The Dancing Bear

by Michael Morpurgo

Overview

A poignant coming-of-age tale about a mountain-village girl and a bear – a tale of love, sacrifice and the challenge of making the right choices

‘Incredibly poignant . . . An utter delight’ LoveReading4Kids

High in the mountains, in a tiny village, an abandoned bear cub is adopted by lonely orphan Roxanne.

The two soon become best friends: inseparable and beloved by the whole village – until the arrival of a glamorous film crew who are looking for a dancing bear . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780008728199
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/11/2025
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.19(d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE FRSL FKC DL is a writer, playwright, performer and librettist. The author of more than 150 children’s books, he has sold over 35 million copies worldwide and in almost 40 languages. A former teacher and vocal spokesperson for the benefits of reading for pleasure, he is currently the President of Book Trust. Between 2003–2005 he was Children’s Laureate and in 2018 he was knighted for services to literature and charity. Many of Michael’s books have been adapted for stage and screen, including the phenomenal National Theatre adaptation of War Horse, which has been seen by over 10 million people in over 100 cities around the world, broke the West End record for weekly ticket sales, and won 5 Tony Awards and 2 Olivier Awards. Michael is also the co-founder, with his wife Clare, of the charity Farms for City Children.

Editorial Reviews

‘Incredibly poignant . . . An utter delight’
LoveReading4Kids

‘It’s rare to find a story that combines so successfully a contemporary plot and modern morality with a feel for legend and fairy tale’
She Magazine

From the Publisher

Readers of Morpurgo's Waiting for Anya (1990), which also featured an orphaned bear cub, may feel this novella is set in the same tiny, sheepherding village in the French Pyrenees. Roxanne, a sweet girl who sings like an angel, adopts a gentle abandoned cub that adores her. Years later, when a famous pop singer and his entourage arrive to make a music video based on "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," Roxanne is given a starring role; she is soon charmed away to a life of fame and fortune, leaving her beloved bear behind. The morning after her departure, the bear is found dead, upright in his cage as if staring after Roxanne.

This is an affecting story, certainly, but the bear's sudden death is melodramatic, and Roxanne is such a sympathetic character that her sudden neglect of home ties is scarcely credible. However, the Pied Piper theme is thoroughly developed, and the misty black- and-white drawings echo the pervasive melancholy of the text.

Kirkus Reviews