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Bear in Love
Bear fell in love with Bunny at first sight. Now he has to figure out the right, appropriate way to show her how he feels. Should he give her candy, a song, and a dance? This warm and witty little book perfectly expresses how love casts its spell!
Samantha Davis is the pseudonym for a psychologist who specializes in couples therapy.
Sophie Fatus lives in Italy and has illustrated many books for children, including Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
Samantha Davis is the pseudonym for a psychologist who specializes in couples therapy.
Sophie Fatus lives in Italy and has illustrated many books for children, including Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
- GenresPicture BooksLove
40 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 2010
About the author
Samantha Davis
41 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 12, 2021
A strange little book made more interesting with the knowledge that the author is a psychologist and couple's therapist.
Chella set this out for me to read like "look at this creepy book" (we do seem to have had a run of initially one-sided animal-character love stories come through the circulation dept. lately) and it definitely hits just a little off... But if you've been the Bear in a story I think it's mostly uncomfortably familiar more than creepy.
I mean... people DO have feelings for other people from a distance and have to find their way through that situation. It's an unfortunate fact of the human condition that we can't all just fall into synchronized mutual feelings and relationships.
For some reason the loves me/loves me not spinning heart in the cover strikes me wrong and I really haven't figured out why.
The book starts out:
"I used to be an ordinary bear. I lived a regular life in the forest until, one day... I fell in love with a bunny!"
and, it really does feel like that sometimes. A distinct before and after mark in your life when you meet someone and the world shifts on its axis just a little bit.
"My love is a secret. No one knows how I feel."
Now, framing it as a secret I think makes it sound creepier than necessary. There's a difference between a creepy secret stalker obsession and just judiciously keeping something to yourself. Because, you know, statements and feelings and actions all have consequences. If you keep something to yourself, sometimes you can mitigate the consequences to just your own life without other people having to deal with it. (More or less. Bottling things up without any resolution will eventually boil over in some way.)
Bear is afraid to approach Bunny and instead daydreams about what their life together could be like.
Seems standard to me. *shrug*
Then Bear realizes they have to like... alert Bunny that they exist. Poor Bear.
Flowers? Gift basket? Song and dance? (Isn't this just the plot of every high school romance and '90s rom-com? It worked for all of us when Heath Ledger sang running across the bleachers, y'all.)
"I'm watching how Bunny's nose twitches and wiggles. It moves to the left, then moves to the right. Amazing!"
I mean, the play-by-play is weird, but if you stop and think about it, I bet everyone you interact with on a regular basis has some kind of semiconscious mannerisms that you associate with them, and if it's someone you love it's a cute thing that's quintessentially them (or the thing that drives you nuts if they're not your favorite person).
"I am getting ready to approach her and say how I feel."
Is this not just... grown up emotional expression? You're never gonna get anywhere if you can't have the conversation, in any situation.
Okay.... I don't know why Bunny runs off at this point in the story. Was she uncomfortable with the attention? Did she feel she was being watched and not know why? Reading into the therapist background, does she have an underlying fear of intimacy that makes her especially wary of new people and potential relationships? Idk.
Bear just starts out with "Can we be friends?"
Okay, this could come off as disingenuous "nice guy"/friend zone behavior. But, sometimes you wanna get to know someone without jumping into the pressure of a dating relationship. Idk.
"I don't hear 'Yes.' // But I don't hear 'no' either."
Okay, again Idk what the author's intention is with this segment. I think the "I don't hear Yes" coupled with the little dancing illustration at "I don't hear No either" is probably the creepiest part of the book. Although with this book being over 10 years old, I'm not sure what the prevailing cultural messages on enthusiastic, affirmative consent were back in 2010, so maybe it didn't hit most people as creepy back then?
Okay, but stick with the story past this point.
"Bunny checks me out with her nose. I pass the smell test!"
"Bunny thinks I'm okay. Bunny likes me!"
"Bunny wants to hang out!" and Bunny is smiling and inviting Bear to come along on their mushroom gathering.
So... no coercion. Nothing forced. Bunny makes her own decision.
And we see them hanging out together throughout the year, smiles on both their faces.
"And maybe forever!" is the closing line.
Maybe forever. Bear has realistic expectations.
Idk. It's a strange book for sure. But I don't think we can paint Bear as a total creep.
Honestly I'd like to see a reader's guide, therapist's guide, author interview, something to explain what we're supposed to be getting out of this. Those thoughts going through the book were pretty much what I had reading the book the first time before seeing on Goodreads that the author is a therapist. But now I wonder... is this supposed to be a healthy model of dealing with feelings for someone that they may not return? Is it just a discussion starter? I don't think it would have the ending of them happy together if it was supposed to be a cautionary tale.
Idk. Interesting, to say the least.
Chella set this out for me to read like "look at this creepy book" (we do seem to have had a run of initially one-sided animal-character love stories come through the circulation dept. lately) and it definitely hits just a little off... But if you've been the Bear in a story I think it's mostly uncomfortably familiar more than creepy.
I mean... people DO have feelings for other people from a distance and have to find their way through that situation. It's an unfortunate fact of the human condition that we can't all just fall into synchronized mutual feelings and relationships.
For some reason the loves me/loves me not spinning heart in the cover strikes me wrong and I really haven't figured out why.
The book starts out:
"I used to be an ordinary bear. I lived a regular life in the forest until, one day... I fell in love with a bunny!"
and, it really does feel like that sometimes. A distinct before and after mark in your life when you meet someone and the world shifts on its axis just a little bit.
"My love is a secret. No one knows how I feel."
Now, framing it as a secret I think makes it sound creepier than necessary. There's a difference between a creepy secret stalker obsession and just judiciously keeping something to yourself. Because, you know, statements and feelings and actions all have consequences. If you keep something to yourself, sometimes you can mitigate the consequences to just your own life without other people having to deal with it. (More or less. Bottling things up without any resolution will eventually boil over in some way.)
Bear is afraid to approach Bunny and instead daydreams about what their life together could be like.
Seems standard to me. *shrug*
Then Bear realizes they have to like... alert Bunny that they exist. Poor Bear.
Flowers? Gift basket? Song and dance? (Isn't this just the plot of every high school romance and '90s rom-com? It worked for all of us when Heath Ledger sang running across the bleachers, y'all.)
"I'm watching how Bunny's nose twitches and wiggles. It moves to the left, then moves to the right. Amazing!"
I mean, the play-by-play is weird, but if you stop and think about it, I bet everyone you interact with on a regular basis has some kind of semiconscious mannerisms that you associate with them, and if it's someone you love it's a cute thing that's quintessentially them (or the thing that drives you nuts if they're not your favorite person).
"I am getting ready to approach her and say how I feel."
Is this not just... grown up emotional expression? You're never gonna get anywhere if you can't have the conversation, in any situation.
Okay.... I don't know why Bunny runs off at this point in the story. Was she uncomfortable with the attention? Did she feel she was being watched and not know why? Reading into the therapist background, does she have an underlying fear of intimacy that makes her especially wary of new people and potential relationships? Idk.
Bear just starts out with "Can we be friends?"
Okay, this could come off as disingenuous "nice guy"/friend zone behavior. But, sometimes you wanna get to know someone without jumping into the pressure of a dating relationship. Idk.
"I don't hear 'Yes.' // But I don't hear 'no' either."
Okay, again Idk what the author's intention is with this segment. I think the "I don't hear Yes" coupled with the little dancing illustration at "I don't hear No either" is probably the creepiest part of the book. Although with this book being over 10 years old, I'm not sure what the prevailing cultural messages on enthusiastic, affirmative consent were back in 2010, so maybe it didn't hit most people as creepy back then?
Okay, but stick with the story past this point.
"Bunny checks me out with her nose. I pass the smell test!"
"Bunny thinks I'm okay. Bunny likes me!"
"Bunny wants to hang out!" and Bunny is smiling and inviting Bear to come along on their mushroom gathering.
So... no coercion. Nothing forced. Bunny makes her own decision.
And we see them hanging out together throughout the year, smiles on both their faces.
"And maybe forever!" is the closing line.
Maybe forever. Bear has realistic expectations.
Idk. It's a strange book for sure. But I don't think we can paint Bear as a total creep.
Honestly I'd like to see a reader's guide, therapist's guide, author interview, something to explain what we're supposed to be getting out of this. Those thoughts going through the book were pretty much what I had reading the book the first time before seeing on Goodreads that the author is a therapist. But now I wonder... is this supposed to be a healthy model of dealing with feelings for someone that they may not return? Is it just a discussion starter? I don't think it would have the ending of them happy together if it was supposed to be a cautionary tale.
Idk. Interesting, to say the least.
March 10, 2017
I found the bear to be slightly creepy. He's in love and stalking someone he has never spoken to. I also didn't like that the bunny never actually said she wanted to spend time with bear. The whole she didn't say yes but she didn't say no thing is really problematic.
May 20, 2021
This is creepy. Not quite "I Love You Forever" creepy, but it's definitely getting there.
February 22, 2017
Read for Storytime, February 8th
Theme: Valentine's Day and Love
Unlikely friendship between bear and rabbit makes a warm and fuzzy Valentine read.
Theme: Valentine's Day and Love
Unlikely friendship between bear and rabbit makes a warm and fuzzy Valentine read.
February 28, 2011
I liked this sweet little story. I do hate to admit though that I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of bear and bunny interspecies love though....hmmm....things to ponder!
February 4, 2016
Very cute. May use for twos on valentines.
January 14, 2013
Picture books about crushes and friendships are adorable.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews