Reviews

• セピア色の絵が味わい深い1953年のコールデコットメダル受賞作品

  語数 1,030 YL 1.6 Johnny Orchard少年が暮らす村は、渓谷にあり、周囲はは森に囲まれていま した。この村では、森でしばしば現れる熊の毛皮を家の壁に貼り、大きな熊 を仕留めたことが武勇伝とされる雰囲気がある一方、Johnnyの家には熊の毛皮 もなく、武勇伝もなく、そんな家に暮らすJohnnyは、何か侮辱されたような 劣等感を抱いていました…。 そしてある日、Johnnyは猟銃を持ち、熊を仕留めようと森の奥深くに入って いきました。すると、森の茂みから出てきたのは、可愛らしいこぐまでした。 おなかを空かせていたこのこぐまに、Johnnyはポケットに入っていたメープル シュガーを与え、家に抱きかかえて連れて帰ります。Johnnyは次第にこの こぐまに情を傾けていきますが、こぐまの食欲は旺盛で、どんどん体が大きく なっていくこの熊は、やがて村中で大きな問題を引き起こしていきます…。 Johnnyは、大人たちの説得もあり、この大きくなりすぎた熊を、森に返すこと にしますが…。 Johnnyの気持ちがよく伝わってきて、こぐまを抱きかかえて家に戻る絵や、大 きくなりすぎた熊とお別れをする時の絵は特に印象的です。1953年のコールデ コット金賞受賞作品で日本語では『おおきくなりすぎたくま』の邦題で翻訳版 が刊行されています。素敵な絵本です。

• 心あたたまる物語

  谷で一番大きな熊をしとめたいと思う、Johnny少年。森に入って彼が見つけたのはかわいい熊でした。しかし、熊はどんどん成長するのです。彼の友達と彼が見つけた結末は。 Johnny少年が子供らしい憧れで熊を捕まえるところもかわいいのですが、成長していく熊との騒動がどきどきします。これではどうなってしまうのか？最後まで読者をひきつける展開だと思います。熊の絵もどこかユーモラス。白黒の絵ですが、決してさみしくはないと思います。 何度か繰り返して読みたくなる一冊ですね。

• Heart-warming story of a young boy in a rural setting and the relationship they have with hunting bears. Beautiful illustrations accompany it. Have gifted it many times for a newborn and it is always loved by all - parents and older siblings….and eventually the baby too:)

• Why I Choose this Book Sniff. Sniff. This book takes me back to my childhood in a glorious rush. A beautiful childhood, by the way, filled with playing in the woods and then cuddling up with Mom and my siblings at night to get a bedtime story. The Biggest Bear was one of our often-chosen books. We all loved it so much that several years ago I think about half of our family gave each other copies for Christmas. What I Thought about this Book I don't have any documentation, but I think I probably cried over this book and most likely more than once. It's practically as perfect as books get. The story is short but has the ability to draw you in from the very beginning. The antics of the bear took turns making me giggle, feel horrified and dream of one day having a wild pet of my own. (That desire was eventually transferred from bear to coyote and eventually dropped altogether... Unless you consider my dream for a de-scented skunk to be relevant.) The illustrations are also amazing. I really like how they are in brown and white. It gives the book an old feeling that matches the story perfectly. The drawings are also very detailed and I used to dream of being able to create such lovely visuals. Conclusion This is another one of those books that is simply amazing and I'm so thankful to authors who write like this. Rating I'm giving The Biggest Bear five stars and recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good story.

• Lynd Ward's classic "The Biggest Bear" is one of of those books almost every little boy growing up in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's would have read and loved. The sepia-toned illustrations are incredible, and the story of a boy who raises a bear cub that grows up to be a behemoth that cannot be controlled is the kind of story that never disappointed. In a modern context, however, I am not sure if a lot of modern parents and their children will appreciate it. In our politically correct culture the story's ending involves the young boy loading a shotgun to "take down" his old and beloved friend (you can see the boy, Johnny, holding the gun on the book's cover.) While the kids of my generation would have seen that as just part of the reality of the world, obviously the newer generations look at themes like this in a totally different light. The story ends without bloodshed, but I'm not sure if that matters to a lot of people nowadays. It's too bad. This is a great book, and it deserves its place in the sun, even as it approaches its 70th anniversary. Confronting difficult choices in life is always a superb story line in any children's book, and will make any little boy or girl able to see that life isn't always easy. Responsibility was just as tough in 1952 as it is today.

• Remember reading this book many,many years ago, so I ordered a copy for our grand-kids to read.

• Great story of times past. Love this book !

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