Bear Sees Colors (Bear Books)

PreS--Children will love accompanying Bear on yet another adventure as he and Mouse go walking. "So much for them to do./And the bear/sees...." A page turn reveals the two friends splashing in a setting saturated in the color name that completes the rhyme--blue! "Blue flowers/by the trail./Blue berries./Blue pail." Since not all the objects in the beautiful spread are named, readers can take up the invitation issued here and in similar challenges throughout the book: "Can you spy blue with Bear?" Bear and Mouse meet, in turn, their familiar cast of animal friends: Hare, Badger, Gopher and Mole, and Raven, Owl, and Wren. Each time, a page turn depicts a scene replete with a new color as Bear and his friends enjoy the forest. Especially alert preschoolers will discover an additional hint of what color comes next from the insects he sees. Red ladybugs, for example, fly about the page before the animals cavort amid red berries and flowers on the next spread. While some rhymes don't quite work, this is a very small quibble. The large acrylic paintings, in which even the backgrounds are drenched in the highlighted color, and the opportunity for children to sharpen their rhyming and observation skills as well as learn their colors make this interactive journey a must. Don't miss it!--Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A walk through the woods provides ample opportunities for spotting colors in Bear and Mouse's latest adventure. "Mouse and bear are walking;/ they are chitter-chatter-talking./ So much for them to do./ And the bear sees..." begins Wilson, as the animals appear against a white backdrop; both the open-ended rhyme and a pair of blue dragonflies hint at what awaits after the page turn. The next spread is a riot of blue, with Bear splashing in a river while flowers, fish, butterflies, and fruit offer readers many opportunities to "spy blue with Bear." Though Wilson's rhymes can be a tad herky-jerky, Chapman's vibrant acrylics give children plenty to pore over.—Publishers Weekly "July 14, 2014 "