Yolen's gracefully worded, sometimes rhyming text presents a sensible girl whose gentle, ursine protector helps her overcome shyness and act more bravely than she would on her own. In Corace's precisely drawn and beautifully painted gouache, ink, and graphite artwork, the child is almost always depicted within the gentle bear's much larger, semi-transparent form. A creative interpretation of the imaginary friend theme, this original picture book respects both its characters and its audience.-- Booklist
The success of this simple story of a child's summoning of inner strength lies in Corace's gouache and line illustrations. . . . This low-key story encourages viewers to find inner resources for dealing with ordinary challenges, and could help provide children with a structure for contemplating their own armor. --School Library Journal
Yolen's quiet text, seasoned with occasional rhyme, suits this tale of resilience. She gently celebrates how children build their own competencies by adopting imaginary friends and imbuing stuffed toys with their own increasing social-emotional fitness. --Kirkus Reviews
The gouache, ink, and graphite illustrations strike a visually pleasing balance with the soft linework and dappled texture of the bear paired with the more solid geometry of the real world. This gentle, dreamy read would be most useful for youngsters needing a visualization of how to get through a rough patch or to project confidence. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books