Books list. This is about a little boy who lives with a "bear' at the beginning of the story he tells why he doesn't like the bear but towards the end, he found that all the things that he didn't like about the bear could actually be good things. In the end, we found that the bear wasn't actually a bear at all it was his sister. The point of interest in this story is when he finds out that it isn't so bad living with a "bear" this shows us that things are not as bad as they seem and that they could be a blessing in disguise. A teacher could use this story to help teach younger kids vocabulary and spelling. It highlights words such as loud, bossy, hungry, etc.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to try this at a storytime. I have to admit that I was sexist and thought the bear was something; I was pleasantly surprised at the ending. I knew that the bear would come to the rescue, but I didn't see exactly who the bear was or that the little brother would turn into a bear as well. I have seen this sort of bear-ish behavior sometimes with my own sweet children. I guess we all have bear-like turns.

I think that all children with much older siblings will probably relate to this. I liked the illustrations. They reminded me of woodcut or lino cut ones that I studied in art school. Their very simplicity lends to who is telling their story.

[Zachary Rhodanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has won The Geisel Award. In this book, a kid insists that there is a bear in his family but his parents just dismiss him. Later on, the kid is confronted by bullies and wishes the bear was around to save him and sure enough, the bear appears and scares the bullies away. At the end of the story, it is revealed that the bear was the kids sister the entire time and the kid and sister both turn into bears in the illustration. The illustrations have a textured-paper look, with cute details, such as the kids bee sweater. This is a great book for teaching students about the importance of family, despite any differences that siblings may have.

[Sophia D'Alesio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been placed on my Geisel Award shelf. This book was awarded the Geisel Award in 2021. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it was very child friendly and had a good sense of humor. The illustrations throughout the book were simple yet very effective. The visuals captured the emotions of the characters and used different sizes of pictures to help draw the reader into specific illustrations. I thought the story line was very cute and creative, since young kids tend to see things from a very different perspective. I think this book would be nice to utilize in a classroom when learning the vocabulary of a family. I really enjoyed this book and give it five stars.

[Yulisa Ramirez Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet account from a little brother who is continuously bothered by a big, hungry, and bothersome bear. Although he seems to hate being pestered by this bear, he debates on the benefits of being followed around. When at the park, he is bothered by a group of boys and the bear bravely comes to his rescue! Only it’s not a real bear, it’s an older sister! The sibling rivalry dynamic is never ending but wholesome as we see this young boy come to appreciate all that his older sister does for him. They really are fond of one another despite the occasional times when she roars at him, but luckily, two bears are better than one.

[Elyssa Imler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about an older sibling and a younger sibling. It is really clever how the illustrator decided to interpret the older sibling as a bear. The younger sibling views the bear as stronger and loud and messy and even scary. He even tries to say he is not his family. At one point, though, the younger brother is in need of the bear because kids were being mean to him on the play ground. The younger brother realizes sometimes you need a bear because they can help you in many way even if they are loud and messy. I think this is a heartwarming story that many children will be able to relate to as well.

[Grace Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The bear in My Family" by Maya Tatsukawa was such a sweet book! It tells a story about siblings and the younger sibling compares the older sibling to a bear (which I thought was so cute because I remember comparing my own family to Mommy Bear, Daddy Bear, ect.) The narrator talks about the bear in their house being loud and messy! In this book the narrators unfolds the advantages that do come with being the baby as well. This hit home for me because I am the youngest and although for many years I couldn't do things because I was too young or small. However as I have gotten older I've learned to love being the youngest and getting the "baby treatment" as my older sisters would say.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young bear lives with a bear. She is big and fast, she is messy, eats a lot and is loud. His mother and father don't believe there is a bear. When the boy goes off to play, bullies show up at the playground, and suddenly having a sister who is a 'bear' is a good idea. They play together and the reader sees that there is a pretty good relationship between the siblings after all.

This is a great story! I loved the message and I loved the illustrations. There's lots of 'easter eggs' in the illustrations (note the nod to the publisher right in the beginning.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For some reason, my parents think the bear is family.”

A little boy bemoans the fact that there is a bear living in his house: it’s loud, it’s bossy, it’s way strong and always hungry. But when bullies try to make him give up the swings, he’s really happy that the bear is loud and strong. And sometimes it’s fun being with the bear, after all, who doesn’t love Bear Hugs? “I told you I’m NOT a bear!” Surprise! It was only an older sister.

Younger siblings will relate to this charming story.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young readers, particularly little siblings, might predict the end of this sweet, slightly humorous, story of a kid suffering a loud hungry bear. I always think of Julius (Henkes) when I read a book about sibling discord turning to protective possession when others interfere or threaten one of the kids. Like many common themes, it is worth repeating when it's done well, like Chicken of the Family (Amato). This one is OK. It may be one of those books that comes to life with an audience. We'll see.