The Boy, The Father, and The Bear

Per Gustavsson author Eva Apelqvist translator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Greystone Books,Canada

Publishing:4th Jun '26

£14.99

This title is due to be published on 4th June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

The Boy, The Father, and The Bear cover


From award-winning Swedish author Per Gustavsson comes a touching story about life, death, and new beginnings.

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.


“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

ISBN: 9781778402203

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

96 pages