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Enchanted Lion's Stories Without Words
Bear Despair
Don't ever take a bear's teddy bear, no matter how cute you think it is. If you do, you'll be in for trouble. Big trouble. For a bear whose teddy has been stolen isn't simply heartbroken, but determined to get it back. So determined that he might just gobble up more than honey to do so! However, should he succeed in getting his teddy back, then there just might be a surprise in store. This is a book that all readers will relish, and one they will want to read again and again.
Born in 1971, Gaëtan Dorémus received his degree from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France, in 1999, after which he picked up a few other degrees while creating picture books and illustrations for the press. Dorémus has illustrated over twenty books and has produced hundreds of freestanding illustrations and cartoons. He loves to bicycle ride, walk in the mountains, and eat green tomatoes with cinnamon. In 2006, he became a Papa.
Born in 1971, Gaëtan Dorémus received his degree from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg, France, in 1999, after which he picked up a few other degrees while creating picture books and illustrations for the press. Dorémus has illustrated over twenty books and has produced hundreds of freestanding illustrations and cartoons. He loves to bicycle ride, walk in the mountains, and eat green tomatoes with cinnamon. In 2006, he became a Papa.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2012
1 person is currently reading
133 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 14, 2012
The more I read this one, the more I like it. The illustrations fall into the deceptively simple category. If you look at the emotion that they display, it's clear that there is a lot of skill involved.
As far as the story is concerned. I was put off at first as a parent. The message wasn't what I wanted it to be. Then I thought about how my children feel when they are wronged. The book captures that perfectly. This book can provide a safe way to explore the complicated feelings that people of all ages have when we loose something we love.
As far as the story is concerned. I was put off at first as a parent. The message wasn't what I wanted it to be. Then I thought about how my children feel when they are wronged. The book captures that perfectly. This book can provide a safe way to explore the complicated feelings that people of all ages have when we loose something we love.
November 28, 2017
Somebody gets mighty cranky when his best friend is stolen.
I LOVED the artwork!
I LOVED the artwork!
November 8, 2015
Silent book with images that speak much about a bear who has his teddy bear taken from him, thrown around, and so on, by various animals. . . which he therefore eats, naturally. It's pretty funny, actually, and maybe about dealing with loss in appropriate ways. I read it a few years ago and though it was just okay, but I might be learning better how to read silent images, because I can't believe I initially didn't dig it!
August 13, 2017
I wasn't crazy about this book, mainly because I found it sad. But I appreciate others' reviews and I don't think it's inappropriate for a children's book to be sad - so maybe this will be good to return to with an older (>2 yrs) child
December 5, 2018
I felt Bear's distress over his kidnapped teddy. And the gleeful abandon with which Lion tormented Bear before he tossed Teddy away.
However, the story was still a little dark and mean. I prefer "The Chicken Thief"- another book in Enchanted Lion Books' series of Stories Without Words.
However, the story was still a little dark and mean. I prefer "The Chicken Thief"- another book in Enchanted Lion Books' series of Stories Without Words.
July 3, 2019
Really?
This no-word book has basic illustrations. Thank heaven, because every time someone takes Bear's teddy, he eats them. He just keeps eating them. Then, when he gets teddy back, he pulls them out of his stomach.
Gross. Really?
This no-word book has basic illustrations. Thank heaven, because every time someone takes Bear's teddy, he eats them. He just keeps eating them. Then, when he gets teddy back, he pulls them out of his stomach.
Gross. Really?
January 6, 2017
Very short, quirky but with a sense of philosophy and humour. A story of another bear searching for something that was taken from him see I Want My Hat Back, Bear Despair is a wordless picturebook smaller than your average size. Its compactness means that you feel a little closer to the story. Originally written in France, the story tells of a rather ferocious bear (when riled) who wants his teddy back. As he travels to get it back, he encounters a range of animals whose nasty nature and (as the cute map on the endpapers would suggest) ownership of place mean that some sort of confrontation must take place.
The pace of the story is fast and gets faster until the resolution through the use of single panels, full frames and a lovely double-page spread. The colours are limited with a lovely use of hatching throughout. I thought this worked well as it helped focus on the character and setting for the different encounters. In many children's books, the characters generally end up learning a lesson at the end but as with Klassen's text mentioned earlier, these are bears who will do anything to get back what they want and pity those who get in their way. I think this message of anger and frustration of having something we care for taken away from us either by bullies, older siblings or even parents will touch a chord with many child readers.
The pace of the story is fast and gets faster until the resolution through the use of single panels, full frames and a lovely double-page spread. The colours are limited with a lovely use of hatching throughout. I thought this worked well as it helped focus on the character and setting for the different encounters. In many children's books, the characters generally end up learning a lesson at the end but as with Klassen's text mentioned earlier, these are bears who will do anything to get back what they want and pity those who get in their way. I think this message of anger and frustration of having something we care for taken away from us either by bullies, older siblings or even parents will touch a chord with many child readers.
February 19, 2017
Quietly hilarious!
February 23, 2013
I picked up this book because it was one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2012. I was intrigued to see their selections and I was quite surprised with some of the books. This didn't have (what I would call) remarkable illustrations, in fact, I didn't appreciate the illustrations. I thought they were very simplistic and childish. I wasn't sure why it was selected for this award out of all the other books published. The story was amusing enough, but it wasn't something I found thoroughly engaging. It was entertaining and definitely reminded me of tall tales or other folklore I had read as a child, but I was disappointed with the pictures. I probably wouldn't recommend.
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
May 5, 2016
So I've been wondering what it would be like to 'read aloud' this book just with prosody. To do non-linguistic noises that offer an impression. (I could probably do that with some images in Snowman, too...)
Oh, man! This one was close to a 5. I'll have to wait and see if I keep coming back to it, or if I buy a copy [yes, ten months later I still think it was the best picture book of the year]. The bear gets so mad! I laughed out loud three or four different times, and then again while I had it open to write this.
I'm going to get the rest of the Stories Without Words series from Enchanted Lion Books, even though they're not all by Gaetan Dorémus.
Oh, man! This one was close to a 5. I'll have to wait and see if I keep coming back to it, or if I buy a copy [yes, ten months later I still think it was the best picture book of the year]. The bear gets so mad! I laughed out loud three or four different times, and then again while I had it open to write this.
I'm going to get the rest of the Stories Without Words series from Enchanted Lion Books, even though they're not all by Gaetan Dorémus.
December 1, 2012
This is the 6th book in a series called Stories Without Words, originally published in France. A bear wakes up to find that his beloved stuffed teddy has been stolen by a wolf. So what does he do? Of course, he gobbles him up. In fact, bear must gobble up a few animals in order to get his bear back. It sounds terrifying, but it is funny. There is a second story going on inside of the bears belly. Trust me, it all works out in the end.
December 8, 2012
I loved this wordless picture book! It is a bit disturbing and probably not for the smallest kids but older kids will like it. Bear is sleeping soundly with his teddy bear when wolf rudely steals his teddy. Bear is heartbroken and is going to get his Teddy back at all costs...even if that means eating everyone who stands in his way.
December 29, 2012
It's not nice to take a bear's teddy bear -- and then to tease him about it! He might get VERY angry!
Yet somehow, as angry as he is, it doesn't seem scary . . . and all's well in the end.
Totally loving the Story Without Words series from Enchanted Lion Books.
Yet somehow, as angry as he is, it doesn't seem scary . . . and all's well in the end.
Totally loving the Story Without Words series from Enchanted Lion Books.
October 5, 2012
Oh, my, this is fun!
December 5, 2012
A wordless companion for "I Want My Hat Back."
October 21, 2020
Bear Despair is a story with no words that shows the lengths a bear will go to in order to get his teddy back. I really love the style of the illustrations, they are simple, quirky and unique but Gaetan manages to portray how each character is feeling in every single one.
Perfect for children who find reading challenging as they can use the pictures to tell the story in their own way!
Perfect for children who find reading challenging as they can use the pictures to tell the story in their own way!
October 24, 2018
great illustrations. A single note story about a bear whose stuffy is swiped. The bear chases each animal that snatches his beloved object, swallowing them in turn, in a perverse game of keep away until one creature calmly hands the toy back.
Good for prompting a discussion of consideration.
Good for prompting a discussion of consideration.
November 5, 2020
Lovely illustrations and choice of colours and crosshatching. Could open up some great moral discussions in the classroom and would be great for PSHE. It could also allow for great creative writing opportunities.
June 9, 2017
Wordless picture book that tells quite the story but just didn't appeal to me.
August 15, 2017
Deliciously dark. The European version of I Want My Hat Back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2019
With beautiful and emotionally rich illustrations, this book takes you on a short quest to regain a lost possession. I’m not sure what to make of the consumption/regurgitation by our protagonist (yes, you read that correctly), and my uncertainty leaves me unsure how to close my thoughts on it.
August 13, 2019
wordless, silly and sweet
November 25, 2019
Very Julius Lester/Gahan Wilson; a little bit like Benjamin Bear, though. Happy ending for all.
May 18, 2021
Other animals keep taking bear's teddy. So he eats them.
June 25, 2023
This wordless book is hilarious
April 5, 2024
Südamlik lugu kiusamisest ja hoolivusest. Pilte vaadates tulevad ehedalt meelde oma vastavad kogemused. Ja kui palju karu kõige selle mõjul kasvab!
October 1, 2025
NO
NO NO NO
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NONONONO
okay!
NO NO NO
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NONONONO
okay!
October 16, 2018
One of the best stories about losing and also about a Bear. Wonderful picture book.
January 31, 2013
This book is a wordless picture book about a bear in the wild who loses his teddy bear to “friends” that are stealing it from him. Because he is a wild bear, he is able to swallow up the perpetrators who took his teddy; they include a fox, a lion, an eagle, and an elephant. The fox originally stole his teddy bear, but each time an animal gets caught with his teddy, they throw it off into distance, leaving him to swallow the animal up and chase after his teddy. His belly gets bigger and bigger as he swallows larger and larger animals. Finally, he comes across an octopus who is just too big, but also kind enough to give the bear his teddy back. At the end of the book, the wild bear brings all the animals he had swallowed out of his belly and sets them free, leaving himself at peace with his teddy bear. Illustrator Gaëtan Dorémus uses a very modern art style with minimalistic detailing in the background, lack of blending, clearly defined pencil lines, and the use of pastel and non-natural colors. The most interesting part of this picture book, I found, was when the bear had animals in his stomach, it showed each of the animals inside, leaving the stomach to be transparent. This is a very interesting concept, especially for children. Overall, I thought it was a good book that would be most suitable for individual reading for children of any age. The only part I disliked was when it showed the animals inside his stomach; that seemed quite a bit creepy, especially for younger children. Overall, I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars, recommending it for the Caldecott award, mostly because it is such a unique book.
January 31, 2013
This book by Gaetan Doremus, is a fantastic book for elementary students. (3rd and under) This book explains exactly what happens if you take a bears teddy bear. Children can relate to this because majority of elementary students still sleep with stuffed animals, and have had at least one story to tell where they might of lost their animal or misplaced it. They would be able to describe their feelings too. The bear got his teddy taken by a fox, lion, and elephant and almost a sea monster until the bear scared the sea monster into giving it back. The bear had held each animal hostage in his stomach until he got his animal back! The more animals he put in his belly the bigger he got! When he got it back he let them all go and slept peacefully with his teddy!
This book has awesome illustrations and its so easy to see what is going on on each page. The illustrations are very colorful, using colors children will easily recgoinze. for example, the lion is yellow, and has a Orange, reddish maine. The elephant is quite large and a tanish, grey color. The sea monster is purple and swimming around in in a big blue ocean. The expressions on the bears face when his bear was taken fist was scared and concerned then later in the book he grew mad. This book would be rated five stars.
I believe this book would win the Caldecott medal because for one i think its a distinguished picture book for children. When flipping through the book, the illistrations are very bold, but easy enough for the children to detect the types of emotions. The illustrations are original, and has a collective story line, and concept. This books is just all around a great book for children.
This book has awesome illustrations and its so easy to see what is going on on each page. The illustrations are very colorful, using colors children will easily recgoinze. for example, the lion is yellow, and has a Orange, reddish maine. The elephant is quite large and a tanish, grey color. The sea monster is purple and swimming around in in a big blue ocean. The expressions on the bears face when his bear was taken fist was scared and concerned then later in the book he grew mad. This book would be rated five stars.
I believe this book would win the Caldecott medal because for one i think its a distinguished picture book for children. When flipping through the book, the illistrations are very bold, but easy enough for the children to detect the types of emotions. The illustrations are original, and has a collective story line, and concept. This books is just all around a great book for children.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews