Grizzly Boy

When Theo proclaims one morning that he's not Theo anymore but Grizzly Boy ("Grizzly Boy does not wear pj's... or UNDERWEAR! GRIZZLY BOY is WILD AND FREE!"), his mother is unfazed. If he's Grizzly Boy, she reasons, he won't need Frosted Monster Bites for breakfast; bears eat fruit and vegetables. When Grizzly Boy wants to play Supersonic-Smash Storm Racer instead of going to school, a "No Bears" sign appears taped across the playroom door. Dueling art styles by Subisak (Shawn Loves Sharks) ramp up bear-vs.-human tension as printed text alternates with bold, hand-lettered speech balloons to represent Grizzly Boy's powerful roars. She has fun with the background, too, imagining Theo's surroundings shifting in and out of forest habitat, as when the staircase becomes a river with salmon leaping upstream. Grizzly Boy's school day doesn't go much better, but his mom is ready for him when he gets home, and Theo discovers that grown-ups get grumpy sometimes, too. With brisk pacing and humor that will stand up to repeat readalouds, Davis-Pyles's debut celebrates the way a parent-and-child bond can withstand everyday grouchiness. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 1--Theo is a boy who wakes up one morning and decides to be "wild and free." Morphing into a grizzly bear, he practices his growl beneath a den of blankets, and scratches "his bottom on the bedpost." Theo's mother goes along with this pretend play, but also sets limits and cleverly guides him to make different choices. When Theo refuses to wear underpants, his mom opens the windows wide until he decides, with a shiver, that his "fur is a bit short" and he puts on clothes. After throwing a temper tantrum, he reluctantly "lumber[s] off to school with his big bare feet." He behaves badly at school, and Subisak's acrylic illustrations show a raging, brown bear tossing chairs and scaring kids. When Theo gets home, his flimsy excuse of "They made me wear shoes" finally testing his mother's patience, and she explodes with "Grizzly Mom does not cook dinner!" A wordless sequence shows the little grizzly giving his mama a hug. Back to being a boy who respects boundaries, Theo offers "Um ... maybe we can just be part grizzly?" Speech bubbles capture realistic dialogue between parent and child, but the second-person narration is stilted and has several awkward page turns prefaced by "But when..." or "And so..." VERDICT Suited for one-on-one sharing, this book could be used to spark discussions about imaginative play and following rules.--Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.