ALA Booklist (Wed Sep 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Brown Bear proudly proclaims, "I AM THE ONLY BEAR IN THIS BOOK!" That announcement stands unchallenged for a second or two, until Polar Bear strides through the forest and points out the physical features he and Brown Bear share. Brown Bear allows him to stay, as long as Polar Bear doesn't stray from his side of the page. But as soon as he yells, "We are the only two bears in this book," American Black Bear climbs down from a tree. One by one, Sloth Bear, Spectacled Bear, Sun Bear, Giant Panda, and Asiatic Black Bear enter, introduce themselves, and join the fun. When an octopus arrives, disguised as a bear, the others point out what they share that he lacks. Facts about the world's eight bear species are woven into the text. Reflecting the amusing tone of the characters' banter while clearly showing the bears' varied physical features, the digital art boosts the book's appeal. This companion volume to Holub and Keller's I Am the Shark (2021) offers a lively look at the world's bears.

Horn Book (Thu Sep 07 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Holub and Keller (I Am the Shark!, rev. 7/21) are back with another apex-predator smackdown. Brown Bear boldly asserts that it's "the only bear in this book," a statement quickly challenged by Polar Bear. While Polar Bear has "paws and claws. Fur too," the fact that it lives in a snowy climate seems suspect to temperate-climate-dwelling Brown Bear. How can they both be bears? After they compare physical adaptations, diet, and behaviors, Brown Bear lets Polar Bear stay. "We are the only two bears in this book!" Not so fast! They're joined by six more bears, each one providing a species-specific description of its attributes. American Black Bear is "a great tree-climber, thanks to my strong, short, curved claws." Sloth Bear's claws are "good for ripping into trees and mounds to find insects." Keller's collage illustrations (traditional and digital) match the energy of Holub's good-natured text and make the goofy-looking bears easily distinguishable. When a suspicious eight-armed, tentacled "bear" tries to join the group, the bears unite and draw up a definitive list of "Eight Things That Make a Bear a Bear." A final double-page spread provides more information about each bear (and one octopus...and one not-a-bear koala); a list of related books and websites is appended. Will readers like this book? "Duh. Does a bear poop in the woods?" Kitty Flynn

Kirkus Reviews

Bears strut their stuff in this species overview.This tongue-in-cheek introduction to the bear family follows the pattern of the creators' I Am the Shark (2021). Each bear believes it is unique but discovers other ursine species. In order, readers meet a brown bear, a polar bear, an American black bear, a sloth bear, a spectacled bear, a sun bear, a giant panda, and an Asiatic black bear. Readers learn about their distinguishing physical features, habits and habitats, and favorite foods. Finally, a bear-masked octopus tries to join the group, which leads to them discussing bears' many similarities, including general shape, four five-clawed paws, fur, speed, curiosity, good sense of smell, big appetite, and shared membership in the mammal family. The author concludes with a summary of the eight species and reminders that bears can be dangerous but are also threatened around the world. Lighthearted collage illustrations feature cartoon animals with large eyes and clear facial expressions as well as body language. Readers and lapsitters will be particularly amused by the extra details-such as other animals-but the illustrations are large enough to show to a group as well. The design makes good use of the suspense of page turns to keep the narrative flowing. This should appeal to the same audience that enjoys Maxwell Eaton's The Truth About Bears (2018), which boasts a similar mix of fact and fantasy. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Informative and bear-y funny. (further reading, websites) (Informational picture book. 5-9)