A delightful book with 5 fun stories! The illustration is beautiful! I love just staring at the page. I especially liked the last story where Maudie is telling a story which is illustrated in small boxes at the top of the page. I highly recommend this gorgeous book. ( )

The illustrations are beautiful; I'll definitely be looking for more books featurong Freya Blackwood's artwork. But I really dislike Maudie and the way she interacts with Bear. I imagine their relationship is supposed to represent the way many children interact with their parents, but I just don't like it. ( )

Ugh.  This appeals to whom?  No child I know would even *want* to be so spoiled.  I usually adore Ormerod's work, but something's wrong here. ( )

Herrlich altmodisch gestaltete Geschichten über ein kleines Mädchen, das genau weiß, was es will. Sie lebt mit einem Bären zusammen, der nicht nur den Haushalt führt, sondern auch verständnisvoll auf die Flausen und Launen des Mädchen eingeht. Abwechslungsreich gestaltet sind die Seiten. Große Bilder werden hin und wieder durch eingefügte Illustrationen ergänzt. Gelungen! ( )

Maudie and Bear is a story collection about a small child named Maudie, classically styled in hair bows and Mary Janes, and her caretaker, Bear, who has the physicality of a real bear but the gentleness of an overgrown teddy. Jan Omerod presents readers with five short stories featuring Maudie and Bear, such as “The Bike Ride,” where Maudie’s fixations on accessories delay an outing with Bear, or “The Snack,” in which Bear works valiantly to create a perfect afternoon treat.
With these characters, Omerod has created a quintessential bedtime storybook, with Bear unfailingly tender, sweet and calm, no matter if Maudie is frazzled, angry or demanding; an idealized parent at the end of each day. Freya Blackwood’s water colored illustrations are equally soft and dreamy, as if to wrap the reader in the warmth of Bear’s embrace.
Aside from use as a sleep aid for young children, this picture book could also be accessible to early readers, as the vocabulary is simple, much of the phrasing is patterned and the stories are broken up into easy-to-digest chapters. They will enjoy the familiarity of Maudie’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears-esque adventure and will find a simpatico character in the young girl, who can throw an impressive tantrum without ever straying onto an unlikable path. They will naturally also come to adore Bear, who exemplifies to sentiment on the book’s back cover: “Love is inexhaustible.” ( )