Archie and the Bear by Zanni Louise and David Mackintosh.
This picture book takes a bit of mind-bending, and that’s fine by me. There’s a boy who believes he’s a bear. There’s a bear who believes he’s a boy. And there’s a friendship of misunderstoods who understand each other.
This is one of those stories that affirms a child’s view of things and leaves adults of out it. I love books like that.
Archie is fed up with no one believing he’s a bear, so he goes to the forest. Where bears live. And he meets one. A bear who believes he is a boy!
The pair share honey sandwiches and teach one another. Archie teaches the bear the ways of being a bear. The bear teaches Archie the ways of being a boy.
And eventually, they go home and find that both bears and boys like sitting by the fire with a warm blanket. Every kind of creature likes that.
Mackintosh’s dynamic and varied illustrations zoom in and out and play with scale in wonderful ways. They combine stark contrasts and soft watercolors and pencil drawings. They sometimes leave things out. The artwork is both simple and complex, like the story.
This is an inventive and satisfying picture book about affirming one’s imagination and finding a kindred spirit.
Big thanks to Zanni Louise for images!
+
I’ve been waiting for cooler weather to post about this book, and since it’s Halloween-time, what better picture book craft than the costume-y kind! And we’re very lucky because Zanni Louise, the author herself, has stopped by to show us how to make a bear hat and be like Archie. Or like the bear. Well, how to look like a bear anyway.
Over to Zanni!
What you’ll need:
2 x brown sandwich bags
2 x small paper doily
1 x large paper doily
Scissors
Glue
Thick black marker
Ruler
Cut paper bags in half, lengthwise (top to bottom).
Take one piece of brown paper bag, and fold lengthwise. Roughly calculate the centre point of the strip, and on the fold make two dots approx 3cm / 1.25 inches apart. These are the inner corners of the eyeholes.
On the fold, use markings and cut two semi-circles for eyes. Unfold.
Stick three brown paper strips together, which make one long strip, with the eyeholes in the centre strip. Make a crown around the child’s head, which goes over their eyes, and stick ends together to fit crown securely. You may need to trim ends, depending on the head size. Aim for a big overlap though, as this will be more secure.
Using the larger doily, trim away the ‘lace’ so you are left with a round circle. You can also use white paper or board for this. Draw a black nose and mouth on the white circle, and fasten to your crown, between the eyes. The bottom half of the white circle will hang over the child’s nose and mouth.
Attach the smaller doilies above the eyeholes, on the inside of the crown. These are the ears.
Voila! Your child is now a bear.
Zanni Louise has written numerous books for kids, and is published in 19 countries worldwide. Zanni runs writing workshops for kids and adults, and provides one-on-one mentoring services. Archie and the Bear is Zanni’s first North American publication, and has just been announced as a White Ravens Book for 2018. Find out more about Zanni at www.zannilouise.com
You might also like this Bob the Artist beak craft! 
