Big Bear Hug

By Nicholas Oldland

A huge bear is wandering through the forest - but wait a minute! Who's that he's hugging? A beaver? And a moose? And a bird? And a tree?

Welcome to the world of Big Bear Hug, a contemporary fable about a bear who has an appetite for hugging everything in sight - even creatures that bears have been known to eat. One day, the benevolent bear meets up with a human. This human proceeds to do something the bear cannot understand: he raises his axe and begins to cut down a tree. Suddenly the bear doesn't feel like hugging anymore and must make a difficult decision on how to stop this destruction in his forest.

The environmental message of Big Bear Hug is both funny and powerful, while simple enough to engage very young children and show them the awesome power of a hug.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781554539093

Book preview

Reviews for Big Bear Hug

[Tanya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This Bear loved to play fortnite and he always won

[Loders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Bear was the best and the bird was cute

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You'd think this would be a a *big* picture-book, right? You'd be wrong. It's actually not much bigger than a typical Leveled Reader. Well, think about it. The bear is a tree-hugger. To make the book smaller is to save a fair bit of paper (and ink, and gas in the trucks that deliver the books, etc...). Sweet book. Apparently it's part of a series... I'll have to look for more....

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"There once was a bear so filled with love and happiness that whenever he roamed the forest and came across another living thing, he would give it a hug." Yes, this was a bear that believed in spreading the love, and he'd never met a creature he didn't want to embrace, whether moose or snake. He was especially fond of the trees: big and small, apple and pear, this bear "never met a tree he didn't like." And then one day, coming upon a man about to chop down one of the oldest, tallest, and loveliest trees in the forest, the bear suddenly didn't feel like hugging anymore...Canadian artist Nicholas Oldland's debut picture-book, Big Bear Hug reduces me to helpless giggling every time I read it. The startled (one might even say, distressed) expressions on the faces of the various creatures on the receiving end of the bear's big hugs are simply hysterical! The bear's enthusiasm - at one point he tries to hug a beaver and a tree at the same time - is delightful, and his solution to the problem of the would-be tree-chopper satisfying. A simple parable about loving the forest and its creatures, this little gem should appeal to any tree-hugger out there with a sense of humor!

[dangerlibearian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love this book, fun illustrations. Bear loves to give bear hugs, he hugs everything especially trees. When a mean lumberjack comes to cut down a tree, bear gives him a huge surprise, a huge bear hug.

[allawishus_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweet story about a big bear who likes to give big hugs. He hugs everything - trees, rabbits, snakes, etc. He especially loves trees and is a gentle soul, so when a man comes to the forest and starts to chop down a tree, it makes him angry. He's going to bite the man to stop him from hurting his tree-friends, but then reconsiders and hugs the man, instead. The man freaks out and runs away and the bear hugs the almost-chopped-down tree.So sweet! The bear is adorable in his various hugging incarnations - especially when he hugs a rather reluctant moose. I like the message about how his gentle nature overcomes his anger and I think it's important for kids to read and see examples of how to deal with anger. This book is a really positive, uplifiting, cute story. The illustrations are very simple and it would work well in a storytime.

[ringenka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very funny book, with cute illustrations, and a good message. Big Bear Hug is about a bear who loves to hug. The bear hugs animals but likes hugging trees the best. One day a man comes to the forest to cut down a very beautiful tree, and the bear does not feel like hugging at all. The illustrations in this book add a lot to the story; the animals being hugged have marvelously startled expressions, the bear’s behavior is a bit unexpected. The story has an environmental message without being preachy. I find Big Bear Hug to be delightful.

[montse2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story about a bear who loves hugging everthing and anything no matter the size of it, especially tree. But bears love of hugging is tested when a woods man comes into his forest carrying an ax.