Lena and the Bear
A heartwarming tale of friendship, freedom and learning to love the wild
Katya Balen author Laura Carlin illustrator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Walker Books Ltd
Published:8th Oct '26
Should be back in stock very soon
An enchanting tale of unlikely friendship, freedom and learning when to let go – the perfect gift book to treasure for any age.
When Lena finds an injured bear alone in the forest, she takes him home and cares for him. As he recovers, she tells him stories about a wild world and hopes he will want to stay and listen forever. But as the bear grows stronger and longs to return to his own wildness, Lena learns that love sometimes means being brave, and love sometimes means letting go.
From Carnegie Medal winner Katya Balen and acclaimed artist Laura Carlin, this deeply moving modern fable celebrates nature, stories, and the wildness within us all – a gorgeous wintry gift book, perfect for fans of Charlie Mackesy, Robert Macfarlane and Nicola Davies.
It's a lovely story of friendship and courage and eventually letting eachother go to be where they belong.
The illustrations are so beautiful and the story is lovely. I know my 6 year old would love this too.
What a sweet friendship story, of a girl and a Bear. It had its sad and scary moments within the story but overall it was just a beautiful happy story of their friendship blooming and sharing with each other their worlds... The illustrations were really lovely to look at, they suited the story so well and captured the story wonderfully. I think this is a great story that young readers would really love. * NetGalley Reviewer *
The art and the story are imaginative and warm.
The mood and the setting and the themes make this worth reading.
A beautifully written story about helping one another and learning to let go. I think this would be a lovely read for ages 7–9, although there are some slightly heavier themes at the beginning, as the bear is caught in a trap.
The author weaves a whimsical story about how a little girl helps the bear heal, and how they eventually learn to let go of one another and follow their own paths. The illustrations are enchanting and add to the magical feel of the story.
This was a touching read that made me feel sad at times, but ultimately relieved and hopeful by the end. A lovely story about friendship, healing, and understanding that sometimes caring for someone also means knowing when to let them go.
ISBN: 9781529518641
Dimensions: 276mm x 244mm x 8mm
Weight: 420g
32 pages