The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest

By Oren Lavie and Wolf Erlbruch

A delightful children’s book “filled with surreal gags about prepositions and adverbs, cheerful absurdity, and down the rabbit hole-style musings” (School Library Journal).

One day, a few minutes after Once Upon a Time, a bear awakes to find he has lost something very important: himself! He sets out into the Fabulous Forest to find himself, using only a few clues scrawled on a piece of paper: the bear he's looking for is a nice bear; he is a happy bear; and he’s very handsome too! These sound like pretty good qualities to Bear, and so begins his memorable journey. With the help of critters like the Convenience Cow, the Lazy Lizard, the Turtle Taxi, and the Penultimate Penguin, Bear finds that he himself is just what he’s been looking for all along: a nice, happy bear—and handsome too!

“A melding of Phantom Tollbooth logic, Alice in Wonderland whimsy, and peppered with a cast of unforgettable Little Prince like characters . . . You can’t help fall into the imaginative world of this delightfully clever picture book.” —BookBloom

“Irresistible.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

“Gentle wordplay and Lewis Carroll-like paradoxes . . . Everything is new to Bear, and his discoveries will delight readers.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Erlbruch's playful, distinctive illustrations . . . are sublime.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Young readers with a philosophical nature and an appreciation for provocative silliness will be especially gratified by Bear's self-discovery . . . The Fabulous Forest effectively evokes a fairy tale feel, and Bear, a portly fellow with huge eyes, a bright red mouth, and colorful flecks in his black fur, is loveable at first sight.” —New York Journal of Books

• Language: English
• Publisher: Akashic Books
• Release date: Oct 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781617755156

Book preview

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Reviews for The Bear Who Wasn't There

[ms3elkins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a whimsical story about an itch that turns into an unusual bear. The bear's adventures lead him to discover he is very nice, happy and very handsome. This large format book has enchanting pictures and a slightly odd story that will appeal to imaginative children.

[ladyd_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant work with a masterful balance of musical wordplay and beautiful, detailed golden pictures! The book is perfectly written for a child's imaginative understanding and the poetic prose will delight adults also. You see, the main character is a very positive bear who is happy and nice. Oh, and he's handsome, too! He seems to have forgotten himself and sets out on a journey moving forward to finding himself with the help of Turtle Taxi. The story moves along quite nicely as the author introduces bear to some fabulous forest friends; Convenience Cow, Lazy Lizard, and Penultimate Penguin. Ah... the path of self-discovery is a beautiful thing! You'll feel so at home with this one. Get it and guaranteed, you just might read it every night at bedtime. It's that great. Bravo!

[c5ibarra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Some of the most gorgeously illustrated children's books have showed up in my mailbox recently. The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest might be the best though. And the title isn't lying. The forest seriously is fabulous. Bear has forgotten himself. He searches for the answer to his identity with a list of clues that include:1. I am a very nice bear2. I am a happy bear3. Very handsome tooAlong the way he meets a cast of interesting, some nice and some not so nice, characters. Adventures are had and I'm not kidding when I say I think I enjoyed this story even more than my kiddos.The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest is a fun book to read aloud to preschoolers-early elementary. It has the kind of humor that will entertain children and parents alike. I wouldn't mind exploring this wacky forest again and again with the bear who wasn't there.

[lynette.williams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A whimsical story of an Itch that develops into a bear. As he rambles through the fabulous forest on an adventure of self-discovery, the reader gets a beautifully unique view of the world around him. The bear finally discovers that he is himself, but then he had a feeling he was. He felt familiar.My children (6 & 8) and I enjoyed this book very much. We chuckled and smiled with surprise and delight. The illustrations support the text nicely, helping us envision the very nice, happy bear who is very handsome, too.(It does include an animal character who is smoking a cigar.)Highly recommended.I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

[shortwaveboy86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this is a picture book, the plot is too sophisticated for many children and adults. The illustrations are delightful, and, as other reviewers have noted, quirky. The plot, however, is highly philosophical and imaginative, which may trip up some readers. While I was disappointed that it was too deep for my small child, I recognize the depth of thought in the plot and would encourage older children and adults to give it a try.

[asbjorn.academy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! I think it's creative, thought provoking, and a bit philosophical even. The illustrations are whimsical and entertaining. For a US market it might be a little taboo for the frog to be smoking in a children's book. Not all children will love this book, but smart kids will.

[melodyreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unusual story, kind of like a bear through the looking glass.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Bear Who Wasn't There is quite possibly best described as a German Existential film in the form of a children's story about a bear. It starts with an itch that turns into a bear, which in turn becomes a quest of self identification. The story plays with a lot of ideas of self and being, and while it can be clever, it also can go over the target audience's head quite easily. Some parents may even be turned off by a page that depicts a lizard smoking a cigar.In the end, the story was clever, but at the same time, exceptionally weird. I'd recommend it for older readers, not because of any subject matter, but rather some of the mind-bending topics it covers. In the end, it's not for everybody, and possibly just worth getting from the library or flipping through at the bookstore. Then get it if you fall in love with the story. Otherwise, pass it on for something else.