How to Be Human: A Bear's Guide

by Sophia Kolinas, Aparna Varma (Illustrator)

Overview

A bear and a girl form an unlikely friendship as they show each other the important things in life

Once there was a bear who lived in a forest and did all the regular bear things. But as his home and the world around him change—fewer fish, fewer trees, and less quiet—he notices how tricky his life is becoming to maintain. The sensible thing to do is adapt, so the bear enlists the help of a little girl and asks her to teach him how to be human.

The unlikely duo works together to master the art of being human, but when the bear heads to the city to try out his new skills, nothing goes as planned. Back in the forest, the girl considers that maybe humans should learn from bears instead. So the bear shares his own unique knowledge with the girl, and she ultimately discovers that the Earth is a place of giving, where all living things breathe together.

Charming illustrations bring this story of cooperation and friendship to life, inviting readers to see the value of exchanging ideas and learning from others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771474948
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	03/14/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,106,375
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

SOPHIA KOLINAS is an elementary school teacher and artist from Toronto, Ontario whose work can also be found in Chirp magazine. She loves storytelling, adventuring in the green, and planting flowers for the bees that visit her garden. When she's not teaching or creating, Sophia is working on her Freeze Dance moves. (She isn't fluent in Bear…yet.) How to Be Human: A Bear's Guide is her debut picture book.

APARNA VARMA is an illustrator for books and stationery with a bright sense of color and humor. Born and brought up in India, she spent many of her formative years in Botswana, Africa. She also works as a creative producer in animation and currently dreams and draws in Toronto, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

"This picture book brings a timely message about what it means to work with the natural world to a young audience through an age-appropriate, expertly pitched, and well emoted story."

Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database

"A sweet and compelling story, How to be Human presents a refreshing approach to picture books within the environmentalist genre without being overbearing or didactic."

Canadian Review of Materials

"This sweet and charming story about friendship convincingly emphasizes the importance of being bear-y good stewards of nature."

Booklist

"Young readers will be enticed by the telling illustrations that show the importance of working together for the greater good."

Sal's Fiction Addiction

2023-02-08
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

Ah, the idyllic life of a bear: scratching on trees, fishing in rivers, taking a snooze. But this particular bear is finding all his activities thwarted by human encroachment. Luckily, he stumbles across a girl dressed as some sort of scout, out with a group of similarly dressed children, who speaks bear and is willing to teach him the ropes of being human. But while he masters thumb wars, cooperation, and hide-and-seek, these skills fail to help him feel at home in the city, and the pair run back to the forest. The girl realizes that perhaps the bear has it backward, and she learns “the smell of a summer sky just before it rains” and other nature skills but especially the idea that the Earth is meant for sharing. Together with her scout group, they join with the bear to start working on a space for everyone to enjoy. And while each continues to be good at being their own species, they will always remain friends. Varma’s adorable cartoon illustrations highlight the ursine-girl relationship while at the same time showing humans’ lack of care for the natural world: tree stumps, garbage, loud traffic. The unnamed girl is tan-skinned with short dark hair; her friends are diverse. While backmatter might have been welcome, Kolinas gets her message across without it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Perhaps the Earth would be better off if humans were more like animals. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews