Bear Outside (2021) by Jane Yolan

Authors

Maughn Gregory, Montclair State UniversityFollow

Files

Description

“Some folks have a lion inside, or a tiger. Not me. I wear my bear on the outside.” The young protagonist of Jane Yolan’s 400^th book for children is able to take risks and ignore bullies, not by putting on a ferocious countenance, but by summoning the persona of a giant, friendly bear, that might be an imaginary playmate or a representation of her inner courage. If I wore a bear outside today, what would I do differently? But this story also shows that even young children experience disagreement among their inner selves with different, sometimes conflicting tendencies, needs, genders, skills. Bear Outside is a philosophical fable that, like all good fables, raises intriguing questions that can be doorways to wisdom.

Publication Date

2022

Publisher

Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

City

Montclair

Keywords

children, self, courage, inner conflict

Disciplines

Early Childhood Education | Education | Philosophy

Recommended Citation

Gregory, Maughn, "Bear Outside (2021) by Jane Yolan" (2022). Picture Books. 55.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_thinkingstories_picturebooks/55