RISE AND SHINE!
by Tim Warnes & illustrated by Tim Warnes
The appealing bears introduced by Warnes in his version of Jesus Loves Me! (2006) return as the main characters in another satisfying treatment of a traditional children’s religious song. The cheery, rhyming words to the song retell the story of Noah and the Ark, using the delightfully silly line endings (“twosies” and “kangaroosies”) that have made kids in Sunday-school class and summer camp giggle for generations. As in the previous volume, the bear family enjoys simple activities that loosely parallel the structure of the song, with the action taking place in an idyllic forest and a garden full of bright sunflowers. The little bear cub wakes up on the title page, and then he and his dad build a toy ark together. The cub fills the ark with toy animals and pairs of obliging animal friends who continue to interact with the bears as they enjoy some lemonade and a walk through the woods. (music notation) (Picture book. 2-6)