BEAR HAIR

Mutual desire to don an oversize wig leads a bear and a hare to engage in hilarious hijinks.

Mack is a master of wordplay, and here his characters cavort through different scenarios involving the homophones bear/bare and hair/hare. The main actors are introduced in all their glorious furriness. Bear is large and brown, holding a purple hand mirror. Hair (on its own page) is voluminous and blue. Hare is pink and hyperactive, with two protruding front teeth. The single, all-lowercase word accompanying each image is color-coded to match, setting up emerging readers for success. When Bear tries on the hairpiece, it covers most of the animal’s face. The rabbit leaps up to steal it; what was previously “hair on bear” is now “hare on bear.” The narrative builds, adding more contrasts and words as the action unfolds, the text stacked in a column: “hair on hare on bare bear.” Bear eventually sits on Hare, squishing the creature. When Bear arises to search (“hare?”), observant viewers will notice a pink, flattened reflection in the mirror, which is angled at Bear’s rear—a very funny detail. Bear arrives at a solution involving a “tear” (as in rip) and an invitation: “Share?” The joyous friends look terrific in their better-fitting dos as they frolic about. Mack blends minimal, well-chosen text with inviting illustrations for an uproarious tale youngsters will eagerly return to.

Pleasing sounds, lots of laughs, a problem resolved. A sheer—or perhaps shear?—delight.