Middle Bear
by Susanna Isern (Author) Manon Gauthier (Illustrator)
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2--Middle Bear has a middle-size problem. "He was not big, but he was not small, either." Any middle child will recognize the situation right away. Middle Bear isn't the oldest or the youngest, or the biggest or the smallest. "He was the middle one." Depressed Middle Bear is convinced that there is nothing special about being number two. Isern introduces several synonyms such as "medium," "middling," and "middle-size" to describe Middle Bear's possessions and actions. Everything in his life is in the middle, from the size of his toys to his bedtime. Readers will sympathize with his complaint, "I don't want to be the middle one." But when Middle Bear's parents need willow bark and the brothers set off to fetch it, being the middle one may just be what saves the day. Gauthier's illustrations of cut-paper collage, pencil, and mixed media depict the experiences of the protagonist. When it rains, Middle Bear has a "middle-sized umbrella" and readers can see he is being rained on by a medium-size cloud. While fishing with his brothers, Middle Bear "manage[s] to catch the most middle-sized fish in the lake" and fish of a variety of sizes are shown. Young readers will probably want to create some collage art themselves and make their own "middle-sized story, like this one." VERDICT A solid tale about birth order and finding one's own strengths rather than worrying about measuring up when compared with others. Recommended.--Suzanne Costner, Fairview Elementary School, Maryville, TN
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Susanna Isern (La Seu d'Urgell, Spain, 1978) is an award-winning children's books author. She is also a professor of Psychology of learning at the European University of the Atlantic and directs the Cabinet of Psychology at Aula Dédalo in Santander. Since she published her first picture book in 2011, more than 30 children's books have seen the light of day. Most of her works are sold internationally and can be found in more than a dozen languages, and also written in Braille. Among her most popular albums we find What Are You Scared of, Little Mouse? awarded Silver Medal in the USA Moonbeam Children's Books Award 2015 and The Magic Ball of Wool, awarded Silver Medal at the USA Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2013.
Spanish illustrator Ester García was born in Cáceres in 1984. For as long as she can remember, she has always loved tales and children's books. After graduating in Fine Arts at the University of Salamanca, she moved to Madrid to continue her studies of Design at the New Technologies Professional Centre (CICE). She has also taken part in several illustration courses and workshops. Ester paints mostly with pencil, watercolors, and acrylics. Her works have been awarded in competitions such as the Sharjah Exhibition for Children's Books Illustrations (United Arab Emirates), the Encontro Internacional de Ilustraçao de S. Joao de Madeira (Portugal), the Junceda illustration award in the International category (Spain), or the Cuatrogatos Foundation (Miami) award. She currently resides and works in Asturias drawing animals, forests, and other real or fictional places.
JUV002030 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Bears
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Families
Individuality
Brothers
Middle-born children
Bear cubs
