Armchair Bear 
Gavin Bishop

                                                                                        

Armchair Bear
Gavin Bishop (text and ill)
Gecko Books (2026)
Picture book
32 pages, Hardback
ISBN 979 834 8042 41 7

 

 It is a delight to see a new picture book from Gavin Bishop. He has been busy in recent years producing some of the nation’s best non-fiction books (and winning well-deserved awards for them) but now he has found time to produce yet another of his much-loved animal stories. Better still, Armchair Bear brings back memories of the lovable bears in Big Bear’s Socks (2003) and Stay Awake, Bear! (2000).

 

The cover illustration reminds us that while Gavin retains his youthful good looks, he is now in his eightieth year. Uncle Norman Bear is depicted reclining in his armchair, with his slippered feet up on a stool and tea, cupcake and TV remote all close at hand. Not only is Norman sound asleep, but his cat is also asleep on his generously curved stomach.

 

Norman’s blissful repose is interrupted by the younger generation.

‘Bosco and Brenda came rushing inside. “Come out and play, Uncle Norman!” they shouted.’

Norman is reluctant to leave his television set, but he is also alarmed to find that he can no longer summon the energy to climb trees.

‘Brendan and Bosco were already halfway up the tree.’

 Already feeling ashamed when Brenda says, ‘You used to be such fun,’ poor Norman is mortified when his attempt at a handstand collapses with a ‘Flump!’. A gym advertisement promising ‘a new you’ persuades Norman to join the gym and try out the treadmills and weights. A weight-lifting champion, Gorilla Dilla, becomes Norman’s inspiration.  Soon he is a fit bear, but Bosco and Brenda find that his newfound enthusiasm for building his new body means Uncle Norman is no fun.

“Let’s have a picnic,” suggested Bosco.

“No time today,” said Uncle Norman. “I’ve got weights to lift.”

 Norman is so keen to win the Gorilla Dilla Power Lifting Competition that we see him training by lifting cars. Then, disappointment strikes for Norman when he is stopped from entering the contest. “Gorillas only. No bears!” declare the gorillas. Norman stumbles homeward, distraught. Gavin Bishop’s moving picture of this moment shows Norman trudging through a rainstorm, the raindrops falling like tears.

Several surprises later – no spoilers here – Norman saves the day by taking up a suggestion, offered by Bosco, which brings a happy ending for all three bears – and for the reader.

 Gavin Bishop is a skilful writer, who can pack a lot into a few words. When the cubs try to get their uncle to leave his armchair and play with them, his complete reluctance is conveyed in just seven words: “Uncle Norman breathed a deep bear sigh.”

Gavin Bishop’s colour illustrations, created with felt pen and liquid acrylic ink, are magnificent, making full use of the double-page landscape format. (When I read this story to a group of preschoolers, they enjoyed the story but their mothers were even more impressed by the pictures, especially the hill scenes. “How pretty they are!” cried one.)  

 This book will be read worldwide but Kiwi children will have the special pleasure of recognising their own landscapes as Gavin celebrates his beloved Port Hills, portraying them both in moonlight and at dawn. When the young bears sail stick boats in the river, young Kiwis will recall the joy of making their own tiny craft from the kōrari, the dry flax stalks. Armchair Bear is a keeper.

 The book’s layout is cleverly planned, with smaller boxed illustrations fitted inside the larger illustrations, so the horizontal sweep of the double-page pictures is not interrupted. Thus, when the bears go on a fishing trip, the small illustration shows them gathering up their old camping gear in the shed, while the main picture has a landscape showing the bears following a winding path up into the hills. Typical of Gavin Bishop’s careful attention to detail, the scene includes a forest, flax plants, trees, flowers and a boulder-lined stream complete with goslings. The bears are carrying their equipment and Brenda is also towing a small cart holding tennis racquets and the family cat.

 The cat appears in many of the illustrations. The tasty fish hanging over the bears’ camp cooking fire deserve close attention. There is a large fish (for Norman) two medium fish (for the cubs) and a tiny one (for guess who).

The same careful detailing can be seen in the illustrations of Norman’s home where the pictures on the wall, the binoculars on the chair, the ornament on the table and even the clothes the bears are wearing all add to the point and pleasure of the story. Even the spider has a part to play in this charming modern fable.  

 Finally, it must be said that the story’s closing pages represent a magnificent match of artistic flair with storytelling genius. 

Armchair Bear is going to be a firm favourite for Picture Book of the Year.  

 Trevor Agnew

10 Sep 2026  [Review 3862.]