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BIG BEAR, LITTLE BEAR

Name: BIG BEAR, LITTLE BEAR
Author: Marine Schneider
ISBN: 978-1-951836-28-3

by Marine Schneider ; illustrated by Marine Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 2021

A sweet story that pulls on the heartstrings.

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Big Bear and Little Bear have many things in common—some with slight, unexpected twists.

Big Bear wears a yellow top and white pants, and Little Bear wears a white top with yellow pants. They both have boots, a coffee cup, a plate, a toothbrush, and slippers. All things are distinguished mainly by their size: Big Bear’s things are big, and Little Bear’s things are little. In some instances, a strain of tenderness infuses the story. For instance, Big Bear’s car is exactly that, but Little Bear’s car is a cloth sling across Big Bear’s back. Big Bear’s house and Little Bear’s house are precisely the same one. Big Bear’s chair is a brown wooden one, reminiscent of the classic story “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” but Little Bear’s chair is Big Bear’s welcoming lap. Big Bear’s lovey is Little Bear, and Little Bear’s lovey is a plush white rabbit. The final spread will resonate with many adults and children: The illustration on the verso depicts a cozy bed with Big Bear in it (“Big Bear’s bed”), and the illustration on the recto shows both bears in the same snug bed (“Little Bear’s bed”). Originally published in French, Schneider’s childlike illustrations are colorful and attractive, set against plain, monochromatic backgrounds.

A sweet story that pulls on the heartstrings. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-951836-28-3

Page Count: 22

Publisher: Cameron + Company

Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
HEKLA AND LAKI
by Marine Schneider ; illustrated by Marine Schneider ; translated by Nick Frost & Catherine Ostiguy

- BOOK REVIEW
HIRO, WINTER, AND MARSHMALLOWS
by Marine Schneider ; illustrated by Marine Schneider ; translated by Vineet Lal

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BEAR, BABY BEAR
by Marine Schneider ; illustrated by Marine Schneider

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SMILE, POUT-POUT FISH

by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.

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This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.

Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.

An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8

Page Count: 12

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORRY-WORRY WHALE AND THE CLASSROOM JITTERS
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
POUT-POUT FISH
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POUT-POUT FISH AND THE MAD, MAD DAY
by Deborah Diesen ; illustrated by Dan Hanna

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ALL ABOUT ME

From the Look & Learn series

by National Geographic ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 11, 2014

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on...

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An exploration of the human body through colorful photos.

Every other double-page spread labels the individual parts on one major area: head, torso, back, arm and leg. Ethnically diverse boy-girl pairs serve as models as arrows point to specific features and captions float nearby. While the book usefully mentions rarely depicted body parts, such as eyebrow, armpit and shin, some of the directional arrows are unclear. The arrow pointing at a girl’s shoulder hits her in the upper arm, and the belly button is hard is distinguish from the stomach (both are concealed by shirts). Facts about the human body (“Guess what? You have tiny hairs in your nose that keep out dirt”) appear on alternating spreads along with photos of kids in action. Baby Animals, another title in the Look & Learn series, uses an identical format to introduce readers to seal pups, leopard cubs, elephant calves, ducklings and tadpoles. In both titles, the final spread offers a review of the information and encourages readers to match baby animals to their parents or find body parts on a photo of kids jumping on a trampoline.

Clear nonfiction for the very young is hard to come by, and it appears that the Look & Learn series may finally be on the right track despite earlier titles that were much too conceptual for the audience. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)