The boy and the bear

PreS-Gr 2-Just when one day seems as predictable as the next, something unexpected happens and changes everything. Meet the boy and his bear: an inseparable duo going about their daily adventuring. One day, a stuffed goat winds up in their path, and the boy collects him. Then a slug appears, and the boy collects him, too. Before long, so many new friends have found their way into the boy's arms that he is unable to carry any more. But where have they all come from? Will the boy and his bear ever get back to their normal life? From the very beginning, readers will not help but notice the overt homage to Dr. Seuss. The repetitive, rhyming text, zany backgrounds, and enjoyably designed descriptions of each character make this a joy to read aloud. Though written as a picture book, emerging readers will find this accessible due to its limited word choice and repetitive nature, although some of the vocabulary is rather advanced. Large, vibrant illustrations bring the story to life in both intimate and larger group settings. As an added component, the final two pages of the book include pictures of the boy's face with words to describe how the boy is feeling; it is up to readers to match each one, inviting a conversation about emotions along the way. VERDICT Early elementary children will love reading this contemporary Seussian story as they are learning about feelings and how to express themselves.-Mary Lanni, Denver Public Library © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

"A boy had a bear. A fuzzy brown bear. / It went with him here and went with him there."This book starts simply with a cartoon-style boy and his teddy bear in a Seussian terrain, full of knolls, knobs, and curls. They tranquilly journey through day and night, "[a]ways a pair." The story becomes a rhyming cumulative tale when the boy picks up a "goat in a polka-dot coat." The trio continues on their journey, gathering the increasingly odd, seemingly toy creatures that dot the landscape, from a "huggable, lovable slug" to a "sing-along thing." The pile of creatures in the boy's arms becomes so high that with "a teeter" and "a totter" they all tumble down to the ground. But where is the bear? Readers know, but the distraught boy discovers that bear is on his head only when he cries out and the bear slides down. After their joyful reunion, the boy discovers where all the toys have come from. He assists in their return, and the boy and bear are alone again, "simply a pair." The book ends with two pages of "Feelings," challenging children to match "Sad" or "Happy," for example, with a corresponding drawing of a facial expression exhibited by the protagonist, who is white. This seems a bit of overreach, since the boy's expressions throughout the tale are overwhelmingly mild, and the illustration for Happy is the only one that has not appeared previously. All tried-and-true territory here but not a comprehensive, satisfying experience. (Picture book. 3-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.