Reviews

Bear Island by Matthew Cordell

cowboylucy's review against another edition

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4.0

A moving story about grief and healing.

librarydreams's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I honestly don't know what to say about this book. To start, Cordell's art was, as usual, engaging and emotive. He almost could have told this story without any words at all. There are some elements about the narrative that I really dislike, <spoilers>particularly when the family gets a new puppy. The implication seems to be that living beings are replaceable, though this is slightly mitigated by the fact that the puppy likes different things than the first dog</spoilers>. The interactions between the bear and Louise, however, get to the core of grief in a way that is both beautiful and heart-wrenching.

tessie72's review against another edition

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I love the illustrations.

readingthroughtheages's review against another edition

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5.0

Such an important book about grief and compassion and healing.

5elementknitr's review against another edition

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4.0

Lovely, simple art. I sometimes worry about stories like this that seem to tell kids it's perfectly safe and normal to approach wild animals, but the ending was a bit of a surprise here. (No mauling - hah!)

This book is a very nice look at dealing with grief.

the_lobrarian's review against another edition

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  •  Themes of dealing with pet loss

jshettel's review against another edition

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5.0

II’m not crying, you’re crying. A beautiful picture book about death and loss and working through the grieving process. Told in a metaphorical style with illustrations that match the tone.

etiberland's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm not crying, you're crying. A beautiful resonant, emotionally authentic and beautiful exploration of grief, family, nature and healing. Highly recommended for purchase for library and school collections, gifts, and yourself because you need it.

alexao's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

4.0

maidmarianlib's review

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4.0

Lovely sentiment about grief and moving forward, love the combination of words and wordless.