The Bear Who Wasn't There: And the Fabulous Forest (Hardcover)
A magical, lyrical picture book debut from acclaimed composer and playwright Oren Lavie, illustrated by beloved German illustrator Wolf Erlbruch.
“Irresistible . . . playfully existential.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“Erlbruch’s playful, distinctive illustrations . . . are sublime.” —Kirkus Reviews
One day, a few minutes after Once Upon a Time, a bear awakes to find he has lost something very important: himself! He sets out into the Fabulous Forest to find himself, using only a few clues scrawled on a piece of paper: the bear he’s looking for is a nice bear; he is a happy bear; and he’s very handsome too! These sound like pretty good qualities to Bear, and so begins his memorable journey. With the help of Fabulous Forest critters like the Convenience Cow, the Lazy Lizard, and the Penultimate Penguin, Bear finds that he himself is just what he’s been looking for all along: a nice, happy bear—and handsome too!
As whimsical as Winnie-the-Pooh and as wryly comic as Klassen’s bear who wants his hat back, The Bear Who Wasn’t There joins a select crew of unusual bears who have captured the imagination of children for generations.
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
The volume is filled with surreal gags about prepositions and adverbs, cheerful absurdity, and down the rabbit hole–style musings.
— School Library Journal
Young readers with a philosophical nature and an appreciation for provocative silliness will be especially gratified by Bear’s self-discovery . . . Erlbruch’s illustrations, which look like etchings, fit the story well. The Fabulous Forest effectively evokes a fairy tale feel, and Bear, a portly fellow with huge eyes, a bright red mouth, and colorful flecks in his black fur, is loveable at first sight.
— New York Journal of Books
Imaginatively written by Oren Lavie and beautifully illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch, The Bear Who Wasn’t There: And the Fabulous Forest is classic fable in the making and will prove to be an original and enduringly popular addition.
— Midwest Book Review
In the sumptuously illustrated Bear Who Wasn’t There, a bear faces a Lewis Caroll-flavored crisis: He has forgotten who, and what, he is.
— Quartz