Review by Booklist Review
Big Brown Bear can't get comfortable in his new cave, and so he decides to try filling it with stuff like humans do with their caves. Off he trots to loot all the nearby garages. Unfortunately, he overdoes it, filling his cave so full of old chairs, cartons, bikes, appliances, lampshades, and other bric-a-brac all depicted as a fine, wild jumble in Zommer's woodsy digital collages that he gets stuck. Fortunately, he has (ursine) friends to push, pull, and pry until he's able to escape, and then to help him haul the detritus back where it came from. Better yet, Big Brown Bear finds his initial problem solved: a cave full of bears is as comfy as can be perfect for a good, cozy snooze. Like Margie Palatini's similarly themed Stuff (2011), the episode's point about possessions will be obvious to readers, but human cubs saddled with too much stuff will find more feasible solutions to the problem in stories like Heide Deedman's Too Many Toys! (2015) or Barbara Johansen Newman's Glamorous Garbage (2015).--Peters, John Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A bear learns the value of decluttering in this appealing story. After Big Brown Bear selects a new cave, he can't get comfortable in it. Upon discovering that humans fill their own caves (aka garages) with stuff, Bear decides, "I need stuff, too!" and immediately begins carrying things back to his cave (his favorites are "stuff that came with wheels, stuff that came with handles, and stuff that came in boxes"). The cave is soon bursting with objects Bear doesn't need (like a vacuum cleaner), leading him to become literally trapped by his possessions (or other people's possessions, more accurately). Zommer (The Big Blue Thing on the Hill) continues to illustrate with almost a naturalist's eye for detail, and his digital art is textured with delicately etched marks and patterns-the leaves in his forest have veins and his bears are covered in hundreds of little hairs. Only by cleaning out does Bear realize that it's friends, not stuff, that make a place feel like home, a message Zommer delivers with quiet humor and a light touch. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Big Brown Bear has found a cave, but no matter where he lays in it, he feels like he is missing something. One day he notices a human cave; or as we know it, a garage. Human caves are full of stuff, so Big Brown Bear gathers up some of that stuff for his cave. Big Brown Bear loads up some boxes with his favorite stuff, including a vacuum, a rake, a clock, some pots and jugs, a clock, and a bike. When he gets it all into his cave there's almost no room for him. He finds himself trapped in his cave and his friends can't get him out. In the end, he returns the humans' stuff and finds a better way to keep his cave from feeling empty by sharing it with his friends. VERDICT This delightful story is helped by illustrations that complement the text and are perfect for closer inspection. The sweet lesson about filling one's life with friends rather than stuff is subtle and, in the end, stands out. A recommended purchase for most libraries.-Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Humans are terrible role models for bears.The title character of this picture book is envious of human beings' caves, where they store their cars. They're full of stuff! "My cave will have the most stuff ever!" Big Brown Bear says, and he starts to gather stringed instruments and a rotary phone and a rocking horse. Soon, he's trapped in a room full of clutter, and his friends have to pull him out, in a lovely echo of Pooh's adventure with the hunny pot. The moral is both funny and wise, and some readers (particularly those who collect books) will recognize themselves in the main character. But the real appeal of the book is the digital illustrations, because they attract attention by looking just slightly wrong. One bear's fur is a strange silvery-blue, and the characters' arms and legs tilt away from their bodies at unlikely angles. The playful anatomy is oddly endearing. If Zommer took it any further, Big Brown Bear might cease to be a bear altogether and turn into a collection of beautiful and surprising shapes, which is entirely appropriate to the theme. And Bear's pile of stuff looks like a glorious collage, with almost every item a different color.The pictures perfectly capture the message of the book. Readers will both envy Bear's trove of junk and be very eager to clean up their own piles of stuff. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
