Book 2:
Very Hairy Bear.
By Alice Schertle.
Illus. by Matt Phelan.
2007. Harcourt,Inc., $16 (9780152165680)
PreS-K
Schertle writes a rhyming tale about a “very hairy bear
and his no-hair nose”. The bear strolls through the pages with his “no-hair nose”
leading him and the audience through the seasons. He dives into water for salmon, digs deep
into a beehive for honey, gobbles up blueberries, and finds his way into his
den for the winter.
The story has a rhythm created by Schertle’s use of
language, which serves as a great literacy tool to promote phonological awareness
with early readers. She uses alliteration and rhyme to carry the narrative, but
unfortunately the flow is interrupted by parts that don’t rhyme as well as
others. Some portions seem forced like “…when soft white snowflakes start to
fall and cling to bear hair…(if there’s a bear there)”. Fortunately the
illustrations are so charming, it’s easy to ignore the clumsy parts of narration.
Phelan’s use of pastel and pencil are delightful. The scenery communicates the bear's loveable expressions and the change in
seasons well. -Natalia Tabisaura
Book 3:
Wonder Bear
By Tao Nyeu. Illus. the
author.
2008.48 pg. Dial, $17.99 (9780803733282)
PreS-Gr.1
Reminiscent of Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, two young children
travel into a magical world accompanied by a new friend (in this case, it’s
Wonder Bear). In Nyeu’s wordless picture
book, a young boy and girl plant a garden which grows overnight into gigantic
blossoms that bloom Wonder Bear. Wonder
Bear is an enormous white bear with a magical top hat that creates surreal mischievous
monkeys, lions made of balloons, and flying sea life to entertain the children.
The artwork is phenomenal! The composition
of the illustrations further emphasize the movement of the characters and the
narrative. The book’s color scheme has a retro feel to it which adds to the whimsical
nature of the imagery. The illustrations alone make this a personal favorite!
It’s unfortunate that the story line is weak in comparison to its strong
imagery. Nyeu also authors and illustrates Bunny
Days (2011) which shares her light hearted sense of humor that is only
touched upon in Wonder Bear. Children
will enjoy retelling and reimagining this dreamlike tale.
Book
4:
Another
brother
By Matthew
Cordell. Illus. the author.
2012.unpaged. Feiwel & Friends. $16.99
(9780312643249)
PreS-Gr.3
Cordell tells the story of a family of
three: mom, dad, and Davy. Davy enjoys
the sole attention of his parents until a brother is born, but not just one
brother Davy gets twelve other brothers! Every move Davy makes, his younger
brothers copy. He complains, but his dad
tells him that one day they’ll find their own interests and no longer copy
him. Davy can’t wait…until the day it actually
happens. Surprisingly Davy is saddened that his little shadows no longer
follow. One day a little sister punctuates Davy’s tale with a light-hearted
twist.
The illustrations are amusing and
bright. Cordell uses simple lines and highlights of bright watercolor on a
white background to depict Davy’s story. Davy’s experience depicts the
important lesson that sometimes it’s lonely being the one and only. As an older child, I can relate to the older
sibling experience. Other older siblings
will easily be able to relate to Davy also.
Another Brother was a warm and easily shared story about the pros and cons
of siblings. –Natalia Tabisaura
Book
5:
Chicken
Little
By Rebecca
Emberley and Ed Emberley. Illus. the authors.
2009.32 pg. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter,
$16.95 (9781596434646)
PreS-K
Rebecca and Ed Emberley retell the
tale of Chicken Little in a more modern but equally entertaining way. Like in the classic, Chicken Little, who is
not to clever, mistakes an acorn falling on her head as a piece of the falling sky. She encounters different animals on her
panicked retreat, recruiting other panicked animals on the way. Finally they meet a Wolf who promises to keep
them “safe”. Little do they know, they’ve
been tricked into hiding in the darkness of his tummy! A pitter patter of feet
and a great big sneeze change the classic ending to this yarn.
The Emberleys weave an amusing
retelling of the classic folktale, Chicken Little. Their illustrations are constructed of
collaged textured paper in bright colors which creates a more modern feel to
the story. Although based on the original, the new artwork and added bits
redefine this story so that it’s entirely new. The revised ending also provides
a fresh and friendlier ending especially for the younger audience. –Natalia Tabisaura
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