Hear My Roar: A Story of Family Violence
Grade 1–4—The Bear family members love one another. Papa Bear laughs and plays with little Orsa but he also yells, loudly and often. As the pressure of storing food for winter comes on, he begins drinking heavily. The more he drinks, the more violent he becomes. Eventually, Mama seeks help from the family doctor, and she and Orsa go to a shelter. The story is meant to spark conversation and give younger children an outlet with which to seek help or understand their situation. The graphic-novel format makes the story accessible, but some aspects of it are too simplistic. Not all abusers instantly seek help when their family leaves. Not all abusers drink. And yelling or drinking a beer at dinner doesn't necessarily lead to violence. There is a short note on the verso that this is simply one family's story and that there are many different paths to abuse, but children will probably miss that. However, if the book is discussed with a caring adult, it could help a child in need. School libraries should purchase it for their teachers and counselors, but public libraries may not need it.—Sadie Mattox, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theLibrary Bindingedition.