A bear who, having ended up in the Dumporeum is constantly overlooked, falls to his own resilience to start his own journey to find a place in the heart of someone who will love him. The themes, resilience and self-belief, are understated but ring out through the colours and line work on each page as Nop floats above the business and mayhem of the daily Dumporeum to finally begin his own adventure. The cover is beautifully evocative, and it is a pleasure to turn the pages of high-quality paper which remind the reader just how special books are. This is a dream of a book with text and artwork perfectly matched to bring the right note of joy and melancholy to the reader. There is no time wasted on the sadness of an abandoned bear as his self-sufficiency shines through in the delightful illustrations and expression. So much is painted into a bear with button eyes and a nose and a wobbly little body. This is a compellingly, delicate picture book with a real feel for poetic, alliterative qualities of language.