Tag Archives: bears

The Unique Little Bear by Debi K Fraser (Book Review)

Seeing the joy in being completely unique.

“Why is their growl so loud, and scary and strong?

But mine is so quiet – is my growl wrong?”

 

Little Bear is beginning to notice that he is different from the other bears, and he has decided to ask mummy bear why.

Using engaging rhyme and endearing illustrations, The Unique Little Bear takes the reader on a gentle discovery and celebration of the uniqueness of every individual, and encourages us all to do the same.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of unique is “being the only one of its kind; very special or unusual.” Merriam-Webster lists unique as “being without a like or equal.” Whether it’s your fashion choices, personality, hairstyle, special skill, body shape, birthmark, or so on, we all possess something that makes us stand out from everyone else. Makes us … unique.

Little bear noticed he didn’t look exactly like the other bears. His fur was golden-red instead of brown. His growl didn’t reach the same depths and volume as other bears. Even his paws weren’t as mighty as theirs. Being “different” bothered the small animal, much like it does for many of us. We want to fit in, sometimes meaning we try to act or look like others. 

Every day, humans are mocked, teased, shunned, or made feel less than because of something deemed strange. That causes negative feelings about ourselves, squashes our self-esteem, and can cause people to isolate themselves from gatherings or friendships. This adorable children’s book helps children understand that we all have characteristics or skills that set us apart from one another. We should never be embarrassed, sad, or ashamed about what’s different about ourselves but, instead, love and embrace what makes us special. 

Mummy bear said it best when she tried to comfort her son with the fact we are all different from our eyes to our ears, from our fur to our feet. Substitute hair for feet, and that applies to humans. 

I loved everything about this book. The illustrations were spectacular. I was thrilled to see the animals were shaded in unorthodox colors, making each one unique and staying on target with the general theme of the story. And promoting positive body image and self-love is always a plus in my book! 

Share The Unique Little Bear with your children and teach them to love themselves from head to toe, inside and out. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

My love of stories and the characters that inhabit them has been with me forever. As a child I could often be found with a plate of cucumber sandwiches and a pile of books about dragons, witches and magical adventures. Stories are brewing in my head constantly. 

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

Happy Holidays

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Wilderness Spa: Where Physical Survival Meets Psychological Survival by Jim Halverson (Book Review)

Picture

 
​​
The Wilderness Spa brings people from three quite different sources together to survive catastrophe in the Alaskan wilderness. They amaze themselves in their ability to coalesce and work cohesively in the face of hunger, injury, insecurity, and possible death. With that on their minds, they explore statistics, logic, social justice, and challenges to philosophies and social norms.

After rocky starts when new members enter the group, they learn to find the best in their fellow travelers, how to help, follow, and lead when necessary. Nothing is ever easy. Without attacking each other, they dig deep to reconcile their differences.

Join the group as they make the best of what they have. Struggle along with them and reconcile your own philosophical belief systems with logic and science.

 
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Alone, I think every character featured in Wilderness Spa would’ve had a dreadful time surviving alone in Alaska’s wilderness. Together, the trek to safety was not easy. There were juries and casualties. 

Wilderness Spa stressed the importance of teamwork. The stranded campers had to use their life skills and adapt to survive the trek to Fort Yukon. Everyone was assigned a task/role. Tom, still recovering from his injuries, did his best to lead the group. This was a difficult feat for the loner. A man with no family and no friends now had his fate resting in the hands of strangers. And these strangers were relying on Tom to help them get back to civilization. 


Surprisingly, things went pretty smoothly until I was about 3/4 of the way through it. Then, things took a turn for the worse. While I wouldn’t wish their troubles on real-life people, I welcomed the action scenes for literary purposes. The break-time discussions on racism, evolution, Medicare, Christmas, and so forth reduced my interest in the overall story and the outcome of the characters. When you travel (on foot) through dangerous territory and in less than desirable weather, you expect and want bad things to happen. It makes the story and its plot more realistic. 


When you live or visit an area with questionable weather and wild animals, you have to expect that bad stuff can and probably will happen. Therefore, every incident that occurred in the last portion of Wilderness Spa was plausible!


Final note: I love the book’s cover. And, I would love to see the Northern Lights of Alaska one day. #BucketList 

 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author: 

Picture

J​im Halverson is the author of Trials & Trails (2019) and Ponce, What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth (upcoming, 2021). Jim grew up in the rural, gold-mining town of Mokelumne Hill, CA and received his MBA from Golden Gate University. He spent part of his life on a ranch and is an avid student of psychology. He recognizes the struggles of all men and women seeking equality and respect. Jim and his wife, Gail, spend their time traveling from their small farm in Forestville, CA.

Connect with the Author:  Website ~  Goodreads

 

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized