Here Come the Bears; Get Ready For Fun!

A Brave Bear

By Sean Taylor
Illustrated by Emily Hughes
Candlewick Press. $16.99

It is really, really hot in the forest. No doubt the hottest thing in the woods on this very, very warm day are Dad Bear and Little Bear. Now what can this pair do to cool down?

The answer is really simple. They have to find a nice river with lots of refreshing, cool water. The journey to the river will take a little time, though. On the way Little Bear will have a little accident and that will make this more of an adventure than either bear wanted.

Little Bear is going to show how brave he is and he insists that he and his dad keep their goal in sight. Once they finally arrive, the pair have a wonderful time splashing in the stream and it turns into a very memorable outing.

Toddlers up to five years of age will love this story featuring two very special bears that find their bond becomes even tighter after this hunt to find a way to cool off on a sizzling day.

Bears in a Band

By Shirley Parenteau
Illustrated by David Walker
Candlewick. $15.99

Yellow Bear, Floppy Bear, Calico Bear and Fuzzy Bear have found some instruments on their chairs. With big smiles on their faces, the bears begin to play a noisy song. Unfortunately, they don’t mind if the notes are wrong or if the sound lacks any harmony.

Sleeping in the next room, Big Brown Bear hears the racket and is soon wide awake. “That’s not music. Something is wrong,” he thinks.

Big Brown Bear is not mad but he does decide he must do something to fix this situation or no one is going to get any sleep in the house. Gathering the four little bears around him, Big Brown Bear tries to teach the little ones how to play in such a way that the sound won’t be so abrasive.

Whether he manages to get everyone on the same page so that the word “harmony” might apply to their efforts remains to be seen, but he does make the situation better.

Young readers will find this latest release in the “bears” series a delightful book and one they’ll enjoy reading over and over again. The antics of these little, mischievous cubs have been chronicled in five books now and undoubtedly there are more on the way. There’s also a special gift set of “Bears on Chairs,” a previous release, that includes an adorable plush, stuffed version of Yellow Bear.

I Am Bear

By Ben Bailey
Illustrations by Sav Akyuz
Candlewick. $15.99

Poor Bear is rather bare when it comes to a fine fur coat so he has decided to wear a striking purple body suit that zips up in the back. In his new outfit bear is quite adventuresome. He not only goes looking for fresh honey but he also climbs trees searching for the local squirrel’s hoard and heads to the river to stock up on fish.

Bear also occasionally “borrows” fresh donuts from the local police but that doesn’t set too well, nor does decorating fellow bears with new color schemes. At the top of Bear’s list of “to do” things, though, is having fun with all his friends.

Young readers will relish this storybook following this mischievous bear’s misadventures. The rap-style rhymed text is fun to read aloud too, so enjoy hanging out with Bear!

Bear Counts

By Karma Wilson
Illustrations by Jane Chapman
McElderry. $16.99

If you are looking for a well designed counting for a two or three year old that only goes up to five, you’ll find this picture book by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman much to your liking.

The rhymed narrative describes scenes in a natural setting that feature items the child can count.

“Two paws hold a treat. Two apples crisp and sweet! Two stumps for chairs. Two friends who love to share. Numbers, numbers everywhere. Can you count along with Bear?”

Of course, with a little help from Mom or Dad, any youngster will get the hang of counting up to five, What better way to begin the process than counting the things Bear finds in this book?

The Hide-and-Scare Bear

By Ivan Bates
Templar Books. $16.99

There once lived a bear who was not very good. He didn’t think about others or behave as he should.”

This is the opening of “The Hide-and-Scare Bear” and as you read on you discover that not only did this wayward bear pick his nose, gobble his food and never say “please” or “thank you” but the worst thing he did was creep up on others and surprise them with a BIG ROAR.

This mischievous bear thought that this was great fun but all the other animals disagreed. They decided someone must approach this bear and explain to him that “hide-and-scare” behavior was not acceptable.

When no one volunteered, a quiet little rabbit stepped forward and said he would try to change the bear’s bad behavior. Everyone believed that the rabbit would not be successful, but, as you’ll see, he did succeed in making this boisterous bear a nicer individual.

I’ll let you discover how the bunny brought about this miraculous transformation. This marvelous picture book with its excellent illustrations and transformative storyline will work well with a youngster five and older. It has a solid message and will probably become one of your child’s favorite books since not only is this an excellent story but the humorous pictures will elicit a few chuckles too.

Bear & Hare Go Fishing

By Emily Gravett
Simon & Schuster. $15.99

Good friends Bear and Hare are off on a fishing excursion. While Bear casts his line in the water, Hare sets up their picnic and watches his buddy.

Although Bear isn’t very successful when it comes to landing a fish, Hare saves the day in a remarkable and humorous way.

Although this book is short on words, the illustrations do most of the “talking” and that’s just fine. Children three years of age and up will not mind the limited narrative because they’ll understand the wonderful pictures!