| Alice Schertle, illus. by Matt Phelan |
| ISBN 9780547594071 |
| Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007. |
4 ½ stars |
| Keywords: alice-schertle animals bears hibernation nature seasons very-hairy-bear |
Very Hairy Bear
by Alice Schertle, illus. by Matt Phelan
Your toddler will quickly warm up to the “boulder-big bear” of the title, who has hair everywhere “except on his no-hair nose.”
We watch the bear make his way through the seasons. In the spring, he becomes “fisherbear,” in search of silver salmon. “He’ll even dunk his no-hair nose. In it goes when he smells fish.” In summer, his no-hair nose gets sticky with honey and blue with blueberries. His “nose knows” where to find the gray squirrels’ stash of acorns. The illustrations range from a close-up of the bear lapping up honey inside the tree to an overhead view of the squirrels staring down as the bear raids their stores of acorns. Finally, as all of the animals prepare for winter, the bear finds a way to keep his bare nose warm. Rhyme and wordplay make this much more than a simple introduction to hibernation and the seasons,
We watch the bear make his way through the seasons. In the spring, he becomes “fisherbear,” in search of silver salmon. “He’ll even dunk his no-hair nose. In it goes when he smells fish.” In summer, his no-hair nose gets sticky with honey and blue with blueberries. His “nose knows” where to find the gray squirrels’ stash of acorns. The illustrations range from a close-up of the bear lapping up honey inside the tree to an overhead view of the squirrels staring down as the bear raids their stores of acorns. Finally, as all of the animals prepare for winter, the bear finds a way to keep his bare nose warm. Rhyme and wordplay make this much more than a simple introduction to hibernation and the seasons,
 |
 |