Although this is a sequel of sorts to A Girl and Her Gator and A Boy and His Bunny by the same authors, this book is actually quite different from the first two, save for the general concept, tone and style.

In A Bear and His Boy, a bear wakes up to find a boy on his head, and so, the boy tags along on the bear’s packed schedule of activities. The two of them rush maniacally from one place to another to complete the bear’s to-do list until finally, the boy makes a timely suggestion for them to slow down and take a break.

Like the previous two books by the authors, the rhyming prose and cute illustrations make this book a pleasure to read. But while I liked it, I don’t think kids will be able to relate to the content much, since they hardly need any reminder to take things slow and easy; in fact, quite the opposite! Parents, however, will see themselves in the bear in the book and appreciate the reminder that while they are in the midst of their busy schedules, they shouldn’t lose sight of the little but important things, like slowing down every once in a while to soak in the moment with their children and, yes, to take time to smell the lilacs — why not?