Many years ago a Kindergarten teacher asked me for books to share with her class that used the days of the week as a story device. I began to collect them, I added "days of the week" as a subject heading in our library database catalogue and I started a Pinterest of these titles. I have now added Little Bear and I do wish I could share this perfect book with that teacher from all those years ago. (perhaps she reads this blog).
Your youngest reading companions are sure to exclaim over the cover of this scrumptious book - little - that bear is not little - the boy is little - the bear is huge.
Turn to the first page and enormous bear fills the whole page in the same way the bear fills the front cover. Turn the page and we see his real size. This change in perception reminded me of "I'm coming to get you" by Tony Ross. (see cover at the bottom of this post)
On Monday, I found a polar bear in the garden.
He was so small, I held him in my hands.
Preschool children love stories with patterns. In this book, alongside the story device which uses days of the week to advance the plot, we also have the issue of a growing bear. At first the boy can hold the bear in his hands, then he moves into a pocket. By Wednesday he has outgrown the pocket and is placed in a comfortable hat. It is now clear this bear needs to go home.
You are sure to have read a similar heart-warming story involving the journey of an arctic animal in the wonderful book Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers. In that book the pair of friends, penguin and boy, travel to Antarctica but in this one they need to go to the arctic because that's where Polar Bears live.
The boy and the polar bear climb aboard a small sailing boat but each day the bear gets bigger and so eventually the boy climbs onto the bear's back. Their arrival is a joyous one with a partner for the bear and several young polar bear cubs. The boy is sure his friend is now home and so he says goodbye and sails away. Is this a happy ending? Yes but it is also tinged with a layer of sadness.
This is a large format, hardcover book and I amazed to say it is not very expensive. I highly recommend you add this book to your school library or preschool library/bookshelf shopping list. Don't hesitate - you need this book now!!
As satisfying as a warm blanket or a cup of cocoa. Kirkus " Joyous art, celebrating freedom and the beauty of the sea, matches the text in tone and quality."
Very strangely in the US this book has a completely different title and cover illustration - I can hardly believe this is the same book!
I have previously talked about three other books illustrated by Richard Jones (I need to add his name to my list of favourite UK illustrators)
1 comment:
Both are in the library!
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