Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat

This was a favorite story when I was growing up. I bought a copy for my grandson. Gary Larson of the Far Side said it was one that he loved as well.

My husband and I were both avid readers in our childhoods, and are familiar with most of the well-known kiddie "classics" that libraries had in the 60s (many of which actually dated back to the 50s, 40s and even 30s!), but for some reason both of us had missed out on "Mr. Bear Squash-you-all-flat" until I randomly discovered him during an Amazon search. Since I love bear tales, I had to pick up a copy and discovered a story much like the "Three Little Pigs" only substituting a crabby bear for the Big Bad Wolf, some small woodland creatures for the piggies, and a big bouncy truck tire for the house made of brick. An adult can probably see where this story is going well before it gets there, but it's still a lot of fun and the retro watercolor illustrations are simply stunning (how did that artist make a good picture of a bear out of just a few blops of paint?) The new edition I bought also had an afterword by Gary Larson discussing how much he loved this book as a child, which made a lot of sense in view of Gary's humorous animal cartoons.

I bought this for my 16-month granddaughter based on my own childhood memories. I love the drawings, the story itself... and the afterward! (Of course I read it again before wrapping it!) My son flew out and rented a car in which to drive the year+ pup who was happy and beautiful, but whose exercise needs I couldn't fulfill myself, back to live with his little family in NC and I put the book in one of her boxes/"suitcases". My granddaughter loves the book, and she's ecstatic about the dog. They seem to be kindred spirits, both amazingly gentle with each other. Lily the BC pup adores my son & his wife, too, and now has the life she deserves. (I've had BCs throughout my life-- I guess it was I who got old, as I used to be able to handle all energy levels. ) The book was probably a little lost in the excitement, but it had popped into my memory one day out of the blue... after nearly 70 years so I'd bought it to send along. I know it will surely be read to my granddaughter again and again. It simply belonged in her library! I'm ecstatic that my my family, my sweet pup and the old favorite book will have a happy happy future!!! (Sorry for the 2 stories -- they got forever linked in my mind and heart.)

My mother read this story to me when I was a child and it was one of my favorite books. That was over seventy years ago, but I've never forgotten it. Recently I was delighted to discover that it's still in print, so I ordered a copy for myself. Ah, the wonderful childhood memories!

Now sharing with each new great grandchild. My favorite childhood book from 75 years ago.

I had this book when I was a little girl and I loved it then. Mine is falling apart and so I was happy to see it was still in print. It is so much fun to read aloud! My elementary school students loved hearing the silly story too! Great book!

This story is fun because nobody really gets hurt; the underlying theme is that bad things sometimes happen & if you preserver, you can create something good… to share w. others.

Mr. Bear Squash you all Flat likes to squash the homes of little little forest animals. He always warns them before sitting on their houses, but still, what a drag to have your home flattened by a big grumpy bear. But Mr. Bear gets a surprise when he tries to flatten a home that some little animals have built in a .... well I don't want to give away the ending! I'll just say that this is a "read it again" book for the little children to whom this book was gifted. Fot Adults there is an afterward by cartoonist Gary Larson, who created the "The Far Side" a famous syndicated cartoon series. Gary apparently loved this book as a child, 60 years ago. The only downside us the price tag, which may be a bit high for such a small book.

This book was my dad's favourite as a child, and now it's mine, too. Beautiful illustrations and a cute story-- with a forward by Gary Larson-- which was a sweet surprise in the updated publication!

This is an adorable story with lovely illustrations that will appeal to children ages 3 and up - Cute story - it is going to be a birthday present for a 4 yr old story lover!

One of my favourite books as a child. Loved reading it again and it now has a special spot in our home.