Robert Bloomer Hare Bell

Robert Bloomer Hare Bell was a Scottish writer whose publications included stories written for younger audiences. The Laughing Bear, and Other Stories gathers seven tales, beginning with its title story and continuing through The Gray Witch, Mr. Rooster, The Mid-Earth People, The Black Hus, The Leviathan, and The Brown Friar. Eleanor Howard supplied the illustrations. The collection first appeared in 1917 and places royal figures, talking animals, witches, and legendary beings in a succession of compact adventures. In the opening story, Princess Chonwa is carried away from danger by a bear and follows her unexpected rescuer beyond the familiar world of court. The remaining pieces vary their settings and creatures while preserving the same interest in wonder, peril, and reversal. Bell lived from 1872 to 1956. The Laughing Bear, and Other Stories is the clearest example of his work for children, showing how he could sustain a book through changing casts and self-contained narratives rather than a single continuous plot. Its form lets each tale establish a distinct imaginative rhythm.