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From award-winning Swedish author Per Gustavsson comes a touching story about life, death, and new beginnings.
“Slow, solemn, and philosophically rich—to be pored over and discussed over repeat readings.”—School Library Journal, STARRED review
“Dreamlike and engaging.”—Kirkus Reviews
A boy and his father live alone on an island. They play football, fish, and have a very happy life together. His father gives him advice, to avoid bears and sharks, but as the father’s life comes to an end he remarkably turns into a tree…
“Everything will be all right,” the branches creaked back.
It was as if his father were talking to him.
The boy must set out on his new life of his own. Along the way, he encounters new friends who help him discover that even after loss, life can still be filled with companionship and wonder.
For readers ages 6-8, The Boy, the Father, and the Bear, is a gentle meditation about the nature of life and finding your place in the world no matter what.
An Aldana Libros Book, Greystone Kids
Price: $21.95
Pages: 96
Publisher: Greystone Books
Imprint: Greystone Kids
Series: Aldana Libros
Publication Date:
19 May 2026
Trim Size: 9.75 X 7.75 in
ISBN: 9781778402203
Format: Hardcover
BISACs:
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Bears, Children’s picture books, JUVENILE FICTION / Legends, Myths, Fables / General, JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Parents, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Bears, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Mythic fantasy / Myths and Legends fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Nature & animal stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family & home stories
“Thoughtful, fairy tale–like….a timeless-feeling story of growth in the face of inevitable change."
—Publishers Weekly
“Offers a nuanced reassurance that endurance can lead to renewal. A contemplative picture book suited to older children willing to sit with ambiguity, loss, and the inevitable strangeness of ordinary days."
—Booklist
“Dreamlike and engaging…beckoning readers to consider deeper meanings…An unconventional consideration of friendship and the wisdom of experience over time."
—Kirkus Reviews
“A mysterious, pensive saga unfolds in Gustavsson’s poignant story of loss and transformation...Slow, solemn, and philosophically rich—to be pored over and discussed over repeat readings.”
—School Library Journal, STARRED review
Per Gustavsson has written and illustrated over 30 picture books and has collaborated as an illustrator in over 100 books. He has received several prizes and awards such as the Heffaklumpen, the Crimetime award, the August Prize, and the Elsa Beskow Plaque. Since 2019, he has been a member of the jury for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Per lives in Stockholm, Sweden.
Eva Apelqvist is an award-winning author of children's and young adult books, and a Swedish-English translator. Her translation of Moa Backe Åstot’s young adult novel Fire From the Sky won a Printz Honor in 2024. Her own middle-grade novel won the prestigious Spårhunden for best mystery for children and young adults in Sweden in 2023. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
1. THE FATHER, THE BOY, AND THE SOCCER BALL
2. THE BOY, THE TREE, AND THE RAIN
3. THE SEA, THE BOY, AND THE BEAR
4. THE FOREST, THE HOUSE, AND THE BEAR