Review by Booklist Review
This quirky and appealing follow-up to Bear Goes Sugaring (2020) takes the reader along on Bear's journey as she builds a relatively sustainable one-room house, with help from other friendly forest animals. The do-it--yourself animal crew assigns each member roles, such as plumber and architect, often drawing amusingly on real-life animal behaviors. For instance, Beaver is the sawyer and Woodchuck's the excavator. An outhouse, solar panels, and the use of local wood highlight sustainable building practices (although the author's note adds that building a house like the one in the book is still not entirely sustainable). In addition to the main text, both the illustrations and additional panels feature chatty conversation between the animal characters. Detailed, pastel-hued artwork brings the setting, which channels the author's home in the Adirondacks, to life. The illustrations highlight not only characters but also building techniques, incorporating simple diagrams naturally. A perfect hook to interest children in building or help young readers build knowledge about home construction.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--The friendly, casually dressed bear from Bear Goes Sugaring wants to build a house in the mountains. The house requires a foundation, blueprints, plumbing, a frame, and a roof. Bear will need the help of a lot of friends, such as Woodchuck, the foundation expert, to complete this project before winter. In pastel-colored cartoon drawings, Eaton takes on the task of explaining house-building to a young audience. Meticulously planned-out illustrations detail each step of the process. For example, three panels display the different foundation choices Bear can make. Though not exhaustive, Eaton incorporates aspects of sustainable building practices. Bear's water will come from a natural spring, flow downhill into the house, and exit to a leach field. Trees cleared for sunlight are lumber. Electricity, stored in batteries, is collected from solar panels. This book invites kids into the process and answers their questions with detailed knowledge and vocabulary. Eaton does this with a tremendous number of facts that never overwhelm readers. While the text will stimulate older elementary students, the anthropomorphic characters may be for a younger reader. Aim this at precocious five-year-olds who won't mind talking forest creatures. VERDICT This solidly constructed instruction is recommended for a narrow but passionate audience.--Richelle Rose
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