Bears, bears and more bears … No Bears
By Meg McKinlay Illustrated by Leila Rudge Candlewick Press. $15.99 (Ages 3-6) his is Ella’s book and she states right at the beginning that this will be a book that doesn’t have any bears in it. Right! No bears? Come on now! Everyone loves bears in books. They go together like furry paws and honey or wet noses and teddy hugs! E l l a thinks she can exclude bears from her book but we’ll see. Sure she can have fairies and princesses. Perhaps there will be a giant or some type of monster. Maybe you’ll find on these pages a fairy godmother, a girl in a red cape, an owl or even a witch riding a broom. But can Ella really keep bears out of her book? Hmmm, perhaps, but I wouldn’t bet on it! Riffing on well-known fairy-tale themes, Meg McKinlay has fun with this offbeat picture book and so will you and your child. The playful illustrations with a running visual joke will keep bear lovers smiling from start to finish. Imagine, a storybook with no bears! What nonsense!
T
Ten months old, the cub is going to have to fend for herself on an island with far too many other bears. With global warming, the ice pack the polar bears normally live on has diminished and this island is suddenly too crowded. Finding food becomes a real chore for the cub, but if she is to survive, she must adapt to the conditions and live off what she can scavenge. Eventually, the conditions change and a blizzard arrives. Slowly the ice pack returns and there’s more room to roam and find food. Based on a true story, you’ll find more about polar bears and the changing conditions they must cope with at the end of this picture book. This would be an ideal book to use to begin a study of either climate change or the lives of polar bears.
Bears in Beds
By Shirley Parenteau Illustrated by David Walker Candlewick. $15.99 (Ages 2-5) pen this picture book and you’ll immediately discover five empty beds. Now whose beds could these be? Why they are bear beds! It will be up to Big Brown Bear to get his four little bears into their beds for the night. This won’t be an easy task but Big
O
I
By Leigh Hodgkinson Nosy Crow. $ 15.99 (Ages 3 and up) ere’s a takeoff of the traditional tale of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” that will have young readers giggling from start to finish. Hopefully you remember Baby Bear from the original story. That little bear has grown up now and he accidentally wanders into the big city. Put off by all he encounters on the city streets, the bear darts into a high-rise building to find some quiet. He takes the elevator to the 18th floor, and finds an empty apartment where he decides to find a snack and take a little snooze. The reenactment of the original tale of Goldilocks wandering into the three bears’ home now follows with some hilarious consequences. Of course, the final outcome centers on the reuniting of two famous characters who have changed quite a bit in the intervening years. Make sure you have read the original tale to your child a few times before you share this spin-off with the youngster. If you don’t, the “Just One Bear” version will fall a bit flat!
H
Bear in Love
Waiting for Ice
By Sandra Markle Illustrated by Alan Marks Charlesbridge. $15.95 (Ages 5 and up) n this picture book, the reader will visit Wrangle Island, a spit of land in the Arctic Ocean. An orphaned polar bear cub must try to survive after being separated from her mother.
Goldilocks and Just One Bear
Brown Bear eventually gets Yellow Bear, Fuzz Bear, Calico Bear and Floppy Bear tucked in. Then they all get a kiss good-night. “Whoosh!” Oh my, what was that? “Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Something has awakened Big Brown Bear. What could it be? Check the little bears’ beds. Goodness, they are empty! It looks like Big Brown Bear will have to start all over again. How he settles the cubs down is rather clever and you’ll have to read this delightful, rhymed, read-aloud storybook to see what he comes up with. It’s a technique parents have used for years and it works like a charm.
26 / January 15th 2012 / Aptos Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
By Daniel Pinkwater Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand Candlewick. $15.99 (Ages 2-6) ne day bear finds a carrot pm a rock outside his cave. “It smells nice. It might be good to eat. It is c r u n c h y. It tastes good, too! Yu m ! ” says bear. Bear is delighted with his discovery. The next day bear finds two carrots
O
outside his cave. And so it goes. Each day more carrots and then some blueberries appear. Obviously, bear has a secret friend. He decides to reciprocate by leaving some tasty treats like honey and a candy bar on the rock for whoever is leaving him his delicious goodies. Will bear eventually meet this secret friend? Of course, but you’ll have to read this picture book to learn who that person might be. This charming and nicely illustrated story about the unexpected kindness of a secret admirer will touch the hearts of young and old readers alike. Don’t be surprised if “Bear in Love” becomes an instant hit in your household and ends up on the list of favorite bedtime reads!
A Birthday for Bear
By Bonny Becker Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton Candlewick. $16.99 (Ages 4 and up) eissued in a slightly smaller version, this Bear and Mouse picture book has become a classic. Bear doesn’t like birthdays. He doesn’t care for parties, balloons, cards, silly songs or even cake with candles. No, Bear definitely does not celebrate birthdays! So, even though today is bear’s birthday, he intends to ignore it. Not so fast! Bear’s friend Mouse has no intention of letting this special day slip away without a celebration. Mouse tries delivering a birthday card to Bear. “It’s not my birthday!’ is Bear’s response and then he sweeps Mouse out the door. Next, Mouse tries some balloons. No, that doesn’t work either. Getting more creative, Mouse dresses up like Santa, slides down Bear’s chimney and hands Bear a gift. Nope! Bear is not fooled by the little, bogus Santa. Finally, Mouse’s persistence pays off and he succeeds and breaks down his friend’s resistance. How Mouse does this you’ll see as you read this humorous account of Bear’s non-birthday that actually turns into a very festive occasion. n
R