Bearcub and Mama

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria.

Bearcub and Mama always travel together. From her teachings, he learns
how to catch fish, dig for grubs, and, with a bit of extra
encouragement, how to climb a tree. As time passes and Bearcub grows a
little, he starts to venture beyond Mama’s view. In his first winter,
he becomes so distracted when he discovers ice that he loses track of
time and loses his way. In his confusion, he howls for Mama but to no
avail because the wind howls even louder. After a moment of grief,
Bearcub surrenders to instinct, catches his own scent, and follows it
back to a more familiar terrain. Back at the den, Mama is not there.
Initially sad, he remembers her telling him that “[a]ll storms
pass.” When he wakes up the next morning, she is there by his side.

Mélanie Watt’s acrylic artwork nicely mirrors the moods in the book.
Initially, Bearcub and Mama are together, front and centre. As Bearcub
ventures out, his image is intermingled with the world around him. When
lost, the youngster becomes just a small part of the landscape, which is
filled with trees, whirling wind, and snow. The only time he is big is
when his sorrow is immense. When reunited with Mama, rays of golden
sunlight beam on the two and they are front and centre again.

This book is as much about separation anxieties as it is about
preparing for the time in life when separation begins. Young children
about to begin preschool or kindergarten will relate to Bearcub’s
moments of fright, and will celebrate with him at the end of his first
“solo” and when he is later reunited with Mama. Recommended.