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Reviewed by: I Am Friendly: Confessions of a Helpful Bear by Kristen Tracy Meg Cornell Tracy, Kristen I Am Friendly: Confessions of a Helpful Bear; illus. by Erin Kraan. Farrar, 2024 40p Trade ed. ISBN 9780374391188 18. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-8 yrs This chuckle-inducing picture book opens on a big, clawed bear reassuring the reader: "Don't look at me and think I am ferocious. . . I am friendly. I've been thoughtful my whole life. " She then proceeds to show the reader just some of the thoughtfulness she brings to the forest—galloping at high speeds to help a seemingly abandoned baby deer (who is rightly terrified) only to find a mother already close by, or ripping a chokecherry tree from the dirt and shaking it out over the head of an already-snacking elk. As the berry-and-branch bedecked elk turns his splattered face away in disdain, the friendly bear shrugs, affably oblivious to the reception her help seems to be getting: "I guess you can't please everybody. " Not that this attitude stops her from extending more "helping paws'' to her fellow fauna; she covers up a dangerous burrow hole so a poor rabbit won't fall in and supportively assists a badger in finding some honey (and its accompanying swarm of bees). Kids will find themselves delightedly in on the joke of contrary situations and deciduous-forest disarray created by our shambolic bearoine, and Kraan's illustrations, employing a mix of woodcut prints, gouache paint, and digital collage bring the bear's exploits to life in all their goofy glory. Shaggy, unkempt fur in shades of umber and sandy brown begs for a scruffle, and a bottom-heavy design paired with breezy, beartoothed smiles evoke a lumbering loveability, even as panicked marmosets flee the scene. Ending in a cheerful bear hug and a wish for readers to "sleep tight. . . And remember to dream with all your might, " this book is an excellent read-aloud for getting the last of the day's giggles out before a peaceful hibernation. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Meg Cornell (Tue,) studied this question.