bears

Review: Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod

| Tasha

maudie and bear

Maudie and Bear by Jan Ormerod and Freya Blackwood (Link to InfoSoup)

Through five short stories, readers get to know Maudie and her best friend Bear.  Maudie is a little girl who is always planning the next thing for them to do.  She can be bossy, definitely has opinions, and yet has a charm that is hard to resist.  Bear certainly does not resist at all, instead helping Maudie plan their next escapade.  The pair have a series of adventures from a bike ride that is more about fashion than exercise to a very Goldilocks-like encounter to dancing under the stars.  The two are not without friction, having to apologize occasionally for things that go wrong.  They are a cheery pair to read about and one wishes for a Bear of their very own.

Ormerod’s writing is simple and lovely.  She captures stories in a few words, selecting them for impact and ease.  Then she adds a wry sense of humor and a little twist at the end of each tale that add to the appeal of the book.  The friendship of the two is shown as complex yet completely natural.  It works particularly well that the friendship is not perfect or easy, but real.  The stories have just enough action and interaction in them to make them a pleasure to read, but not too long or too short.  Like Goldilocks, these are just right.

Blackwood’s Illustrations are stellar.  She captures the winning attitude of the text, creating a book that is welcoming in its obvious warmth and cleverness.  The largeness of bear makes one want to cuddle up for days and the ever-moving Maudie is a perfect foil.  The two together are the perfect pair, ready for any adventure that comes their way.

Originally published in Australia, this book’s old-fashioned feel combined with its sunny nature is very inviting for young readers.  Appropriate for ages 3-5. 

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Review: Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Gerda Muller

| Tasha

goldilocks

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Gerda Muller

I’m always on the look out for accessible versions of traditional tales.  Muller’s version of the three bears adds a delightful mix of tradition and the modern day.  The structure of the story remains the same, but Goldilocks is a girl who lives in a caravan and her family travels with the circus.  She’s a not a child who understands about knocking on doors!  And so she walks into the woods and discovers the home of the three bears.  From there, the traditional story picks up.  Yet this Goldilocks is innocent of any real wrong-doing and certainly doesn’t understand that she shouldn’t be there.  This innocence and naiveté works well in the book, taking her character from a naughty urchin to a young explorer. 

Muller’s illustrations are done in an understated color palette with dashes of vivacious reds.  The bears’ home is wonderfully traditional with a Dutch door, carved wooden chairs, and matching comforters on the beds in different colors but all with a bee motif.  No one will wonder why Goldilocks enters and stays.  It is all so very inviting and cozy.

This is a cheery and slightly modernized version of the traditional story that will be welcome in library collections or as a great bedtime pick.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Floris Books.

Review: Red Sled by Lita Judge

| Tasha

red sled

Red Sled by Lita Judge

This almost wordless book sparkles with the joy of sledding.  A little child leaves their sled leaning up outside their house.  When night falls, a bear walks by and spots the red sled.  With a “scrunch scrinch scrunch scrinch” he walks away with the sled under his arm.  Then he and a rabbit ride the sled down the hill, hooting with glee.  They head down the hill in different positions and then are by a moose, and eventually raccoons, an opossum, a porcupine and a mouse.  When morning light starts to show, the bear returns the sled with a “scrunch scrinch scrunch scrinch.”  The little child notices the paw prints around the sled, and the ending will have everyone smiling.

Judge’s art here is playful and filled with antics of the animals.  There is a sense of joy and humor throughout the book, something akin to sledding itself.  The art is whimsical and charming, the snowy ground illuminating the night.  The emotions on the faces of the characters carry a lot of the humor as do the physical stunts on the sled.

A super pick for winter sharing, this is sure to warm up any cold winter night.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Review: Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

| Tasha

benjamin bear in fuzzy thinking

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray

This is another winner from Toon Books.  Their graphic novel line up for elementary aged children manages to be funny, smart and perfectly age appropriate.  Originally published in France, this graphic novel has a certain elegance and style.  Each comic in the book ranges from three to six panels, telling small stories in a quick, simple way.  The humor ranges from a quiet contemplative joke about friendship to a physical slap-stick style.  Coudray has woven those styles together so the book moves from one level to another seamlessly, creating a dynamic and surprising reading effect. 

Coudray’s humor is multi-faceted and great fun to read.  The book moves from one sort of humor to another with great ease.  The illustrations are colorful but in a more sophisticated palette than many children’s books.  A lot of the humor is physical, so the illustrations convey much of it.  Even in the broadest of slapstick, there is a feel of style that makes it a unique read.

The book is laugh-out-loud funny and also great fun to share aloud with children.  This is a graphic novel that belongs in all public libraries, because it is a great hook for reluctant readers.  Appropriate for ages 5-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Pink Me.

Review: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

| Tasha

i want my hat back

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Published September 27, 2011.

I don’t think I can express how much I love this picture book.  It happily breaks all picture book rules by using a very muted palette with punches of color, not having much action at all, and ending with a dark twist.

The bear, who narrates the book in first person, is searching for his hat.  He asks one animal after the next about his hat and no one has seen it.  The only exception is the rabbit who is wearing a distinctive bright red pointy hat and seems to be protesting too much.  The bear continues past him though and on to several more animals until suddenly he realizes that he HAS seen his hat!  He rushes back past all of the animals until he reaches the rabbit.  And to find out what happens next, you will just have to read this humdinger of a picture book.

The illustrations are subtle, clever and in their understated way, hilarious.  The deadpan of the animals, the grasses and rocks near each of them on a tan page, all add up to the perfect background for this surprising story.

Klassen’s wording is perfection.  Each animal has a straight-forward response except the rabbit, so readers will be sure to notice the frenzied excuses being made.  He also incorporates plenty of repetition into the book which makes it flow like a book for preschoolers, but the humor will be enjoyed by older readers most of all.

Get your hands on this one, it is a clever, funny read with a dark twist.  What more could you ask for?  Appropriate for children ages 4-6, but most appreciated by children 7-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Candlewick Press.

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Review: The Bear Who Shared by Catherine Rayner

| Tasha

bear who shared

The Bear Who Shared by Catherine Rayner

Norris, the bear, knew that the plorringes were the best fruits.  So he waited under the plorringe tree because he knew something special was going to happen.  Tulip and Violet, a mouse and a raccoon, knew that plorringes were the best too.  They were able to climb up in the tree to get closer to the single hanging plorringe.  They could see how delicious it looked and smell its delicious scent.  They listened to it and hugged it too.  They were just about to lick it when it fell off of the tree and down right onto Norris’ head.  Now Norris was closest to the plorringe and had it all to himself.  But just as Norris was patient, he was also a very nice bear.  The type of bear who would not only share but would make some new friends doing it.

The story here is one that has been shared in many picture books.  Rayner’s writing has a gentle repetition that is almost not noticeable.  She has a playfulness and a warmth to her writing that makes it a pleasure to read aloud.

It is the illustrations that make this book something extraordinary.  There is the brawny brown of the bear done in overlapping paint that show his girth and weight, but also his sturdiness and steadiness.   Then the raccoon is a mash of black and grays, blending and merrily mixing, capturing the dynamic movements.  The mouse is all delicate line and a whisper of pink expression for the tail.  The plorringe is yellows, reds and pinks, a mix of mango, plum, and guava.

A book about sharing and friendship that will be loved due to the illustrations.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books for Young Readers.

Book Review: Bear with Me by Max Kornell

| Tasha

bear with me

Bear with Me by Max Kornell

Owen had a great life before Gary showed up.  One day his parents just showed up with a big bear.  They said they had always wanted a bear.  But Owen didn’t want a bear at all.  Gary was going to sleep in Owen’s room, share Owen’s toys, and live with them as part of their family.  Now his parents were busy with Gary and Gary snored when he slept!  He even left the covers off the markers so they dried out and broke the swing in the backyard.  Owen finally had enough and went outside by himself.  Gary found him there and slowly, slowly the two of them became friends.  Perhaps having a bear join the family wasn’t as bad as Owen had thought.

Kornell writes with a wry sense of humor that works very well here.  The use of an intruding bear as a stand-in for a new sibling works well in his hands.  He keeps the text straight-forward but humorous.

The illustrations add much to the book.  They are done in an intriguing style of cut-paper that has been drawn on and then added to the scenes.  Each character is often their own cut out on a background that is one large sheet.  The lines are simple and the colors bright.  Gary is a wonderfully large bear that is completely non-threatening and looks just as worried as Owen.

Ideal for blended families or new adoptive siblings, this book has loads of appeal.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

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Book Review: The Abandoned Lighthouse by Albert Lamb

| Tasha

abandonedlighthouse

The Abandoned Lighthouse by Albert Lamb, illustrated by David McPhail

A bear finds a rowboat near his favorite waterfall and promptly falls asleep in it.  The rowboat carries him through the sea and to a rocky shore with a lighthouse.  Then the rowboat drifted away.  It appeared on the beach near a young boy and his dog.  When his ball got stuck in the boat, the boy climbed in.  He and his dog were carried to the same lighthouse.  There, the boy and the bear met, spent time together, and slept.  But the little dog was awoken in the night by a storm and they all spotted a very large ship about the crash on the rocks.  They worked together to light the lamp and warn the ship to safety.  In the end, the rowboat carried the bear and the boy back to their own shores and the ship safely into its port.

This appealing book tells a simple story in a straight-forward way, perfect for young readers.  It is formatted as a reader rather than a picture book, though it would be successful in either format.  The story has enough mystery to keep the pages turning and then enough action to finish up on a high note.  It is a rather mystical book, filled with possibilities, but can still be read as a simple story as well.

McPhail’s art is lovely.  He plays with jewel tones in the sea, light and dark in the storm.  His art is easy to understand, making it very appropriate for the title.  Yet in his art, there is also the potential to see more too. 

A very nice early reader for library collections, this book is gentle and mysterious.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.  Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Review–Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

| Tasha

springisherehillenbrand

Spring Is Here by Will Hillenbrand

Mole wakes up and tries to figure out if spring has arrived.  He sniffs the air, tiptoes past Bear’s room and then squishes mud under his feet.  He knows that spring is here.  But when he tries to wake up Bear to let him know, Bear just keeps on snoring.  So Mole comes up with a way to get Bear to wake up.  It involves gathering eggs, milking a cow, churning the milk, pouring, mixing, and baking.  When he presents Bear with his surprise though, Mole is the one so tired from his efforts that he is snoring.

Hillenbrand has created a charming picture book from a very simple concept, making a book that is ideal to share with toddlers.  Sounds have been sprinkled nicely throughout the book, energizing the story.  With only a few lines per page, the pacing of the book will work well read aloud to small children.   Towards the end, the pacing picks up even more as Mole works on his idea to wake up Bear.

The artwork in the book adds to the story’s cozy feel.  The mixed media illustrations have a warmth thanks to their soft lines and homey subject.  Filled with small touches, a complete world is created where friendship between a mole and bear makes perfect sense.

Add this to your spring story time pile, especially if you read to the smallest of children.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.