by Gabby Dawnay ; illustrated by Alex Barrow ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
Readers will appreciate learning that there’s more than one way to sing a song.
Rhyming quatrains combine with an energy-filled rap to capture a bear’s journey of self-discovery.
Birdsong has woken the little brown bear up for so long that he knows all the words. But when he tries singing them, his voice is “strong, / but it wasn’t exactly / a bird sort of song.” In fact, his voice makes the birds fly away. When an owl flutters down to give advice, the bear jumps to the wrong conclusions. The owl points out that birds fly. Instead of understanding that birds and bears are different, the bear thinks learning to fly will help him sing—but, of course, he just falls to the ground. The owl explains that birds have beaks, so the bear creates a paper beak—but that does nothing for his singing. When the owl finally suggests there are plenty of things the bear can do, the enthusiastic ursine discovers his own song, a rap. “I can…swim, I can catch. / I can sniff, I can scratch….” As his audience grows, his rap builds in enthusiasm and self-realization until the exhausted bear remembers something else he loves to do—sleep. Simple illustrations in bold crayon colors against a neutral background make this book a good storytime selection, though it will take some practice to perfect the meter and transitions in and out of the rap segment.
Readers will appreciate learning that there’s more than one way to sing a song. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-500-65181-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 16, 2024
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static.
In his latest outing, Bear and his pals go in search of eggs.
Bear “lumbers with his friends through the Strawberry Vale.” Raven finds a nest; climbing up, “The bear finds eggs!”: a refrain that appears throughout. Instead of eating the robin’s eggs, however, Bear leaves a gift of dried berries in the nest for the “soon-to-be-chicks.” Next, the friends find 10 mallard eggs (as bright blue as the robin’s), and Bear leaves sunflower seeds. Then the wail of Mama Meadowlark, whose bright yellow undercarriage strikes a warm golden note, leads them to promise to find her lost eggs. With his friends’ assistance, Bear finds one, and they decide to paint them “so they aren’t lost again.” Another is discovered, painted, and placed in Hare’s basket. After hours of persistent searching, Bear suddenly spots the remaining two eggs “in a small patch of clover.” Before they can return these eggs, the chicks hatch and rejoin their mother. Back at his lair, Bear, with his troupe, is visited by all 17 chicks and the robin, mallard, and meadowlark moms: “And the bear finds friends!” Though this sweet spring tale centers on finding and painting eggs, it makes no overt references to Easter. The soft green and blue acrylics, predictable rhymes, and rolling rhythm make this series installment another low-key natural read-aloud.
Cheery fun that will leave series fans “egg”-static. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781665936552
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by AG Ford
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by Carin Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 22, 2013
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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by Kirsten Bramsen & illustrated by Carin Bramsen
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