Review by Booklist Review
Like the familiar nursery song, this picture book informs us, repeatedly, that "the bear went over the mountain / to see what he could see." Acrylic paintings portray the bear as a curious little cub who then "got stuck up a tree." Adding new verses, Cabrera imagines a succession of amiable animals (Hare, Fox, Wolf, and Owl) ascending the mountain, helping Bear, and joining the others in a jamboree on "the other side of the mountain." Next, a child climbs the mountain (the stairs in his home) and gets into bed with his stuffed animals: Bear, Hare, Fox, Wolf, and Owl. While this is not the first picture book to end with a child tucked into bed along with stuffies or other toys that had been depicted as real earlier in the illustrations, it's among the most satisfying. What's more, the vibrant, colorful artwork turns the song into a bedtime book that's sure to inspire encores. Can sleep be far behind? A cheerful singalong book to share with a preschool class or a single child.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Even preschoolers know that the bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. In Cabrera's exuberant version, the bear gets stuck in a tree, attracting a hare who hops over the mountain to see where the bear can be, and then a fox dances over the mountain to join them, and so on, until a small child creeps up the steps to bed, joining all the animals in the song for slumber. It's a simple conceit but amplified for rousing story hours before that calm final scene, when the child and toy animals are all under the covers. This is a glorious answer to the question behind "to see what he could see," and gives children many more choruses and opportunities for practicing vocabulary. VERDICT Antic, lovable scenes of smiling creatures and verses that quickly become familiar guarantee this a spot on most shelves.--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Bear is only the first one over this mountain. As in the rhyme of old, on a bright, sunny day, a little brown "Bear [goes] over the mountain," where all he sees is the other side of the landmass…but he then gets stuck up a tree. "The Hare hop[s] over the mountain" next, "to see where Bear could be." And on the other side of the mountain, Hare helps Bear out of the tree. The Fox follows, "danc[ing] over the mountain" in search of Hare. When he gets to the other side, he prepares a tea party for three. "The Wolf [runs] over the mountain" looking for Fox, and they all have a swim together. "The Owl swoop[s] over the mountain" hoping to find Wolf, and when Owl gets there, "they ha[ve] a Jamboree" under the now-starry sky. The illustrations shift from the scenes of outdoor play to the interior of a pine-tree--wallpapered home, where a curly-headed White child "cre[eps] over the mountain" (up the stairs) "to see where they could be." Upon the page turn, the child finds all five animals (stuffies all) ready for a snuggle in bed. With this outing, Cabrera has once again made a traditional kid's song into a storytime pleaser. It won't take even one full read-through for kids to be singing along, and when they see themselves in the sweet twist at the close, they'll likely giggle with glee. Her acrylic paintings are, as usual, lush and lovely. Jaunty out of the gate--such fun. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
