ACHUKA Book of the Day 21 Nov 2025
A welcome reissue of a book first published in 1976. This is a delightful small-format picture book from NYRB Kids.
It can be described as an ode to the beauty and simplicity of solitude. In a series of square format illustrations underpinned by just one or two lines of text per page, we follow Bear by himself from the country into town, from day to night, from adventure and contemplation to bedtime and dreamland. Through this journey, readers get to see how Bear’s senses are heightened and his imagination enriched by his ability to pause and enjoy the world around him.
First published by Harper & Row in 1976, this classic children”s picture book was Geoffrey Hayes’s first. Not to be confused with the UK’s Geoffrey Hayes, actor and presenter of the children’s programme Rainbow (and this bear is not Bungle), the American Hayes was successful author, illustrator, and cartoonist, best known for his Benny and Penny series. Bear and his adventures provide a much-needed example of how to have fun by yourself and explore the world around you, without the need for company.
Leave a Reply