Bear’s Big Idea
by Sandra Nickel & Il Sung Na (Lerner/Carolrhoda, September 10, 2024)
Fish always has great ideas for what to do! When it’s Bear’s turn to think of something, she promises she’ll have a brand-new BIG idea. But where do ideas come from?
The creators of Big Bear and Little Fish reunite for this sweet story of friendship, ingenuity, and a surprisingly epic adventure!
Like the Frog and Toad books that I loved so much as a kid, the Bear and Fish stories will always be filled with friendship and a bit of philosophy. The friendship part in Bear’s Big Idea is about encouragement and learning about your own abilities. The philosophy part is that both BIG and little ideas are always there forming in our heads, even if we think they are not.
“A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed.”—Kirkus
Mr. Schu celebrated the Cover Reveal of Bear’s Big Idea on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. In addition to sharing the cover for the first time, Mr. Schu asked me to finish the following sentences: Bear’s Big Idea tells a story…, Il Sung Na’s illustrations…, Picture books…, Story is…, and John Schu, you should have asked me… I had a lot of fun with these sentences. You can find all of my answers HERE!
Bear’s Big Idea is the winner of a Crystal Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It was also nominated for Pennsylvania’s Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award. It and other nominees will be read to students in preschools across the state of Pennsylvania during the 2025-2026 school year. Then, students will vote for their favorite in March, 2026. Hooray!
More Books
Resources for Bear’s Big Idea
The first review for Bear’s Big Idea is out. And it’s a beauty! “A winning tale of friendship and creativity unleashed.” Thank you Kirkus Reviews!
Such amazing praise for BEAR’S BIG IDEA on Literary Hub. “The clever, emotionally astute text by Sandra Nickel is perfectly matched by Il Sung Na’s illustrations, which are some of the funniest and most engaging examples of picture book art I’ve seen recently.” You can find the full review HERE.
Mr. Schu celebrated the Cover Reveal of Bear’s Big Idea on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. In addition to sharing the cover for the first time, Mr. Schu asked Sandra to finish the following sentences: Bear’s Big Idea tells a story…, Il Sung Na’s illustrations…, Picture books…, Story is…, and John Schu, you should have asked me… You can find all of Sandra’s answers HERE!
Story Monsters Ink Magazine featured me and my books in its June 2024 issue. The article especially focused on Big Bear and Little Fish and Bear’s Big Idea. You can read the full online article (after a free registration) HERE.
Another lovely review for Bear’s Big Idea came out August 1, 2024. This time from School Library Journal!
KidLit TV premiered the trailer for Bear’s Big Idea on August 5, 2024. You can see the premiere HERE.
Curriculum Guide for Bear's Big Idea
Looking for ways to engage students with Bear’s Big Idea? Below you will find curriculum guides for Discussion Questions, Activities for Students, as well as individual Activity Sheets. Simply click on the sheets below and print.
