Monday, March 3, 2008

Thank You Bear

The next time I have to choose interior paint colors I'm taking Thank You Bear by Greg Foley with me to the paint shop. The colors behind the spare yet expressive illustrations and text are gorgeous- soft and earthy, peach, sage, lavender, lemon, chocolate, gray-blue. And this is likely because designer/author Greg Foley is the creative director of Visionaire and V Magazine.

The story itself is rather deep for few words. Bear is delighted to find a perfect gift for mouse. When he shows the other animals the little box, they don't think it's so great and bear doubts himself. Then mouse comes along to show bear that yes! it is perfect.

“Who knew that philosophy starts at such an early age?-I guess it does. A lovely lesson in tolerance and creativity-one man's garbage is another's treasure.”
—David Byrne

“I have an army of god-daughters and each one is going to get Thank You Bear this year. Because it's a story about why you love what you do and I want all of them to have it.”
—Michael Stipe

Thank You Bear
won the 2008 Charlotte Zolotow Award
for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year. One-Minute Book Reviews has a review of of an earlier large size edition of Thank You Bear. And 7-imps has a short list of some of the best picture books of 2007 with Thank You Bear reviewed here. Take note: Greg Foley's Don't Worry Bear is scheduled for release in April and I can't wait to read it in the car on the way to the paint department. Only kidding! Not really.

1 comment:

  1. Really? I was planning to head over to Lowe's today to pick out a nice seafoam color for the bedroom.....I could use some inspiration. (That's funny!)

    Sounds like this book teaches a Very Important lesson on sticking to your instincts and what you love.

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