Brown’s quietly understated text, first published in 1952 with different illustrations, provides the words for this simple, sweet, and satisfying introduction to the Nativity story. The rhyming narrative, with just a few phrases per page, includes poetic descriptions of the setting and evocative vocabulary describing the sounds of the animals and their behavior, complemented with a few cleverly interwoven phrases from Christmas carols that help describe the action. The unpretentious style of Goode’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations is well matched to that of the text, with light-infused views capturing both the warmth of the manger scene and the mystery of the single bright star shining down on snowy hills. Though purists might object to a setting that seems more New England than Middle Eastern, Goode has chosen to illustrate the red barn as a two-story, more modern structure, nestled near a large house on a farm with rolling hills. She also included a rabbit family (mother, father, and baby) throughout many of her illustrations, in tribute to Brown’s best-loved works. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-06-052634-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2004
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
Bergen offers her third entry in her popular God Gave Us series, this time focusing on explaining the broader and more philosophically complex concepts of God’s and Christ’s presence in the world and the theological reasons behind Christmas. Mother Bear answers questions from Little Cub about Santa and the origins of Christmas. Then the mother takes her daughter out into the wilderness to show her God’s presence in nature, made visible in the northern lights and in majestic glaciers. She explains her belief in Jesus as the son of God and as a gift to each person and points to the morning star as a symbol of Jesus present in their lives. Some adults will find that the theological concepts presented here mesh with their own beliefs; others may feel that the simplified religious concepts are rather murky for preschoolers to understand. The illustrations for this volume are by a different artist than the preceding two entries in the series, and while these illustrations are attractive and polished, the polar bears aren’t quite as captivating as those in the previous volumes. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2006
ISBN: 1-4000-7175-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2006
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