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Contrary Bear is about a little girl and her bear doing unacceptable things together and they get into trouble by her dad. Dad would ask the little girl and the bear to do things a certain way but the bear would always refuse and do it his way that would get them both in trouble. This would happen throughout the book. The final straw was when dad told the little girl to take a bath but Contrary Bear wanted to get in the tub and splash water everywhere. This makes dad very angry. He then hangs bear up with a clothes pin and gets the little girl ready for bed. They plead for dad to give hugs and a bedtime story. Dad agrees and does both. I thought this book was a good read because it shows some real life situations that parents go through with their children wanting to do things their way vs they way parents asks. It was funny to see dads reaction when he hit his fed up point because it is so true to reality. This book could teach about peer pressure, good and bad behavior, and learn about consequences of good and bad choices.

A little girl’s best friend is her stuffed bear, or as her dad calls him, Contrary Bear. Contrary Bear doesn’t want to wear shoes to go outside, throws sand at playmates, won’t be quiet at naptime, and much more. But after being naughty all day and getting dad very mad, it looks like Contrary Bear may have gone too far this time. The poor dad in this book is stuck having to practice good parenting with a little girl who is behaving very badly (and blaming it on Contrary Bear as well). The beauty of this book is that the dad is shown applying proper discipline, but also getting frustrated and angry just as all real parents do (the drawings of him freaking out are priceless and will be instantly recognizable to any caregiver). In the end, all is well between the girl and her father with the promise that Contrary Bear will try harder to be good tomorrow. If you and your child have been fighting lately or if you’ve recently had to endure a rash of bad behavior, this is a good book to share together to shed some humor on the situation. It also sends the very important message that fathers love their children even when we need to discipline them (or their bears). ( )