Bear Shadow

Moonbear #6

by Frank Asch

When Little Bear's shadow gets in the way of his catching a fish, he decides to get rid of it. No matter what he does though, it won't go away!.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Science, Animals, School, Humor, Storytime

32 pages, Board Book

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Frank Asch is an American children's writer, best known for his Moonbear picture books.

Asch published his first picture book, George's Store, in 1968. The following year he graduated from Cooper Union with a BFA. Since then he has taught at a public school in India, as well as at a Montessori school in the United States, conducted numerous creative workshops for children. He has written over 60 books, including Turtle Tale, Mooncake, I Can Blink and Happy Birthday Moon. In 1989 he wrote Here Comes the Cat! in collaboration with Vladimir Vagin. The book was awarded the Russian National Book Award and was considered the first Russian-American collaboration on a children's book.

Asch lived in Somerville, New Jersey where he and his wife home-schooled their son Devin.

He currently lives in Vermont with his wife, Jan.

Reviews

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another darling Bear story. I love the illustrations. I admit that my shadow, well, more accurately my reflection has startled the bejeebers out of me a time or two. So I can understand Bears frustration with his shadow. Now that I have read it again, a Christmas gift from my parents in 1987, when I was 4, I can pass it along to my 6 week old nice to enjoy for many many years to come!

Original rating and review posted: 9/2/25

[Hannah]

i counted this on my summer reading sheet for “read a book to another person” (a child at work) so i’m counting it on goodreads too

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Frank Ashe book. You can not go wrong reading a Frank Ashe. This book is about a friend is shadow. How much fun it is to discover a shadow.

[Redbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a zillion times to my kids when they were young. They loved it and I didn’t mind reading it. Bear tries to lose his shadow, and is problem-solving, but he keeps getting it wrong. It’s a fun discussion book, too, as kids get older.

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

This poor bear. He needs some real friends that aren't shadows, the moon or people who don't like his artwork. Simple story for preschoolers. Meh.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you cannot murder your problems, you may as well try to negotiate with them.

My kid likes this one a lot.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book to my children when they little so when I came across this book, I had to buy it for my grandson. The story is simple yet the concept that bear is dealing with, is not. It's his shadow. Bear can't figure out why his shadow follows him and why it moves around. You won't find the answers to these scientific questions in this book but you will watch bear as he spends the day with his shadow.

It's a great day for fishing! Seeing a huge fish out in the pond, Bear gets to work getting his fishing pole ready to catch him. As he stands up to throw out his line, Bear's shadow creeps across the pond, scaring the fish away. Now Bear is upset! He wanted to catch that fish and now, he has nothing! He tells his shadow to leave, but the shadow stays. Fine, Bear puts down his fishing pole and he decides that since his shadow is not leaving, Bear will get rid of him. It's not as easy as Bear thought as Bear tries many different ideas and his shadow stays right there. What an exhausting day for Bear. At the end of Bear's day, he makes a deal with his Shadow which is cute.

It's a good book to help explain shadows and how they work. Bear is quite creative in his antics and I like how he solved his issue in the end. The illustrations are simple and they should be, as the shadow is the star of the book.

[Claire Waldron-Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this with a kindergarten class that was studying shadows and reflections and it went fairly well. The story isn't the most exciting, but of the books I chose, this was the one that interacted best with what they were learning. There were lots of points where I could stop and ask the kids to observe changes in the illustrations, or predict what would happen next, or explain why something was happening, and they could directly apply their knowledge from class. The concept was very well articulated, with enough story to support it. I would definitely use this for that unit again, but probably not on its own.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear is angry with his shadow after it scares away the fish he wanted to catch. He tries many different ways to keep his shadow away, until one seems to be effective. But not for long-Bear will soon have to make a deal with his shadow so he can go fishing again. My kids ( 3 and 5) found this book very funny. We also used it to talk about shadows. The illustrations definitely have a vintage 80s feel to them, and they are simple but pleasing. Overall it’s a silly fun story with a chance for learning tied in, so I call it a win.

[Cathy Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is sweet. The Bear wants to shadow to leave and not disturb the fishing activity. Then we see Bear try lots of different strategies to get rid of the shadow. Finally, the Bear has a way to accept the shadow and fish. Very cute. The book is meant for young readers and can be combined with a science unit. Enjoy.

[Rich Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how I didn't know of the Moon Bear series, but this book was fantastic. The illustrations and the story were adorable, and it taught about shadows at the same time. For me, this is textbook what a children's story should accomplish.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We received this book for free as part of My Father's World Kindergarten Curriculum to review.

What a fun story to read while studying the sun. A perfect short story with lovely illustrations that engaged both our children.

I would recommend Moonbear's Shadow.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonbear tries to get rid of his shadow. He succeeds for awhile, only for it to sneak up on him again. A short and sweet book that teaches how the sun's position in the sky impacts the size and direction of shadows.

[Amy Jarett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the Bear stories by Frank Asch. I aspire to write stories that have similar concepts. I remember chasing my own shadow and wondering if it ever went away. I like how Bear tries so many things to get rid of his shadow and at the end both he and the shadow win.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear Shadow is a cute book about a bear who tries to get rid of their shadow. Finally, Bear gives up and becomes friends with the shadow. It’s a cute book with adorable illustrations and easy to understand text, but it isn’t a super exciting read.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the Moonbear series featuring the idea of shadow. It's certainly a wonderful series with cute story line.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many words per page for my preschoolers.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moonbear is always fun and entertaining.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear did not realize that his shadow was a part of him, really. It's a cute book and it was cute to see the ways Bear tried getting rid of his shadow.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute!

[Grandma M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get tired of these Frank Asch books. Maybe if the science is discussed...

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This led to a good conversation about what shadows are.

[Lina (Carlina) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and funny.

[Carla H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a clever and helpful book for a children's program we did using a solar telescope. The preschool children were able to answer several questions correctly as we read the book.

[neen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids were less interested but I’ve watched the scholastic dvd which included “happy birthday moon,” so I was captivated.

[Alexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

super fun illustrations with hidden pictures

[Asha Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was super cute. This bear can not get rid of his shadow. The Shadow follows him everywhere and is interfering with Bear catching his fish. So the Bear tries everything to get rid of his shadow but it seems impossible. Finally bear gives up and decides to catch his fish but he allows the shadow to catch a fish too and they are both happy.

This is good book to teach about shadows in science. And how when the sun is at certain parts of the sky a person will be to see his shadows at times.

[Brian Drew]

This book is about a bear wanting to lose his shadow. He tries everything, he tries running from it, nailing it to the ground, climbing a cliff, and even tries to nail it down. Eventually he tries to burry it and it works because of where the sun is in the sky. He thinks it works and takes a nap. when he wakes up the shadow is back and he continues to fish and they both catch a big fish.

I liked this book because I can see a lot of kids at a young age try to get away from their shadow

I would use this in my classroom to teach kids about shadows and how they are always next to you.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

All this time, I remembered it as Bear's Shadow. This was one of my favorite books when I was in Kinder or 1st grade. I can't recall which. The book I repeatedly checked out of the library had a beautiful blue hardcover. I was horrified when I left it in my backyard after reading it one day because it rained and the book was ruined. I know this isnt a review, but this book it probably the first book I remember rereading. I have to get a copy.

[Megan MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A silly book to read, especially when the class is learning about positions of the sun and moon and what happens when they are in different parts of the sky. This book is educational, yet funny at the same time. In this book, Bear cannot get rid of his shadow. He tries to chase it, bury it, and hide from it, but Shadow will not disappear-until the sun moves..Why is that? Read this funny, relatable book to find out!