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The earliest of picture book duo Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter's "Bear..." books, Bear on a Bike runs in essentially the same vein as its successors
but also displays marked yet benign differences.
At the heart of Bear on a Bike lies, of course, Bear. But then "lies" is too passive a descriptor for what Bear does - he bikes, shops, rafts on a river, rides a train to the seaside, sails to a magical island, takes a carriage to dance at a castle ball, and flies a rocket into space. Unlike its spin-offs, though, this book features Bear as the only non-human in otherwise human occupations
rather than being surrounded by his
bear neighbors or enjoying himself alone outdoors.
And here he shares narrative time with a young boy who with his dog races after Bear to see where the big furry chap is off to next in a sort of call and response. "Where are you going, bear? Please wait for me!" the boy
pleads over and over, answered each time by Bear, who waits for him to catch up
- until the end of the story and that rocketship to space.
Debbie Harter's illustrations are as colorful and vibrant in Bear on a Bike as ever, though certain aspects (particularly the depictions of people) have a less chunky feel than in later books. All in all, this grandaddy of the "Bear" books is an enjoyable journey of the imagination juxtaposing the familiar and the fantastic.
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Bear on a Bike