Author: Chrissie Krebs
Illustrator: Chrissie Krebs
© Date: 2023
Publisher: Holiday House
Pages: 152
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, graphic novel
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-10 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No
Summary from Book: Bear was just an average bear until the day a tornado caused an out-of-control wizard’s wand to crash down on his head. He can’t pull it out, so now he looks like a cross between a bear and a unicorn. Even worse, he has the ability to grant wishes—something he wants no part of because he’d rather sleep. Bear’s friends give him a new name—Bizard the Bear Wizard—and he reluctantly accepts his new magical powers and begins granting wishes to everyone in the forest. But when he unwittingly gives an evil wolf magical powers, thins in the forest are turned upside down. How Bizard the Bear Wizard and his friends save the day makes for an exciting, laugh-out-loud story about a reluctant hero who sets out to foil sinister plans and learns to face his newfound destiny with strength, kindness, and more than a little dose of wizardry.
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this awhile ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: Sometimes life throws the unexpected into our lives. For Bear, the unexpected happens to be a wizard’s wand that lodges into his head. Bear’s friends start calling him Bizard. He enjoys being able to help his friends by granting their wishes, but everyone is wishing for things and Bizard gets tired. Being able to help friends is quite the responsibility as Squirrel learns in the second book. We giggled at some of the silliness, and enjoyed the adventures of Bizard and his friends. Hooray for teamwork saving the day, not just a magic wand.
Items of Interest:
- In the second book, Bizard and the Big Bunny Bizness, the wizard is not treating his friend the cat nicely. The wizard turned Cat into a frog in the first story. By the second story, he makes bad frog/cat puns that make his friend upset. Bizard and his friends help the wizard see his behavior for what it is, unkind. Wizard apologizes and turns Cat back into a cat.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- Book 2 – Bizard and the Big Bunny Bizness
