Never Ask a Bear
PreSchool-Grade 1—This cautionary guidebook provides readers with 10 important rules to follow when having a bear over to play. Advice includes not having him close the front door as it will end up in the front yard, not telling him to take a seat, for "your mom's favorite chair/Will end up as a treat." Bears are rambunctious, messy, and wild. The young boy's animal playmate behaves like a 400-pound toddler. This boisterous romp is good for reading aloud but explores no new ground. The illustrations are full of movement and energy as they spill across the page. The bear's uninhibited strength and great size are conveyed through Barrette's use of perspective. Nearly every scene contains an object in midair and thus a sense of the bear's naivety regarding the rules. Good for larger collections and where Laura Numeroff's "If You Give a …" books (HarperCollins) are in demand.—Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJEND