A Bear and His Boy
PreSchool-Grade 2—This fanciful cautionary tale chronicles one day in the life of a very busy bear who awakes with a boy on his back. In a simple rhyming text, Mack describes his extraordinarily demanding schedule as the child accompanies him on his rigorous routine. Eventually, the boy intercedes and convinces Mack of the importance of taking time to smell the lilacs. This charming follow-up toA Boy and His Bunny(2005) andA Girl and Her Gator(2006, both Arcade) puts a new spin on the formula by casting the animal as the principal character. Spare, less-is-more black line drawings filled in with shades of brown and orange create characters with broad appeal and are a perfect complement to the text. Outstanding in its simplicity, the story conveys an important message in an unassuming manner.—Debbie Lewis O'Donnell, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.