Biggest Bear

by Adam Relf (Illustrator)

A little boy hunts for the biggest bear in the world and finds it in a twinkling starlight surprise--the Great Bear constellation--at the end of this heartwarming book!

Toby thinks his shadow looks like the biggest bear in the world. But Dad says there's a much bigger one than that. Is it the large chocolate bear in a store? The bear picture Toby paints in preschool? The huge stone bear fountain in the park? The tall bear with a top hat at the carnival? Or the enormous balloon bear floating above the town? At bedtime, Daddy shows Toby the biggest bear in the world, who lives above their heads and only comes out at the bright group of stars called the Great Bear! A set of twelve flashing lights illuminates the constellation on the final page.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Francesca Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toby is a bear and really wants to find the biggest bear in the world with his father. Therefore Toby and his father stumble across different bears and Toby asks his father each time if that is the biggest bear. Toby's father repeatedly answers no and Toby does not possibly think there can be a bigger bear! They come across a water fountain of a bear, a bear on stilts at a funfair and a giant bear balloon in the sky. At last Toby's father reveals where the biggest bear is but he had to wait till it was dark as it can only be seen then! It was lit up in the sky. A simple and relaxing read for children to enjoy.

[Kaitlyn Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young bear named Toby. He originally sees his shadow, and he asks his dad if that is the biggest bear in the world. When his dad says no, Toby makes it his mission to discover the biggest bear in the world. He and his dad encounter a bear statue, a giant bear at the carnival, and a huge balloon bear. However, every time Toby asks his dad, he always says there is one much bigger than all of them. Finally, Toby gave up on his search, and his dad decides to take him outside at night to see the biggest bear in the sky. It was an enormous constellation of a bear in the stars!

The major theme in this book is to remember that there is always something bigger out there, so we should really shoot for the stars in all we do and never give up.

I gave this book a four star rating. The book is really engaging. The reader is constantly wondering what is bigger than the previous bears Toby has discovered, so it is constantly a page turner. I think it sends a good message to kids also. There is always something bigger out there, so kids should never give up on their searches, passions, and dreams. It is also very comprehendible because kids can really understand the characters and the context within the book.

I thought this book was really cute. Toby and his dad’s relationship was very good. The pictures are very engaging, despite them all pretty much being within the same color scheme. Toby’s excitement to discover something new reminded me of when I was a kid. I was always curious about something, so I think kids could really relate to Toby’s character and his feelings. The end also had actual twinkling lights in the constellation picture, which is super cute and fun. It makes the book really interactive for children.

I would definitely recommend this book. It encourages kids to keep going and dreaming. I think it is so important to know as a child that they can shoot for anything. They should know from an early age on that the only limitations they have of accomplishing anything is themselves. Being told to never give up is a very good lesson to learn. The interactive lights at the end of the book was also a cute surprise for kids.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this to/with the kids for years, and it's still on our shelf, occasionally brought out and read together again. They find it relaxing I think. It's just such a lovely bed time story and the excitement of looking up at the stars is just wonderous.

Though I can't point out the 'bear' in the sky we do look for Orion and his belt and the Southern Cross. Next I'll teach them how to find South from the Southern Cross and that will be a truly wonderous day.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bear wonders about the biggest bear in the world when he sees his shadow on the wall. His daddy tells him there there is a much bigger bear. The little bear and his daddy spend the day together. Through chocolate bears, bear statues, bear balloons the little bear keeps thinking he's found the biggest bear. But not until night does daddy show him the biggest bear in the sky.
Has light up stars at the end.

[Melissaschott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the perfect book for our fundraising cause at Pettigrew Elementary this fall. We raised money for a family who lost their newborn Breley, aka Breley bear. We had a Breley Bear day and students paid a$1 to wear pj's and bring their favorite stuffed animal. This book showed us where our biggest bear was at the end of the book, heaven! Perfect cause perfect celebration of life.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to use when teaching about stars and constellations within a unit on space!

[Mary Arkless]

Each of my children have borrowed this book several times from the school library. It is usually too big for the child's schoolbag, which doesn't really matter as they love it so much.

[Kimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids love this book and want me to read it to them over and over again. The best part for the kids is seeing the stars light up, they love that.

[Shelby Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a big version with twinkling lights on the last page. Magical!