Book Review: Bears Make Best Writing Buddies by Carmen Oliver, Jean Claude

Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a picturebook written by Carmen Oliver and illustrated by Jean Claude. Adelaide loves writing. Bear loves writing. But Theo does NOT love writing. Thankfully, Adelaide and Bear are ready to team up and persuade the entire class, including Mrs. Fitz-Pea, that Bears make the best writing buddies. After all, who better to teach you how to fish and forage for new ideas than a bear? 

Bears Make Best Writing Buddies is a fun and enjoyable book that encourages the reader to write their own story. I love that the book acknowledges that the process is hard. Even successful writers hit stumbling blocks and days when the words do not flow, so when books ignore that fact that it can be frustrating bother me. Here Oliver gives strategies to get words down on the page, to keep the story moving, and to figure out what happens next. I really like that the book also points out that first drafts are there to be reread, reworked, and reimagined rather than the final story. I think this book would be a great story to share with any young writer, particularly those that get caught up in the self doubt or cycle of thinking they have nothing to say. It would also be a great tool in classrooms before a writing assignment to help foster inspiration, courage, and perseverance in the class's writing.