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LOVE IS IN THE BEAR

Name: LOVE IS IN THE BEAR
Author: Judith Henderson
ISBN: 9781771475891

by Judith Henderson ; illustrated by Nahid Kazemi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 2023

Elevates standard hibernation fare to a new level.

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A bear finds love in both music and a feathered friend.

Bear groggily wakes from a winter slumber, lumbering outside to greet the world. But if he had slept one more second, he would have missed it: “the moment—the moment—in a day that started everything.” An enchanting song is heard. Bear follows the sound and finds a dainty chickadee singing her heart out. She is, in fact, practicing for the opera. “AHHH-PERA,” says Bear. And then questions: “What’s the Opera?” (“It’s a story with lots of singing.”) Bear wonders if he could be part of the opera, too. Bird’s wide-eyed expression at Bear’s “BASSO PROFUNDO” voice leads readers to guess that his talents might be lacking. The two practice together and audition. In an unexpected twist, Bear does not get the part (though Bird does). But the love that has developed between them transcends all. They are still an undeniable duet, and when winter returns, Bird promises to watch over Bear as he sleeps. Kazemi’s ethereal forest, full of smudged trees and floating dandelion wisps, enhances the sentimental atmosphere of these sweet soul mates. The intended audience might not immediately hear John Paul Young’s crooning voice once the title is read, but listening to “Love Is in the Air” or an operatic aria is a logical next step. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Elevates standard hibernation fare to a new level. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023

ISBN: 9781771475891

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WILLA AND WADE AND THE WAY-UP-THERE
by Judith Henderson ; illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour

- BOOK REVIEW
LION ON THE INSIDE
by Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir with Judith Henderson ; illustrated by Katherine Ahmed

- BOOK REVIEW
GRANDMOTHERS GALORE!
by Judith Henderson & Ellen Yeomans ; illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
PETE THE KITTY'S FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL
by Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean

- BOOK REVIEW
I LOVE PETE THE KITTY
by James Dean & Kimberly Dean ; illustrated by James Dean

- BOOK REVIEW
TOOL SCHOOL
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by James Dean

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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)