The Little Bear continues the charm and love that Killen’s books evoke

It’s a fine line between déjà Vous and going back to the well once too often. The process of critiquing that can get thrown a curve ball when you factor in that authors and illustrators have a style that they’re known for. Dance with who came with, goes the old adage. Nicola Killen has a way with illustrated books. Her drawings match the style and flow of each book of hers so perfectly that it’s a case of hand in a well-fitting glove. The Little Bear is the fourth book in the My Little Animal Friends series and has elements of what made the other three books such a joy, but blazes its own path for those young elementary school ages.

The Little Bear is literary comfort food that ages four and up will gobble down and ask for more. It’s about Ollie’s first time going to school. The night before she’s preparing and planning to leave home for the new adventure. Just when she settles into bed a loud series of hoots comes from the owl at her window. Surely the owl wanted something, so she leaps out of her window and follows it through the forest.

Suddenly more and more cute animals join in her run through the forest. In the clearing, she spies a school, where a shy baby bear is uncertainly squatting in front of her. She comforts the bear and the two go into the forest school together. All of the animals go through the school’s paces, snack time, learning about shapes, clean-up time, and then a story before all of the critters go back home. The baby bear thanks Ollie by having his mom give her a ride home. Ollie goes back to bed where she happily dreams of her forest school fun and wakes up the next morning eager to go to her real school.

It’s the details that make The Little Bear, as well as; the other entries in the My Little Animal Friends books such a treat to read or have it read to them. Her bedroom is quaintly decorated with stuffed animals and a couple of distinct pops of colors, like yellow and blue. There are several instances where aspects of the page’s art are die-cut through, revealing hints of what happened in the story, what will happen, or colors and objects that were germane to it.

That effect is very soft but has a big payoff. This is especially true because the hints of color are intensified and more numerous as the story builds to its climax. It is an illustrated book and illustrated books aren’t really known for their rising or falling climax, but these books Killen are cut from a different cloth.

One can’t tangibly or quantifiably prove that ‘love’ goes into a book, yet it is obvious when it’s present. Author X and author Y probably both love the book that they created, but the effect that their end product has on readers might vary. It’s that unknown, effect, which can also be highlighted by the book’s production, that really makes it pop.

If The Little Bear didn’t have the subtle instance of color it would still be a cute book. If it didn’t have the cut-through elements it would still be fun to read to young audiences. If the 3-D elements, which are fun to run your hand, over didn’t exist it would be nice also. It’s the culmination of all of these, plus the loving, patient nature of the storytelling, that will make those pre-k kids take notice. Pre-k and kindergarten kids do love to be read to, but those books that they genuinely love, are rare. The Little Bear is one of those books that they will and one that’ll be in your forever library.

The Little Bear is by Nicola Killen and is available on Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

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