Publisher's Weekly Review
Bina, a large purple bear, is wearing a lampshade on her head at a party--and it's not a sign that she's having too good a time. "Bina? Is that you?" asks Tiny the rabbit, the party's host, after discovering Bina standing alone in a dark room. "I am not Bina. I am a lamp," the figure says. Tiny doesn't press when Bina camouflages herself as other, increasingly elaborate objects, including a table with a fruit bowl, a tree with a swing, and a full bookcase. But when Tiny finally asks the bear if she's okay, a tearful Bina--now hiding out in the kitchen as a bag of groceries--admits that she doesn't care for parties and only attended because she likes Tiny. Refreshingly, the host's response is not to cajole or push, but to be with Bina in a way that acknowledges the bear's feelings--even if it involves each of them wearing a lampshade. As always, Curato (Flamer) handles the theme of acceptance with empathy and a gently comic touch: the crisply rendered ink, watercolor, and pencil illustrations have a visual directness that appreciates the reality of Bina's needs, as shown through her masking attempts. It's a tender tribute to both lone wolves (er, bears) and the beings who love them. Ages 4--8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, the Book Group. (Jan.)
Horn Book Review
This hide-and-seek story begins: "Tiny was giving a big party. But where was Bina Bear?" Thereafter the drama plays out through simple, comical dialogue ("'Bina? Is that you?' 'No. I am a table'") and cartoon illustrations. Bina, a large blue bear, attempts to avoid the party by disguising herself as inanimate objects -- a chair, groceries. While Tiny (a small bunny) searches, the bright art showcases Bina's amusing contortions. Meanwhile, the characters' expressive faces and gestures capture their vulnerability and affection for each other. After hearing that Tiny misses seeing her, Bina opens one eye as though she may stop pretending to be a chair and finally show herself. When her friend asks if she's okay, Bina claims to be fine but sheds a tear. In the end, Bina is able to come out from hiding and tell Tiny how she really feels about parties...but also how she feels about Tiny, and so the two pretend to be lamps together in the kitchen while the party goes on without them. This warm and comforting look at friendship offers meaningful insight into the value of support and of acceptance. Julie Roach January/February 2022 p.80(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A reticent bear finds noisy social gatherings, well, "un-bear-able." A swinging party is underway at Tiny the bunny's house, but where is Tiny's ursine friend Bina? Is she that strangely large lamp with the shade on its head? Is she the lumpy table with ears and a tail? Is she the tree with the suspiciously bearlike trunk? The bear-shaped chair? The bookcase "bear-ing" the weight of all those books? What begins as a fun and risibly easy seek-and-find morphs into something more when Tiny sees beyond one of Bina's less-convincing disguises ("I am not Bina. I am…groceries") and asks her what's wrong. Bina confesses that she does not like parties, but she does very much like Tiny. Moved, the bunny puts a little lampshade over its head--another humorously implausible camouflage--and the two friends dance together. Anyone who has ever eschewed the cacophony of raucous social events for a darkened bedroom will instantly relate to the bear's emotional honesty. Curato's simple ink, colored pencil, and watercolor illustrations help bring a gentle pathos to Bina's predicament. Even the most outgoing child will learn to empathize with those that don't have fun in crowds. Tiny's gender is unspecified. Imbued with understanding and overt silliness; a quietly chucklesome affirmation of introverts. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Tiny (a small, white rabbit) is having a big party and can't find Bina Bear anywhere. Every time Tiny thinks they have found Bina Bear, it turns out to be the big, purple bear disguised as a lamp. Or a table. Or a tree. Or--a crying bag of groceries? Discovered, Bina Bear admits she is hiding because she doesn't like parties; she came, though, because Tiny is her friend. Together, they hide in solidarity from the rest of the partygoers. Inclusion and representation are always present in Curato's thoughtful picture books, and this story is a sweet, sincere, and playful approach to discussing shyness. And while Curato is constantly expanding and evolving stylistically as an artist--leaning here toward a more bubbly, purple-and-yellow, color-popping cartoonishness than in his earlier, more realistic work--the heart of his books remains consistently warm. He has created the same gorgeous, intimate friendship here between Bina Bear and Tiny that Little Elliot has with Mouse in that beloved series, and the story is both a discussion piece and a giggly treat.
