Bearhead by Eric A. Kimmel

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kimmel, Eric, and Charles Mikolaycak. Bearhead. New York: Holiday House, 1991. ISB 0-08234-0902-3


2. PLOT SUMMARY

The folktale begins with an old woman finding an odd child abandoned in the woods. The baby has the body of a person and the head of a bear. The old Russian woman decides to take the baby home. The Russian couple named the child Bearhead after deciding to raise him as their child. With the turn of a page, Bearhead has grown into a man. To save his father from having to work as a servant, Bearhead travels to work the local witch in his father's stead. Bearhead causes many problems for the witch when taking all of her instructions too literally. His literal mind benefits him in the end when the witch is tricked out of a wagon of gold. After giving the gold to his adopted parents, Bearhead decides to leave to find his people. The book ends with the promise of more stories to come. Bearhead is seen embracing a woman with a matching bear head.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The abandoned child is a popular motif in many popular folktales. The orphaned Bearhead is not like the others around him. He is loved greatly by his adopted family. Bearhead is stronger than those around him. To save his adopted father, Bearhead heroically takes the place as a servant. He did this brave act believing that he would never return home again. Bearhead is a very strong character that is a good role model.
The journey that the creature takes is quick. A lot of time passes quickly with the simple turn of a page. The plot is not linear, because it does not follow a familiar formula that I have seen in American folktales.
The witch added a lot of humor. She would jump under the bed to hide and show she is a coward. Bearhead is able to lift her above his head with ease. Bearhead is able to outsmart the witch.
The illustrations are warm and filled with many different bright colors. The images show the culture of Russian clothing and newspapers.
This story is unique because of the humorous aspects of taking someone's words too literally. The subject is not a common plot.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

From Kirkus Review: "A satisfying story in a handsome setting."

From Publishers Weekly: "this is a satisfying tale, and children will delight in the winning hero's literal interpretations of orders."

From School Library Journal: "While the book doesn't always gel, the basic humor of Bearhead's misinterpretations will appeal to children, and Mikolaycak's illustrations are, as always, a feast for the eyes."


5. CONNECTIONS

Other Books by Eric A. Kimmel:
The Birds' Gift: a Ukrainian Easter Story, Illustrated by Katya Krenina ISB: 9780823417247
The Frog Princess: a Tlingit Legend from Alaska, Illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger ISB: 9780823416189
I-Know-Not-What, I-Know-Not-Where: a Russian Tale, Illustrated by Robert Sauber ISB: 9780823410200
Rimonah of the Flashing Sword: a North African Tale, Illustrated by Omar Rayyan ISB: 9780823410934
Seven at ONe Blow: a Tale from the Brothers Grimm, Illustrated by Megan Lloyd ISB: 978082341386
The Three Princes: a Tale from the Middle East, Illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher ISB: 9780823411153

Other Books Illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak:
The Man Who Could Call Down Owls by Eve Bunting ISB:978027153804
Babushka: An Old Russian Folk Tale by Charles Mikolaycak ISB: 9781846868979
The Hero of Bremen by Margaret Hedges ISB: 9780823409341

Lesson Plans:
Arts Edge offers a fun and interactive lesson plan for older children that involves technology. It contains analyzing style and content with literary arts, theatre, history, language arts, world languages, and social studies. The lesson is a little more than an hour long. Check it out here: Analyze Style

The International Literary Association has a lesson plan about learning about world cultures through folktales. Give it a look: Read Write Think