Read Up! The "bear" necessities

Today I have four books to share--all bear books.  You won't learn a thing about bears, but I think you will have a lot of fun!



MORE BEARS!
Kenn Nesbitt & Troy Cummings
Pick up this book right away!  A nice, quiet little author sets out to write a nice, quiet little book--with no bears.  Right away, he hears the voices of children demanding that the story must have "MORE BEARS!"  Right away, the bears begin to appear--but the children keep on demanding more.  The increasingly-large "MORE BEARS" word balloons on each spread are YOUR children's cue to BE the children making the demands.  Every storytime group with whom I've shared this so far has loved it--and I think you & the kids with whom you read will love it, too!

Bossy Bear
David Horvath
It would be natural to spot this book & assume that it exists just to sell toys; after all, its author is the creator of the "UglyDoll" line of designer vinyl figures--and there IS a line of Bossy Bear toys.  Ignore all of that, though, & pick up the book!  You will recognize, whether from your past or your present, the type of person represented by Bossy Bear: as the first lines describe him, "Bossy Bear is very bossy.  He likes things his way all the time."  Talk about Bossy as you share the book; children recognize that the bear's demanding nature & refusal to share makes him someone others don't enjoy being around.  Don't worry, there is a happy ending!

Thank You Bear
Greg Foley
Check out Thank You Bear along with Bossy Bear, because they make for a great pairing!  Bear finds a little box, looks inside & proclaims it "the greatest thing ever!"  But does he then keep it for himself?  No!  He decides it will make a perfect gift for his best friend.  As in Bossy Bear, there's a lot going on along the way to fuel both interest & discussion.







Orange Pear Apple Bear
Emily Gravett
In sharing the title with you, I also just told you every word in the entire book (almost).  Don't discount this as a toddlers-only concept book, though, because it works on many more levels!  Talk about the pictures, and what is happening.  Enjoy the surprises.  Mess it up a little, and wait to get corrected!  

Check these books out! Have fun with them, & let me know what you think. Do you have any favorite books about bears, or friendship, or fruit--or whatever? Please let me know!

Click on this link & READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Storyteller John Weaver

Read Up! Fall Back into the Dark

Does "Fall Back" hit you like it hits me?  The sudden, (and to me, extreme) darkness leaves me feeling in a state of seasonal jet-lag!  In honor of the event, and to ease the adjustment, I offer some book selections that offer a fun bit of bump in the night.  

I Feel a Foot!
Maranke Rinck & Martijn van der Linden
The story of the blind men and the elephant gets a new lease on life, as a turtle, a bat, an octopus, a bird & a goat fall from their hammock on a moonless night.  Each of the friends thinks they are finding someone just like themselves--and the children in the room all seem to know what it is from the very beginning!  van der Linden's unique, eye-catching art almost begs to be honored with an art project after you finish reading this.

Creak!  Said the Bed
Phyllis Root & Regan Dunnick
I think any parent will be able to relate to this tale of a dark & stormy night, and a bed that keeps getting more crowded.  Things here go to an extreme, which just makes the whole thing that much funnier.

Who's There?
Carole Lexa Schaefer & Pierr Morgan
Little BunBun, all tucked in with his teddy bear Boo, hears an awful lot of noises in the dark of the night, and his imagination takes over.  Of course, there's a perfectly good explanation at the end, and many opportunities for you & the little ones with you to talk about whether the things BunBun is imagining are real.

Dark Night
Dorothée de Monfreid
Why Felix was walking through the forest in his pajamas on a dark night, I do not know--but he certainly got an eyeful!  He does a lot of running & shaking along the way, but ends the evening with a new friend and a big mug of hot chocolate.  It's a story that gives several opportunities to make animal sounds, and is thus a very fun story!  I love the art.

Dinosaurs After Dark
Jonathan Emett & Curtis Jobling
Of course, with dinosaurs on the cover, kids are sold--it doesn't even matter what's inside--but the good news is, there is a lot of fun inside!  Despite a threat or two, these dinos just want to play, and even carry their young friend home.  Needless to say, though, the entire town is a huge mess after a night of dinosaur hide-and-seek.




Check these books out!  Have fun with them, & let me know what you think   Do you have any favorite stories of gentle nighttime fun & adventure?  Let me know!

READ UP!  I have many more great books to share with you!

Read Up: Surprise Endings

Expect the unexpected when you settle in with any of this set of five eye-openers!  You may find yourself going along, & going along, & going along, and... then... BAM!  A turn of events that came out of seemingly no place (though in one case I was HOPING for a certain ending--but not expecting it at all)!

 Penguin

Polly Dunbar

Ben gets a penguin as a gift, but it doesn’t seem to DO anything.  Is it even real?  The most oft-repeated phrase in the book is, “penguin said nothing.” One gets the distinct impression Ben is about to ask for the gift receipt by the time a gasp-worthy moment or two finally comes along! 

I Want My Hat Back

Jon Klassen

Bear has lost his hat, and he goes around asking all of the forest animals whether they’ve seen it.  Is (at least) one of the characters lying?  It’s fun to read this one in a deadpan voice—at least for MOST of the proceedings!

I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean

Kevin Sherry

 (previously mentioned here) 

 The biggest BOOR in the ocean, you mean!  Giant Squid gleefully points out that he’s bigger than jellyfish, bigger than turtles, bigger than octopus—the biggest thing in the ocean!  Or is he?  This is a book with a definite gasp, and perhaps a nervous chuckle!  I love the illustrations—and the window clings that came in the copy of the book I purchased!

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?

Mo Willems

A new Pigeon book from Willems is always something to look forward to, so I picked this one up the second I saw it in the bookstore.  That adorable, annoying little duckling is also back; he asks for a cookie—using his best manners—and actually GETS one!  It seems to be chocolate chip with nuts, and Pigeon is furious!  There is a surprise twist at the end—one in which I learn how much Duckling & I have in common (in addition to that “adorable, annoying” description)!

 

Hungry Hen

Richard Waring & Caroline Jayne Church

This little hen spends most of the book eating & eating, and growing & growing.  I know the feeling.  Before long, a hungry fox enters the picture, and things don’t look so good for our heroine.  The fox makes his move, and…the book ends!  Almost just like that, but with a bit of a shock in-between.

 

 Do you have any favorite books with surprise endings?  Please let me know so that I can check them out!