The ninja, the cowboy and the bear do everything together — they paint pictures, compare cloud shapes in the sky, fly kites and much more. Though each friend is very different from one another, they enjoy each other's company. Until one day when they begin quarreling and compete to see which one is the best. When each contest leads to more resentment, it seems the friends will never stop disagreeing. Only when they learn to be considerate of their differences do they finally realize how much they appreciate each other.
The cute, yet stylized artwork combined with a fun story about friendship and celebrating differences make this legend an unforgettable one.
This playfully illustrated picture book also includes instructions for the Ninja-Cowboy-Bear game, which is similar to Rock Paper Scissors except that kids use their whole body.
In all it's a wonderfully integrated package about friendship, competition and the celebration of difference.
Kirkus Review
The creators of The Legend of Ninja Cowboy Bear return with a high-energy story about friendship. This time, the daring ninja learns that the greatest thrills and the best adventures are the ones we share.
The ninja's playtime games are too rough-and-tumble for his friends the cowboy and the bear. The ninja isn't interested in his friends' games — and playing all by himself isn't much fun. Can the rambunctious ninja ever meet his friends halfway?
Children will easily relate to the lesson about mutual respect embedded in a story about three different but nonetheless close friends.
When the bear wants to spend the afternoon photographing birds, the exuberant cowboy inadvertently makes a nuisance of himself as he loudly chews bubble gum, hops on a pogo stick and slurps a pop. When the ninja just wants to read quietly, the cowboy is wildly distracting as he drums on rocks, bats a paddleball and gabs on his cell phone. The cowboy's boisterous mood prompts the ninja and the bear to drop their respective activities, leaving their pal alone to wonder why no one wants to be with him.
Can he find the peace and quiet he needs to figure it out?
Readers will appreciate the warm and witty approach to getting along and will also love the playfully bold illustrations rife with fun-to-spot detail.
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David Bruins spends most of his days as a computer programmer. However, he'd much rather spend his time riding his bicycle, playing guitar, or coming up with stories and telling them to anyone who will listen.
Hilary Leung is a Toronto-based author and illustrator. When he isn't working on new picture book ideas, he can be found playing or reading with his two awesome children.
Find out more about each character!
Watch some Grade One students share their opinions in the videos below.
