I am not a Bruce book fan, for the most part. I appreciate the work that goes into making a book; I appreciate the illustrations and I understand why many people enjoy them. They tend not to be for me. However, this newest book in the Bruce series is amusing.
Bruce’s Big Storm has two parts for me. On one hand, I still wish the neighbors (and his roommates) would let him be. Let him be the grumpy bear he likes being. But on the other, I understand why this time it good friends were around to help him when things get bad for Bruce.
The details of the story are simple: Bruce’s neighbors come and bother him, borrow things, interrupt his being himself. Bruce has no interested in riding in loud cars, playing frying pan ball or eating brownies (okay, here I have to question Bruce’s choice). The illustrations are bold and colorful and details strong. There are no surprises with them, you know what you are going to get, but there are details still that are fun (a little pink helmeted, pink bowed little critter asking for a robotic laser cutter).
Everything you loved about Ryan T. Higgins and his Bruce the Bear series is here. The quirky, slightly clueless woodland creatures, the humor of some real off-beat nature, a lot of rumpus and little room especially after the neighborhood invites themselves to stay at Bruce’s house since being together is more fun during a storm. This is for fans of Bruce’s other adventures (even if Bruce himself is not a fan of adventures).