"The forest grew deeper dark, the night grew long,
the clock tick-tocked at bedtime.
Mama tucked in Liam tight
and kissed him on the cheek good night.
He rubbed it off."
No brave and self-reliant boy hero wants his mother kissing his cheek when he settles in for the night! Liam feels exactly the same as any other boy experiencing such sentiment while trying to put on a brave face.
What an imagination! It can cause problems for the boy who sports it; for, as he imagines the bear that is making all the snapping and cracking sounds that he hears beyond his room, he also imagines ways in which he might protect himself. His mother is no help with the fears he is feeling...she's 'snore asleep'. Liam is concerned that the bear might be thinking of a mama snack and so he sets out to make a trap that will ensure her safety. Once Bear is in the trap Liam is no longer confident that is yet safe. He guesses it is hunger that has brought the bear scavenging near their home and he determines to feed his frenzy. It takes some time to hunt and gather but soon the bear seems sated and lethargic. He settles into slumber. And Liam returns to hearth and home, sleepy and satisfied that he has thwarted a vicious attack...the man of the house!
I love the carefully chosen and oh, so descriptive language that this talented and accomplished writer uses to tell this witty tale: He rumbled in the hole, slashed moonlight bloody with his claws and bellowed..." You will read it again and again!
And, the art is wonderful. It's full of details. Liam's expressions as he worries, wonders and finally takes charge are perfect. His own pirate teddy bear is mirrored in the ferocious, insatiable, fearsome one he conjures. Wallpaper takes on forest overtones and the changing perspectives (from full page spreads to framed panels) help move the story quickly along. There is so much to see and discuss!
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