The Bonsai Bear, by Bernard Libster, takes place in a remote Japanese Village. Kyomi and her husband Issa are the main characters; they are artists with contrasting styles. Kyomi's art is expressive and free. For example, she "made paper birds that looked ready to fly from her hand." Issa's art is controlling; he sculpts bonsai trees. "Issa could make trees stay whatever size and shape he chose."
When they receive a bear cub, Kiyomi looks forward to the day when it will roam free in the forest. On the other hand, Issa tries to stunt its growth and alter its appearance, so that it will never leave. The God of Bears intervenes to resolve this conflict. The God of Bears enters the cub's dreams to prepare to live in the forest. The God of Bears enters Issa's dreams to teach him empathy.
It's significant that Issa apologizes and requests forgiveness as he unbinds the bear and allows it to grow. Only one line in the story, it feels significant. "One day in Autumn it was done." The fully grown bear leaves Kyomi and Issa's home. I startled to realize that this story is a metaphor. My sadness when the grown bear leaves home is a testament to its effectiveness.
I feel I should like this story more than I do. The illustrations by Aries Cheung are nice but not my favorite. Maybe I don't like the God of Bears as the answer to the problem. Goodreads gave it only 2 stars. I'll keep this book because it's signed by the author, and it's a meaningful metaphor. It's just not one of my favorites.
