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Nobody likes being stared at - as Bear soon finds out!
Duncan Beedie has been doodling and drawing since way back in the
early 1980s, lying on the living room floor, grasping a felt tip in
his clammy little fist. He began his career animating children's TV
before branching into design for websites, games and apps. These
days he's a freelance illustrator based in Bristol, grasping a
fancy digital stylus in his clammy fist instead, although he no
longer lies on the floor to draw. He has a desk in a studio that
overlooks the city. It's much more accommodating than nylon shag
pile.
Duncan's second picture book is The Lumberjack's Beard - available
now.
Duncan said: "I like drawing animals with unusual expressions, I
don't like drawing anything cute, and that's why I drew the bear
staring."
*Gloucester Citizen*
The Bear Who Stared is an enjoyable tale from Duncan Beedie. It's a
picture book with a heart, and the ability to make you smile.
The Bear Who Stared is a very endearing tale, beautiful to read out
loud. The wonderfully thick pages are adorned with Beedle's
gorgeous illustrations - you can't help but fall in love with that
bear!
*My Book Corner*
This is the first picture book by Duncan Beedie - The Bear Who
Stared. Off the bat, I like the title and how that sits above the
image of the bear staring (somewhat confused) out of the book at
the reader.
A great book for us parents out there with embarrassing children
who like stare.
*Magpie That*
If you want to read the winning, first picture book of a fresh and
interesting, new talent read The Bear Who Stared. The book
(anti-stare, pro-smile - if you are keeping tabs) very gently
suggests to children that pushing the boundaries of social norms
can have consequences. The illustrations are bright and engaging.
There is a terrifically grumpy badger and a happy ending. What more
can you ask for*?
*Two in a TeePee*
A cunningly illustrated book that explains the rudeness of staring,
but also provides the explanation for it - a bear who is too shy to
speak. Beginning - 'There was once a bear who liked to stare', the
book then zooms in on the bear's eyes to show him staring out at
the reader.
It's a simply told tale, but highly effective because of the
clarity of the illustrations - the floating expressive eyebrows,
the constant zooming in to the animals' bodies, the lines
indicating fur.
Rich in vocabulary - 'gawked', 'trudged', 'strolled', and with many
mentions of natural curiosity, this is a quiet message about
politeness with an adorable bear.
*Minerva Reads*
With charming illustrations to complement the text, this is a
lovely story about making friends and overcoming shyness.
*Parents in Touch*
After enjoying the story of Jim in The Lumberjack's Beard we were
so happy to get our paws on a copy Duncan Beedie's first picture
book, The Bear Who Stared. Published by TemplarPublishing, this
book has been shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book
Prize 2017.
In this story we meet a rather shy and awkward bear. Unsure of how
to break the ice with his fellow forest dwellers this bear stares.
He stares and stares. Naturally, all this staring makes everyone
uneasy; the ladybirds shouted at him, the birds shooed him away and
badger even took to biting him on the end of his nose.
Sad and alone, the bear sits by the side of a pond and meets a wise
frog who shows him the power of smiling.
The next day he tries it out, smiling his way around the forest.
Sure enough his smile lands him more friends than his stares and he
even manages to keep the end of his nose safe too.
Beautifully illustrated, in shades of orange and green, Duncan
Beedie has skilfully created a serene and untouched forest setting
for this story. The animals are so expressive with their big round
eyes and eyebrows that seem to work completely separately from
their bodies.
My one-year-old likes the page where the badger has bitten the
bear's nose and always goes to rub it better on the picture. This
is my four-year-old's favourite page, a close up of the bear
staring!
We all find ourselves in the same boat as this bear from time to
time; struggling to think of the right thing to say, a clever thing
to say or just something to say at all. This would be a perfect
book to help children who are nervous of making new friends or even
to support others to understand how being shy makes someone
feel.
A stand-out book with endearing characters that tackles a sensitive
issue with consideration and charm.
*Acorn Books Blog*
Duncan Beedie's early career was as an animator in children's TV
and he then branched into design, illustration and animation for
websites, games and educational apps. This is his first picture
book and seems to reflect these influences as he uses a retro
drawing style with strong blocks of colour and simple shapes.
There is something rather endearing about this particular bear who
stares out steadily at the reader from the front cover. He reminds
me of several serious faced young children that I have come across
over the years who become so inexplicably fascinated by a person
that they fix on them and even crane their necks to keep them in
view for as long as possible. What exactly are they looking at?
Have they detected some magical quality that adults cannot see? I
have occasionally been the subject of this stare which can be very
uncomfortable and disconcerting, especially if one laughs it off
and attempts some jolly banter as this seems to make the stare even
more intense.We are drawn into his hypnotic stare with a double
page spread that importantly just shows his eyes. The bear is very
lonely and so makes several overtures to other creatures in the
forest disturbing a family of ladybirds enjoying their very
civilized looking picnic breakfast on a large leaf. I love the
humorous detail here as one is about to eat a croissant, another
has a piece of toast and another has a boiled egg. They clearly
can't relax and so pack up and scuttle off to escape his stare.
Another memorable moment is when the bear interrupts a very grumpy
badger who is busy shaving and so he is bitten on the nose in true
cartoon style (my two year old granddaughter's favourite part).The
bear's anti -social problems are eventually sorted out by a frog
who spots him staring forlornly into a pond, trying to make sense
of his green reflection. He explains to him that he is just being
curious and doesn't mean to offend anyone. The frog suggests that
he needs to change his expression and try to smile if he wants to
make friends. In time honoured picture book tradition, this simple
solution means that the second part of the story allows him to
revisit all the previously unfriendly creatures who respond very
positively to his new demeanour. But he is obviously a bear who is
given to introspection, so occasionally spends time staring at his
own reflection in the pond, and there is nothing wrong with
that.This is an excellent picture book with a very pleasing
uncluttered design and composition that rather reminds me of the
iconic Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins. It certainly deserves its
nomination for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, 2017.
*Letter Press Project*
If there's one way to bribe BookBairn into reviewing your book
first, it's by sending her chocolate in the post along with her
book (see the video below). She was more than delighted to get a
little chocolate bear with her copy of 'The Bear Who Stared' by
Duncan Beedie. But in all seriousness this one probably jumped to
the top of the list because I was able to read it with her straight
away as she munched on the chocolate (there are not many times she
chooses to sit still during the day: when eating, watching TV or
reading but best chances are when you combine two of those listed,
and lets face it you can't read and watch TV at the same time!).
And because we were able to read this one as soon as it arrived
(which isn't true for all our book post) it has really captured her
imagination!I love the message of this story. Learning to make
friends can be hard, and knowing what to say can be nerve-wracking.
(Whether you are an adult or a child!) But being armed with a great
smile really can break the ice. And what a great thing to teach
little ones. BookBairn has certainly learned to charm grown-ups
with her smile. She flashes her pearly-whites whenever she can,
especially if I'm trying to encourage her to say "hello" or
"goodbye" but she's feeling shy and keeps quiet - she will usually
give a grin instead!The illustrations are, without a doubt, the bit
that BookBairn loves the most. First I should point out that the
bear is orange, her favourite colour, and so instantly appeals. She
is also a huge fan of the frog and likes to turn the pages to find
him.The illustrations are simple allowing the main characters to
stand out. I really like books that don't over-detail the
background as they allow younger children to focus on the real
story-telling action rather than being distracted by other extra
details. Also, you can read the emotion on the characters' faces
with ease. You don't need to read the words to see how they are
feeling: another element that supports younger readers in
understanding the story. That's not to say it wouldn't also appeal
to early school-aged children as there is lots to discuss. Our only
criticism is that I feel the book is a little too long for
BookBairn, we've only managed to read it cover to cover a few times
as we get near the end and she wants to go back to the beginning or
back to her favourite page with the frog.This would make a
wonderful gift for children who are struggling with shyness, or are
about to go into a new situation like starting nursery or school,
or if like BookBairn you are a fan or green goggly-eyed frogs or
orange bears!
This book will certainly bring a smile to your face! And if in
doubt, enjoy reading it with a chocolate bear - that did the trick
with BookBairn!
*Bookbairn*
The Bear Who Stared is an enjoyable tale from Duncan Beedle. It's a
picture book with a heart, and the ability to make you smile. The
Bear Who Stared is a very endearing tale, beautiful to read out
loud. The wonderfully thick pages are adorned with Beedle's
gorgeous illustrations - you can't help but fall in love with that
bear!
*My Book Corner*
The striking illustrations and wonderful facial expressions really
grabbed the attention of my pre-schooler (the goggly-eyed frog
being a particular favourite.) A simple and heart-warming story
which would be the perfect tool to help young children learn how to
make friends with others. Never underestimate the power of a
smile.
*Library Girl and Book Boy*
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