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Lonesome Bear
One morning when Bear wakes up, Clara is missing. He searches the house for her. He calls and calls her name, but no one answers. So Bear sets out to find her. He is helped by an abandoned bunny and an independent stray cat who tries to convince Bear of the joys of being on his own. Bear knows better. Clara loves him and he loves Clara, and without her he is a very lonesome bear. Beginning readers will relate to Bear, whether they were introduced to him in Bear at the Beach and Used-Up Bear, or are meeting this engaging hero for the first time.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
48 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2001
About the author
Clay Carmichael
12 books111 followersBecause I can't always remember titles or I forget to email when people are kind enough to ask "What are you reading?"
Below are a few I've recently liked--or loved--some new, some not.
And I only review or archive books I like or love. Literature is a wildly subjective enterprise; one person's least favorite book may be a book someone else loves best of all.
"Be gentle with one another's efforts. Be kind and considerate with your criticism. Always remember that it's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." -Malcolm Cowley
Below are a few I've recently liked--or loved--some new, some not.
And I only review or archive books I like or love. Literature is a wildly subjective enterprise; one person's least favorite book may be a book someone else loves best of all.
"Be gentle with one another's efforts. Be kind and considerate with your criticism. Always remember that it's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book." -Malcolm Cowley
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 10, 2019
The somewhat insecure ursine hero of Clay Carmichael's
Bear at the Beach
and
Used-Up Bear
returns in this third adventure, waking up one day to find that his human companion, Clara, is missing. Searching high and low, but unable to locate her, Bear eventually enlists the aid of an abandoned bunny and a stray cat who believes (or pretends to believe) that it is better to be on one's own. Bear knows better, of course, continuing his search, and eventually the cat knows better as well...
Anyone who read Carmichael's middle-grade novel, Wild Things , and fell in love with the stray cat, Mr. C'Mere, will instantly recognize the feline character in Lonesome Bear. I understand that the author/artist used her own cat as a model for Mr. C'Mere, and it would appear that she had done so before! Just as with the two previous installments of Bear's adventures, this was a rather melancholy book - the scene in which Bear speaks longingly of Clara's love for him, the bunny mentions the lost love of his boy, and the cat reflects on the fact that no one loves him (!), is particularly sad - although the conclusion offers a satisfactorily happy resolution.
With a gentle tale of love and reassurance, and charming watercolor illustrations, this little book would be an ideal selection for the young reader who feels a little lost, and wonders whether or not she is truly loved. Now, if only Clay Carmichael would create more of these charming picture-books - three is not enough!
Anyone who read Carmichael's middle-grade novel, Wild Things , and fell in love with the stray cat, Mr. C'Mere, will instantly recognize the feline character in Lonesome Bear. I understand that the author/artist used her own cat as a model for Mr. C'Mere, and it would appear that she had done so before! Just as with the two previous installments of Bear's adventures, this was a rather melancholy book - the scene in which Bear speaks longingly of Clara's love for him, the bunny mentions the lost love of his boy, and the cat reflects on the fact that no one loves him (!), is particularly sad - although the conclusion offers a satisfactorily happy resolution.
With a gentle tale of love and reassurance, and charming watercolor illustrations, this little book would be an ideal selection for the young reader who feels a little lost, and wonders whether or not she is truly loved. Now, if only Clay Carmichael would create more of these charming picture-books - three is not enough!
March 9, 2011
I fell in love with Bear and this sweet story about companionship and being a lone and the joys and sorrows of each. When bear can't find his little girl in the morning, he sets out to find her. He meets a bunny who is missing her family and a stray cat who thinks he is perfectly happy on his own (you are so much more "free" on your own, but then things aren't always better that way...) Together, they look for the little girl.
I was afraid this might go the "Toy Story" route where the bear is neglected because the little girl has grown-up but I am glad to say the story did not go in that direction and I think the result is more suitable for children while still overflowing with gentle and heartfelt wisdom we adults can appreciate, too!
Thanks to my friends Lisa and Abigail for bringing Clay Carmichael's books to my attention. I'll definitely be on the look-out for her other bear books (I realize that this is the third one but it was available at the library, so...)
I was afraid this might go the "Toy Story" route where the bear is neglected because the little girl has grown-up but I am glad to say the story did not go in that direction and I think the result is more suitable for children while still overflowing with gentle and heartfelt wisdom we adults can appreciate, too!
Thanks to my friends Lisa and Abigail for bringing Clay Carmichael's books to my attention. I'll definitely be on the look-out for her other bear books (I realize that this is the third one but it was available at the library, so...)
February 23, 2011
I love these bear books by Clay Carmichael, and I hope she writes and illustrates many more of them. They would have been favorites of mine when I was young, and I am a fan of them now.
With this one I started off giggling, as the title page shows bear with a lost poster with his girl Clara on it. Most of the story brought me nearly to tears, as bear, and then rabbit and cat, mull over what it is to be lost and alone. I worried about rabbit and the cat, but I was sure bear would have a happy ending, and it turns out also a humorous ending. The entire ending is very satisfying. I love how this book, in a very wise and pithy and gentle way, is able to say so much about independence vs. intimacy.
This is a lovely book with pictures that perfectly match the story.
4 ½ stars
With this one I started off giggling, as the title page shows bear with a lost poster with his girl Clara on it. Most of the story brought me nearly to tears, as bear, and then rabbit and cat, mull over what it is to be lost and alone. I worried about rabbit and the cat, but I was sure bear would have a happy ending, and it turns out also a humorous ending. The entire ending is very satisfying. I love how this book, in a very wise and pithy and gentle way, is able to say so much about independence vs. intimacy.
This is a lovely book with pictures that perfectly match the story.
4 ½ stars
March 10, 2011
While reading this I was so reminded of the likes of the "Velveteen Rabbit" and the Disney/Pixar "Toy Story" films (maybe the book, too, but since I haven't read it, I can't say for sure).
Here, Bear has woken up to find he's slid down between the bed and the wall, and by the time he crawls up his Clara has gone!
Bear tries to find Clara and finds along the way other Lonesome creatures - a Bunny, and a Cat.
The ending is very satisfying and just another reason why I still have all my childhood toys.
I loved the sweet and simple illustrations which perfectly matched the sweet and simple text.
This book is a great fit for someone like me, and I'd definitely recommend it!
Here, Bear has woken up to find he's slid down between the bed and the wall, and by the time he crawls up his Clara has gone!
Bear tries to find Clara and finds along the way other Lonesome creatures - a Bunny, and a Cat.
The ending is very satisfying and just another reason why I still have all my childhood toys.
I loved the sweet and simple illustrations which perfectly matched the sweet and simple text.
This book is a great fit for someone like me, and I'd definitely recommend it!
July 22, 2024
soft, gentle, and heartfelt, with flat repetitive art that becomes comforting as the pages go on. carmichael uses pale lilac and light yellow for many of her backgrounds and her lost little polar bear contrasts very cutely.
June 18, 2019
I wasn't a huge fan of the illustration style, but the story is delightfully clever and big-hearted, and there's a very happy and humane ending.
August 10, 2011
Clay Carmichael's books about a little stufflng bear are wonderful: gentle, kind, and written with deep affection. I'm a great fan of her little bear, and I keep all three of these books with me on my shelves.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews