Rolly's Bear

Barbara M. Buetter conducts creative-writing workshops for children and
is the author of Simple Puppets from Everyday Materials.

Ol’ Rolly is an Indian Elder and storyteller who spends his time
sitting and waving to passersby. The story’s narrator, a young boy,
joins Rolly one day. The two share jokes and stories, and enjoy each
other’s company. Rolly tells the story of the time he shot a bear. He
tells the story so well that the young boy begins to imagine the bear
nearby. Rolly finishes his story, then heads home. The young boy is left
wondering if the bear is out there, or “if there was a bear at all.”

The direct and evocative language of this story reflects the author’s
own Ojibwa storytelling tradition. The simple drawings and minimal text
are well suited to the story’s theme of imagination and mysticism. The
illustrations effectively combine flat color with black line drawings.

Rolly’s Bear will be enjoyed by early readers and by adults reading
to younger children.

Recommended.