Bear-ly There
The magnificently rich rendering of a bear on the cover invites readers into the woods to witness the bear awakening in spring. The artist’s affinity for the natural world emerges in the expressive, textured details of flora and fauna. It’s a shame that the first page has a misspelled word (“whisps of steam”). Enticing smells draw the bear into backyards, and Charlie and his family watch with trepidation as, day after day, the bear finds new reasons to invade civilization: to steal seed, knock over trash cans, and tear up the compost pile. Charlie warns neighbors by posting signs (“What to do if you have a bear in your backyard”), and his family members devise plans to protect their turf. In this cautionary tale, the illustrations are more successful than the text, which is a bit wordy and lacking in focus, centering first on the bear and then shifting to the people. Yet it admirably confronts a problem not often addressed in children’s books. Grades 1-3. --Patricia Austin