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Barbara M. Joosse
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Roawr! Hardcover – April 16, 2009

by Barbara Joosse (Author), Jan Jutte (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
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Little Liam is snuggled in his toasty bed when his slumber is broken by a crack! snap! ROAWR! outside in the woods. Papa is away, and Mama is sleeping soundly. And as everyone knows, Mama is delicious to forest things. It’s up to Liam to protect her, but what can he possibly do against the forest’s wild and dangerous creatures? He’s just a little boy, after all.

Barbara Joosse, author of Please Is a Good Word to Say, teams up with Jan Jutte, one of the Netherlands’ preeminent picture-book artists, to create this highly original picture book that shows that what it really takes to defeat ferocious bears is—a big imagination!

Listen to Barbara Joosse read ROAWR! here.

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 8 years
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    1 - 3
  5. Dimensions
    9.25 x 0.5 x 11.25 inches
  6. Publisher
    Philomel Books
  7. Publication date
    April 16, 2009
  8. ISBN-10
    0399247777
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0399247774
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1—Liam is described as "just a boy (thump, thump), too small to fight off forest things." His papa is away and the youngster's imagination is in overdrive. His mama, who is "delicious to forest things," won't let him build a fort, baited with cake, in his bedroom. Worse, she opens the windows wide and falls "snore asleep." A forest grows all around him. Liam hears the snip-snap of twigs and then, "ROAWR!" Though his pulse is thump-thumping, he gathers his supplies—including the cake—and creeps into the wild. He builds a trap and catches a large, angry bear. Since Bear is too big and hungry to stay in a hole, Liam must feed him more before he decides to eat Mama. It's a mammoth undertaking but eventually the sated bear curls into a snoozy ball. And Liam, "a boy so brave and true," returns to his bed and falls fast asleep. This adrenaline-charged romp is, first and foremost, exciting. Jutte's lively cartoon artwork contrasts muted night colors to form powerful images: big sky, big forest, big shadows, big night, big bear, big roar, small boy. One might question whether this is bedtime reading material. And yet, from Liam's rapid-fire ideas and his determined expression and posture, children will have the sense that he is capable of handling the night's dangers. Pair this with Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and Mercer Mayer's There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Dial, 1968) for a rousing evening adventure that hopefully leads to peaceful dreams.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

It’s bedtime for Liam, and his mother just wants peace and quiet—no more of this banging and shouting. For Liam, that’s a tough proposition: the darker it gets, the more certain he is that a giant bear is approaching. Sure enough, the bear appears, hungry enough to eat Mama, and it’s up to Liam to trap him. That he does—but now what? Liam sees no other option but to feed the bear. Bears eat a lot and soon the exertion has taken its toll on Liam, who ends up back in bed: “And I . . . ? A boy so brave and true—am tired, too.” Joosse’s text, which occasionally rhymes, is off-kilter enough to keep jaded listeners’ attention, though it sometimes seems loftier than necessary (“He rumbled in the hole, slashed moonlight bloody with his claws and bellowed”). Jutte’s watercolor transformation of wallpaper into forest and teddy bear into real bear is suitably subtle; the expanding/collapsing of real and imaginary spaces is equally apt. A good choice for your favorite rambunctious insomniac. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Daniel Kraus

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Philomel Books (April 16, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399247777
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399247774
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 8 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 0.5 x 11.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

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Barbara M. Joosse

Barbara M. Joosse

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I want to write books that are super fun to read out loud. That's why I include words many people say are lyrical, but I like to say are musical. Offbeat rhymes and rhythms (like jazz) capture kids' attention and help you abandon the world of Here and Now, and take you to a magical place. Check out my video on this page--the one with the cover of "Sail Away Dragon."

I encourage you to read my stories with abandon! Shake off the adult concept of regular rhymes and rhythms or words you can find in a dictionary. Add your own words if you feel like it! Use character voices! Have fun with your kids.

HERE BE DRAGONS!

My favorite series is the Dragon & Girl series. Books include "Lovabye Dragon," "Evermore Dragon," and "Sail Away Dragon." The books begin this way: "Once there was a girl / a very little girl. / And there was a Dragon / a very biggle dragon. / They were friends."

All girls need "fierceness." We need it to protect our own hearts and the heartbeats of those we care for. In a world that doesn't always encourage us to be fiery, we need to make friends with our Dragon!

Many girls find their superpower in Connection. So it's in connection--the friendship between empathetic Girl and fiery Dragon--that Girl's gifts emerge: courage, cleverness and adventure. Now she can fly!

"With Dragon as boat and Girl as crew / there's nothing--NOTHING!--they can't do." (Sail Away Dragon) For more, check out the video on this page--the one with the cover of "Sail Away Dragon."

Also, a super p.s. The Dragon & Girl series is now a musical and I'm over the moon!

CLASSICS

I've written several classics in my 40 years of writing books for kids. "Mama, Do You Love Me?" and "Papa, Do You Love Me?" are universal messages of unconditional love. "I Love You the Purplest" addresses sibling rivalry in a colorful way. These books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into 26 languages.

COZY-READ / NATURE BOOKS

My daughter, Anneke, and I have co-authored our first book, "Better Together: A Book of Family." And it really was, better together I mean. Ani was always a science-head. And I was always a story-head. We lived in the same house but different worlds. Now Anneke is a biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. And I'm still a children's author. In writing this book, she took me into her world and I took her into mine. The book is a cozy family read AND filled with animal problems. Story and Science really are . . .Better Together. And THAT'S our book of family!

FACTOIDS:

I've written 50 books for children in 29 languages. I'm too short to tell you how tall I am. My hair is gray with purple and teal, and is also curly. I have three children: Maaike, Anneke and Rob. I have three grandchildren: Esme, Marina and Lucia. My husband, Chuck Whitehouse, is a bronze sculptor. I have two dogs, Nugget and Poppy. I live in a very old stone house next to a river in Wisconsin. I really really really like shoes.

I HAVE TEACHER'S GUIDES AVAILABLE FOR SEVERAL BOOKS. CHECK MY WEBPAGE AT BarbaraJoosse.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sarah Hays
5.0 out of 5 stars Better with every reading
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2009
Verified Purchase
I thought this book was "cute" the first time I read it to myself. I have discovered that not only is it better read aloud, but that it is also better with each subsequent reading. My 3-year-old chimes in with a lot of the words, and my 17-month-old (Liam) likes to ROAWR along, too.
3 people found this helpful
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D. Fowler
5.0 out of 5 stars Little ones with big imaginations (and a bear that might want to eat their Mama) are going to love this book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2009
Liam had tucked himself into the recliner when his Papa was gone and he was very uneasy when he heard "the forest crack and snap!" The only thing he could think of to do was to build himself a fort and put in some "provisions" like a piece of cake. He started to put the sticks over the arms of the recliner while his teddy looked on and he let out a big ROAWR to keep those forest things away. Well, for all his efforts his Mama scolded him. "Use your inside voice! No sticks in here! And no double-cake!" It was time to go to bed and he was so mad at his Mama that when she kissed him he "rubbed it off."

He heard that ROAWR outside and he rushed down the hall to save his Mama. Liam knew that forest things would just love to eat her up. He gathered up his "shovel, sticks and string and double-cake" and ran outside only to find a huge bear licking his chops. He was going to eat up Liam's Mama. "He was just a boy," but he knew what to do. He began to dig a hole with the shovel and when that was done he was going to "tie a string to a bell on [his] windowsill." "RING! ROAWR!" Was Liam going to be able to save his Mama from that nasty old bear who was determined to eat her up?

Little ones with big imaginations (and a bear that might want to eat their Mama) are going to love this book. It is lively, exciting and the vibrant illustrations show the reader the "seriousness" of Liam's situations. This would be a fun book to read during a story hour or at circle time. No doubt you'll have a lot of appreciative readers who will ROAWR their approval!
One person found this helpful
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Teen Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars MY FAVORITE!
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2009
this is the best book for boys since Where the Wild Things Are. it is so empowering for boys and allows them to feel and feed their crazy boy-energy but once the adventure is over, little Liam takes off his bear feet and goes to bed. i bought this for my girl friend's brother and it is his favorite, too. and he has a entire house filled with picture books.
2 people found this helpful
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Alan Robinson
2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately the author's attempts to write lyrical prose end up just being awkward and significantly detract from what would be a nicely thought-out story otherwise
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
An interesting story about an imagined bear and the many efforts of a young boy to keep the bear from eating his mama. Unfortunately the author's attempts to write lyrical prose end up just being awkward and significantly detract from what would be a nicely thought-out story otherwise.
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