A review by mat_tobin
A Beginner's Guide to Bear Spotting by Michelle Robinson

5.0

Breaking that fourth wall right down, this book has a fascinating relationship between narrator and protagonist and it is great to see this relationship building in early picturebooks (This Book Ate My Dog is another that springs to mind). In this book, part story/part field notes, a young lad with a quick sense of humour and wit heads off into the woods to look for bears (or, at least, be wary of them). What follows is a series of encounters in which neither the narrator nor the field guide seem to prove to be of any use. Full of tongue-in-cheek comedy and a wonderful read aloud, I particularly loved the final page which reminded me so much of The Well-Mannered Young Wolf.