Adventures of a Bear, and a Great Bear Too

Meet Bruno, a magnificent bear of considerable personality and even more considerable appetites. When this creature escapes from captivity and finds himself loose in the English countryside, he embarks on a series of escapades that transform him from mere spectacle to reluctant adventurer. British philologist Alfred Elwes, writing in the Victorian tradition of witty animal tales, gifts Bruno with human speech, human fears, and remarkably human opinions about everything from railway travel to the proper way to catch a fish. The result is neither simple children's fable nor outright comedy, but something more curious: a sharp-eyed portrait of English society seen through the bewildered gaze of an animal who has never known freedom. Bruno stumbles through encounters with country folk, city dwellers, and fellow creatures, each adventure revealing both his endearing ignorance and his unexpected wisdom. For readers who delight in Victorian animal stories that treat their subjects with genuine psychological complexity, this tale of a bear learning to be wild offers equal parts humor and heart.