The Moon of the Bears (The Thirteen Moons)
Grade 4-8-- As the cold eases and spring emerges in fits and starts, the behaviors of a variety of creatures are documented; at the center of the drama is the bear. The book opens with its first stirrings from hibernation, but flashes back--almost as if in the bear's own slumbery dreams--to the events of the summer and autumn before: eating, playing, courtship, and mating. George's writing is memorable, such as one passage in which the animal resists sleep, waiting for the exact instinctual moment to hibernate. Readers also follow the awakenings of nearby insects, sap quickening, and mating dances. Luminous, realistic color paintings, including a double-page spread and some compelling closeups of the bear's face, perfectly enhance the text that George has refined into a less matter-of-fact, more lyrical version of her 1967 original. Here, she captures the mystery of the event while delivering a number of facts. This is accurate nonfiction that reads like a story, and is perfectly suited for reading aloud. --Valerie Lennox, Jacksonville Public Library, FLCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.