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I am a Bear is a picture book for 4–8-year-old children. Jean-François Dumont is the writer and illustrator of this tale on homelessness. The book follows a bear who’s trying to figure out where their home is. The bear doesn’t know how they ended up in the city and all they want is to have a roof over their head. The bear is sleeping on some cardboard boxes while unsuccessfully trying to find food and someone to talk to. Nothing seems to go right for the bear, and they begin to accept that no one wants anything to do with them until a little girl notices them and says hello. She sees the bear as a teddy bear that just needs some love. This interaction demonstrates the power of kindness to the bear.

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A perfect picture book for 5 year-old Ben

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A perfect picture book for 5 year-old Ben

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What’s a bear doing in the middle of the city?

Are they lost?

They're even dressed just like we are.

Have you ever been curious about the people that you see out in the world? I am a Bear introduces you to one of those people that you may have seen on the street or in the store.

It looks like the bear just wants some chocolate pastries and a warm place to sleep. Who doesn't want that? The bear tries to talk to an old woman, but she’s scared of them! The bear even gets chased out of a butcher’s shop. This nice bear just needs some support. Can anyone help a bear alone in the city?

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I am a Bear introduces homelessness through the eyes of a bear trying to find shelter. Dumont’s book shares and humanizes the story of a homeless bear in the big city as they struggle to find food, shelter, and friendship. Children reading this story can begin to see the power of kind words and friendship as the bear did when a little girl saw them as someone who needed some support. This book is an excellent fit for the Ontario Equity and Inclusive Education strategy by allowing kids “the opportunity to learn about the diversity of people and perspectives in their local community” (The Kindergarten Program). The friendship extended to the bear at the end of the story illustrates the benefits of teaching “antidiscrimination … and active, responsible citizenship” as mapped out in the Ontario school curriculum plan (The Kindergarten Program). I am a Bear is an excellent model of these concepts for kindergarten students from renowned writer and illustrator of children's books, Jean-François Dumont.

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I am a Bear is a wonderful picture storybook for children to hear to aid their moral and social development. Dumont illustrates the issues of homelessness with kindness and compassion for young audiences. The story introduces kids to the concept of homelessness through the eyes of a friendly bear. Children can learn the benefits of good citizenship and of not judging someone who looks different than them from this book. When a little girl sees the bear as a teddy bear that needs a friend, the reader can begin to understand the importance of checking-in with those around them. Further, I am a Bear can give children a place to talk about some of the people they’ve seen out in the world, or in a city that are not the same as them. Dumont’s illustrations of life for a homeless bear show children that even though the world can be a big scary place, kindness and good intentions still matter and can make a difference in someone’s life. This storybook follows stage three of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development by demonstrating the “individualism” of the little girl who sees the bear in a different light than the other adult characters (Mcleod).

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Blaine, http://blaine.org/7pics/2015/10/I%20AM%20NOT%20A%20BEAR_6large.jpg. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.

Dumont, Jean-Francois. I Am A Bear. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2016.

“I Am a Bear.” Getepic, https://api.getepic.com/utils/resize.jpg?jpg_quality=100&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.getepic.com%2Fdrm%2F6%2F13926%2Fcover_large%402x.png&width=600. Accessed 4 Apr. 2022.

The Kindergarten Program, 2016. https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016. Accessed 3 Apr. 2022.

Mcleod, Saul. “[Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development].” Simply Psychology, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html.