My Dad is a Grizzly Bear

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Dapo Adeola

Interest age: 4 to 5

Published by Macmillan, 2021

Picture books

About this book

The dad in this book is very bearish: he eats all the honey, chases his little boy around while growling and naps everywhere – especially at the cinema. This grizzly bear dad can run faster than a bus, growls loudly when he sings karaoke and catches fish fingers in his teeth; plus, he’s got a big beard, exactly like a bear. When dad decides everyone is going on a camping trip, he’s in his grizzly bear element in the woods – but the woods can be scary when you’re little, and there’s no better bear hug than from your grizzly bear dad to make you feel safe.

A charming book celebrating all the bear-like dads out there who like eating, snoring and roaring and featuring a mixed race family, this is a lovely story that will bear repeat reads.

About the author

Londoner Swapna Haddow is the award-winning children's author of the Dave Pigeon series. She loves to write about boisterous animals that cause mayhem and is working to make sure mean cats, grizzly bears and big-hearted little rabbits find their place on the bookshelves. Friendship and humour are always at the heart of what Swapna loves to write.

Her first published book, Dave Pigeon, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey, received rave reviews and went on to win three regional awards in the UK and was shortlisted for the prestigious Sainsbury's Children's Book Award. The series is based on two pigeons who find themselves battling predators in an array of madcap scenarios, all the while proving that friendship and teamwork can defeat anything. Swapna now lives in New Zealand with her husband, son and their dog, Archie.

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