A Bear, a Dog, and Two Very Funny New Books

Storybook art: a laughing boy in a red coat runs through snowy pines while a happy brown bear chases him — Our storybook take on the great bear chase. The real book has even better jokes.

Two new picture books landed in bookstores on November 3. Both are funny. Both are the kind kids ask for at bedtime, then ask for again.

Help! I'm Being Eaten by a Bear!

This one is by Neil Sharpson, with pictures by Dan Santat. It is for ages 3 to 7.

A traveler steps off a plane in Alaska. Right away, he meets a big, hungry bear.

At the airport, he got a pamphlet: what to do if you meet a bear. The pamphlet is no help at all. The bear has made up its mind, and the chase is on.

Sharpson and Santat made a hit book together last year. It was called Don't Trust Fish. If your house loved that one, this is your next read.

“Some books are made to be read out loud. These two are.”

The Jumble

The second book is The Jumble by Avi Steinberg. It is for ages 4 to 8. Steinberg teaches kindergarten, and he draws cartoons for The New Yorker.

A class of kids bumps into a pack of dogs at the park. The leashes get mixed up. A boy named George goes off with the dogs. A dog named Romper goes to school.

George tries his best at dog day care. Romper tries his best at school. He is great at fetching basketballs. Art class is harder.

Where to find them

Both books are out now. Help! I'm Being Eaten by a Bear! comes from Dial. The Jumble comes from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Ask at your library. Funny books go fast, and the hold list can get long.

Sources: Literary Hub, “Tough Days and Good Laughs: 10 New Children's Books Out This November” (Nov. 2, 2026), and Publishers Weekly, “New Kids' and YA Books: Week of November 2, 2026.”