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A BOOK FOR BEAR

Name: A BOOK FOR BEAR
Author: Ellen L. Ramsey
ISBN: 9780593527245

by Ellen L. Ramsey ; illustrated by MacKenzie Haley ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 18, 2023

A pleasant story about books and reading to share with kids and bears.

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Who doesn’t want to find the perfect book?

Book-loving Bear stands at the edge of the woods daily, listening to a blue-haired, tan-skinned girl named Ellen reading aloud beneath a tree. Before long, Bear emerges from his hiding place and sits beside her, entranced. Bear wants his own book—one that is the color of “ripe red raspberries” and is “delicious to read”—and asks Ellen where to get one. The places she names—her classroom, the library, the bookstore—don’t welcome bears. In order to choose his own book, Bear, accompanied by Ellen, visits each locale in disguise, dressing up as a superhero, a blueberry bush, and a coat-and-hat–wearing, umbrella-toting furry giant; unfortunately, all his efforts end in disappointment, with no book in paw. But never underestimate good old-fashioned ingenuity: Bear comes up with an ideal plan for acquiring a book, and together, he and Ellen find—no, make—the perfect book for Bear, a raspberry-red one that Ellen reads aloud, beginning with the words “Bear loved books.” This cute but obvious, slightly strained tale nevertheless conveys a terrific message about the love of books and the joy of reading. The warm bond between Bear and Ellen is sweetly appealing, as are the gentle humor and lively, colorful illustrations. Adults sharing the book should encourage children to write and illustrate and, if possible, read their own books. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A pleasant story about books and reading to share with kids and bears. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 18, 2023

ISBN: 9780593527245

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flamingo Books

Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)