This is a marked departure for Greg Rogers from the confronting and realistic style of his prize-winning Way Home.  The harsh, jagged edge of homelessness on city streets is replaced by a light whimsical story in traditional cartoon frames.

Yet there are some similarities.  Again there is a boy, caught out of place, trying to do the right thing by a suffering animal.  He must run and hide and evade dangers, but the raw emotional power of Way Home has been replaced by humour and caricature.

In this completely wordless story, a boy falls through the curtain of an old theatre onto a stage with Shakespeare.  Chased by the Bard, and trying to make sense of the world, he finds and rescues a dancing bear and then an imprisoned baron about to be executed. Eventually it is Queen Elizabeth who saves the day and the boy must return to his own time (still pursued by Shakespeare!).

The Boy, the Bear, the Baron and the Bard is a delightful romp through an unfamiliar world.  Rogers uses many cinematic tricks during the story: close-ups, high camera angles, tracking from in front of the chase, and the air of the animated movie dominates.  It is a clever collection of the tricks of a visual artist's trade.

While it might not grab the reader with the same urgency as Way Home, The boy, ... etc. demonstrates Roger's skills as a storyteller and visual craftsman.

Review by David Beagley

© 2004 David Beagley