Bear by Ben Queen

Patrick is a young man who is blind and Bear is his guide dog. Suddenly one day, Bear loses his sight as well. A raccoon living beneath the floorboards tricks Bear into coming into the woods with him, where he abandons Bear. Bear befriends an actual bear who helps him eventually find his way back to Patrick. After bringing Bear to the vet who performs an operation, Bear regains his sight.

Best suited for children 8-12.

This large-form graphic novel is a sweet story of a loyal dog who has his life turned upside down and perseveres to do what he can for the human he loves. The reader quickly grows fond of Bear, his imagination, and his determination. Because Bear goes blind, the illustrator is able to play with the visuals of the scene, showing us the reality of the situation as well as what Bear is visualizing, which can be a humorous difference sometimes.

All of the characters have endearing qualities about them, and the reader is cheering for the satisfying ending given, after a couple of twists and turns. There is a lovely balance of humor, adventure, and relationship that makes this a refreshing graphic novel choice. The illustration style is minimalistic and simple, but likely to resonate with many children.

Language:
The phrase “saving your butt” is used.
When describing a Christmas tree, Bear says, “The ones I restrain myself from peeing on for a full month?”
A bear jokingly says he will “crush [Bear] like a strawberry.”

Questionable Behaviors:
The raccoon lies to Bear to get him away from the house and leaves him in the woods.

Sexual Content:
Patrick is depicted with his shirt off, getting out of bed, twice. His underwear is not shown.

Other Things to Know:
Although we find out it’s a lie, the raccoon talks about magic being in the woods. The bears also briefly mention magic spells.
There is a pile of what appears to be human bones in the bear’s den.
Sometimes the things Bear imagines are slightly scarier than the reality. (See photos.)
Bear accidentally and briefly stumbles into a yoga class.

A few of the intense pictures:

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