I had mixed feelings after reading Bear E. Bear. I loved the multiracial relationships that are portrayed through the story in the form of illustrations. There aren't very many multiracial families in the media that children can relate to. Yet, in this story, the main character has an African American father and a white mother. The main reservation I had about Bear E. Bear is that it was very difficult for me to find the deeper meaning behind the story. The main character is a little girl named Gaila who has a teddy-bear named Bear E. Bear. The book follows her as she cares for her bear after it is accidentally dropped into a gutter. Although the message was not clear to me, I enjoyed that the book showed a realistic storyline and had believable characters. Gaila often describes her parents doing everyday activities, such as doing chores or cooking dinner. One example of this is, " Mama's doing the dishes and Daddy comes home. He sees me on the dryer and says, 'Bear E. Bear bit the dust again, huh?'" ( )