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Saturday, June 3, 2023

How To Be Human: A Bear's Guide, written by Sophia Kolinas and illustrated by Aparna Varma. Owlkids, 2023. $21.95 ages 4 and up


"So one day, when the bear spotted a girl who 
was clearly a friend of the forest, he knew he
had found his teacher. 

And lucky for him, she spoke fluent bear."

This forest bear enjoys all bear things: scratching on tree trunks, fishing for his supper, and snoozing when the spirit moves him to do so. His life is changing with fewer trees, fewer fish and too much noise. Humans are making his life unpleasant.

Being sensible, he decides to be more human. He takes food that people leave unprotected, sleeps in their tents, and enjoys life again. Great good luck puts him in touch with a young girl who loves the forest. She teaches him how to be more human. That leads to a visit to the city to practice his human traits. Poor bear - it's too busy, too small, too 'not right'. 

"In fact, it was un-bear-able."

Back he goes to the forest where his human friend finds him, wipes his tears and discovers something important. Perhaps humans should be more like bears. The bear quickly becomes the teacher, offering many important lessons about sharing nature. Changes are made, a lasting friendship established. 

Young readers will be enticed by the telling illustrations that show the importance of working together for the greater good. 

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