Grizzly Dad by Joanna Harrison

Dad wakes up in a bad mood, so he returns to bed to sleep some more.  When Mom and his little siblings head out, a little boy goes to wake his father.  He discovers that his Dad has turned into an enormous grizzly bear!  The little boy gets the bear all ready for the day and feeds him breakfast too.  But when the bear makes a horrible mess of the kitchen, the little boy scolds him soundly.  So the two of them head out and have adventures through the day.  They see a movie together, climb trees in the park, do nothing at all, and then return home for a lunch of honey sandwiches.  Dad is a bear the whole day, until the little boy thanks him for a grand time and suddenly when they hug, he returns to normal, just as Mom is returning home. 

We all have grizzly, grumpy days and this book captures that nicely without ever showing real anger toward a child.  It is nicely handled throughout the book.  Harrison’s text is wonderful, offering just enough information to keep the story moving and never remarking on the wonder of the dad turned bear.  Her illustrations are equally nice, with hints towards the transformation ahead of time, and the nice touch of the bear wearing glasses.  There is also a nice twist at the end.

This is a great dad book that will brighten even the more grumpy days, especially if your children or class are getting grizzly on you.  Add this to a story time on bears, but also any story time on emotions.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Also reviewed by Young Readers.

Panda & Polar Bear by Matthew J. Baek

Due out in June, 2009.

Two kinds of bears lived on either side of a cliff.  The snowy landscape at the top of the cliff housed polar bears and down below in the green of bamboo lived pandas.  One day, a very curious young polar bear leaned too far over the cliff and fell.  Luckily he landed in a deep puddle of mud which colored his limbs deep brown.  When he rubbed his eyes, he looked just like a panda.  It was then that a young panda found him.  The two played merrily together, until the polar bear swam after some fish in a pool and the mud washed off.  Would the panda accept him as he really was?

Baek’s illustrations are bundles of color surrounded by white, the watercolor offering distinctive differences between the two environments.  The bears are done with simple, strong lines that are perfect for children.  The writing is nicely simple and clear, offering what happens and not commentary on it, which is very pleasant.   Teachers and parents will appreciate this book about our differences and similarities and how both are to be celebrated. 

This simple, straight-forward book will find a niche in classrooms as a source of discussion about our different qualities.  It is also a nice read-aloud on bears and can be taken lightly by younger children.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

NOTE:  This book was sent to me via email in the form of a pdf.  Though I am still reluctant to review longer books online, I am happy to say that picture books work well for me in this format.