"A wonderfully funny, original and witty picture book."
August 2026 Debut of the Month
To brawl or not to brawl could be the motto of this exceptionally rewarding and entertaining picture book, in which text and illustrations deliver a witty and highly original story.
To the bemusement of our narrator, the dogs and the bears just can’t seem to stop brawling. There are sort-of reasons for the first two brawls, but it’s a struggle to find any cause for the later ones; the bears and the dogs just seem to genuinely enjoy it. Even after they’ve been brought together by a completely unexpected event (squid raining from the sky), and have worked together happily, they’re still at it.
Our narrator is a squid; squid are peaceful creatures and they remind readers that we can be peaceful creatures too. There is a moral, delivered 2/3 through and almost as though the narrator is embarrassed to point it out, with readers left to pay it heed if they want.
Whatever, they’ll love the absurdity and energy of the story, the colourful brawling – fabulous to look at in Dorothée De Monfreid’s double page illustrations – the sudden descent of squid and their good-natured rescue by the bears and the dogs.
It’s wonderfully silly, all the while recognising that readers have the wit, imagination and intelligence to appreciate everything that is going on in words and pictures. One to recommend to fans of Jon Klassen, Mac Barnett and Peter Brown.
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This third brawl just happened. Nobody knew why . . .
The dogs and the bears have been brawling for a while. No one knows quite how it started. Was it the jackets, cloaks and bandanas the dogs were wearing? Or the smell of the sickly sweets that the dogs were making? But today is the day of the third deciding brawl. The stage is set. NO snack breaks and no biscuits.
But halfway through the world is interrupted by an unexpected airborne event - raining squid! This will change the relationship of the dogs and bears forever . . .
A funny and sublimely ridiculous story about playground squabbling and peace - and a first children's book from a bestselling author and world-renowned French illustrator.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Dogs and Bears and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
Dogs and Bears features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Featured Books for 5+ readers, Debuts of the Month, Recommendations, Funny, Animal Stories, School Stories, Picture storybooks, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s picture books, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s: picture books, activity books, early learning concepts
Dogs and Bears is available in Paperback
Dogs and Bears was written by Max Porter and published by Faber & Faber
Dogs and Bears has 32 pages
£7.19
