I always enjoy books that encourage kids to see the strength and bravery that they have inside. I especially love stories that show them how to use their strengths in ways they hadn’t thought of before. Today’s book is about a bear who discovers his own bravery and uses it to become the star of his own story.

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Meet Bearnard

Bearnard’s Book was written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Misa Saburi. This adorable book follows a bear named Bearnard as he prepares himself to be featured in a book. It is his dream to star in a book, so he wants to make sure that he is ready. With help from his friend Gertie, he takes inspiration from bears in other stories. After trying to do what the other bears do, he decides that he just isn’t ready to star in his book. But his friend is there to show him just how ready he is.

This sweet story is accompanied by adorable illustrations using a soothing muted color palette. There are lots of little details hidden throughout the story that kids and adults may recognize. The books that Bearnard uses for inspiration are classic stories that most readers will be familiar with. (If you’re not, then this is the perfect opportunity to share these classics with your kids!). The illustrations also feature nods to other classic stories, which my daughter had a lot of fun picking out.

Be the Star of Your Own Story

As Bearnard learns to be the star of his own story, kids may be inspired to become the star of their own book as well. I created this printable book to encourage kids to think about their strengths and their goals. There are spaces for kids to share basic information about themselves, as well as things that they like to do. The rest of the book encourages them to explore what they are good at, as well as things that they would like to try in the future. There are also spaces for kids to draw themselves, and reminders that they can be the star of their own story, just like Bearnard!

This book gives kids practice with writing, drawing, and reciting important information about themselves. It also provides an opportunity to explore their goals, their dreams, and even the things that they excel at. This is a great conversation starter for families, and may even encourage you to try some of the new activities on your list!

Acting Out Your Favorite Books

Bearnard tries acting out the stories from some of his favorite bear books, and this encouraged us to try the same thing. Since one of my daughter’s favorite bear books is Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, we decided to reenact the story and create our own bear cave. We scouted a space for a good hideout, and decided that our dining room table would make a great cave. After filling the area with fluffy pillows and blankets, we added lots of stuffed animal friends, just like in the story. We even had a picnic in there with her animal friends, just like Bear. She loved this game so much that she has requested it almost every day.

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Cleaning Up

In the story, Gertie tries to help Bearnard get over his fear of messes by dropping peanut shells on the ground. Bearnard can’t handle the mess and quickly grabs the vacuum cleaner to tidy up. This inspired us to bring back a game that we previously played while reading Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise. We each used a straw to pick up brown paper “peanuts” and place them into a bowl. We even raced to see who could pick them up the fastest.

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This book is a great way to encourage kids to think of themselves as the star of their own story. By exploring their strengths, they can find power that they may not have known that they had. How do you encourage your kids to be a star? Share in the comments below!

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