The true story of a Jewish boy in hiding during World War II, as told by his teddy bear.
I felt Fred’s small hand grab me.
He patted me and whispered,
“Bear, I won’t leave you here all by yourself.
You are my best friend.”
Based on true events and beautifully illustrated, this is the story of a friendship that will last forever–told by Fred’s best friend, his beloved teddy bear.
During World War II, Fred must leave his home and live in hiding, apart from the rest of his family, but he always keeps Bear by his side. Bear knows it’s his job to take care of Fred and make sure he doesn’t feel alone.
After the war, Fred and his family are reunited and leave Holland for the United States. And still Bear is with him. When Fred grows up, he and Bear part for the first time when Bear is sent to Yad Vashem–the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel, where this book was first published–to show the power of hope, friendship, and love.
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Violence - 0/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Bear and Fred is a historical fiction book that’s based on the true story of holocaust survivor, Fred Lessing. As a young boy, Fred had a beloved teddy bear that was with him everywhere he went. When the Nazis rose to power, his family had to go into hiding, but feeling it was too dangerous for them to hide together, his parents sent him away to stay, first with his grandfather in Amsterdam, and later with a woman he didn’t previously know. Fred was very lonely during this time, but the one constant in his life was Bear in whom he took comfort. After the war ended, he was reunited with his family and they moved to America. Many years later, after hearing the inspiring story of Fred’s bear, the curators of Yad Vashem, the World Holocuast Remembrance Center in Jerusalem asked Fred if he’d be willing to share Bear who became an exhibit at the museum.
Written from Bear’s first-person perspective, Bear and Fred is a gentle way to introduce younger readers to the holocaust. Because Fred and his family managed to survive the war in hiding, it doesn’t detail any of the horrors of WWII. It’s mainly the story of a scared, lonely little boy whose teddy bear views it as his responsibility to take care of his young human, and how the special connection they shared continued throughout their lives. They were never separated until Fred (and Bear) agreed that Bear would go live at the museum where he’s brought inspiration to others. While I did enjoy the story, I thought the subject matter should have lent itself well to creating a deep emotional connection with the reader, which I didn’t entirely sense. The book was originally written in Hebrew, so it's possible something was lost in translation. Otherwise, though, this was a very sweet, tender story that I would definitely recommend for teaching young kids about WWII and the holocaust.
Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews