The Bear in My Family book cover
Pre K - 3

The Bear in My Family

By Maya Tatsukawa

An overbearing older sibling can really be a bear, but the child in this understated, gently humorous story finds out that they can have their advantages, too.

“I live with a bear,” the story’s young narrator declares. The bear is loud, messy, uncouth, and very strong (too strong!). For some reason, his parents treat the bear like family, despite his protests. Why can’t they see? Then he runs into some bullies on the playground. When the bear ROOAARS with all her might and scares them away, he realizes that there are advantages to having a bear in the family. In a delightful twist, the narrator’s older sister (the bear) appears, telling him that she is NOT a bear. But if she is, HE is too–because two bears are even better than one!

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Kansas
    • Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Book Award
  • South Dakota
    • South Dakota Children's Book Award
  • Massachusetts
    • Massachusetts Book Award
  • Iowa
    • Bridge to Reading

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