Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607002770413 | Picture Books | SCHERTLE | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
* "He's a bear of rare appeal, and it's hard to resist the urge to snuggle down next to him." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"A fresh selection for story times." --School Library Journal
A year in the life of an endearing, hairy bear who spends his days fishing for salmon in the spring and enjoying the sweet tastes of honey and berries in the summer. But when winter comes, his very chilly, not-so-hairy nose is the only thing that stands in the way of a really great nap.
This cozy companion for naptime or bedtime is also a great way to introduce little ones to the four seasons!
Author Notes
Alice Schertle was born in 1941. She graduated from the University of Southern California. This mother and former teacher is an award-winning poet and the author of over forty books. Her children's books include All You Need for a Beach, All You Need for a Snowman, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way, Little Blue Truck, A Very Hairy Bear, and Little Blue Truck's Christmas. She lives in Plainfield, Massachusetts.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-A large, brown bear has hair everywhere except for his nose. As the seasons change, readers witness his bold moves, with the hairless appendage leading the way. He dives into the cool water for salmon, pokes his nose into buzzing beehives, and ferrets out acorns in spite of scolding squirrels. It is when winter comes, and naptime nears, that the animal must find a way to cover up his bare nose. Schertle makes frequent use of interior rhymes and alliteration to move the action along, but there are a few awkward moments that interrupt the flow. So while Phelan's soft, muted close-ups, rendered in strong outlines with pastel and pencil, lend themselves to sharing with a group, readers will have to practice several times to achieve an effective delivery. It is worth the effort, however, to follow this droll creature through the year. The jolt of cobalt on the spread depicting the bear lolling in a blueberry patch provides a glorious contrast to the cream-colored background in a particularly delightful composition. Children will chuckle when the animal scratches his "bear behind" on a tree trunk before settling down for the winter. A fresh selection for storytimes on bears, hair, or hibernation.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With snappy internal rhymes and pared-down illustrations, Schertle (All You Need for a Snowman) and Phelan (The New Girl... and Me) chronicle the yearly cycle of "a boulder-big bear with shaggy, raggy, brownbear hair everywhere... except on his no-hair nose." With his ultra-bushy coat to protect him and a naked nose to guide him, the bear happily eats his way from spring through fall: snapping up salmon from a river; raiding a honey-filled tree despite the bees; lolling in a blueberry patch, gobbling "the berries and the bushes, too" until his nose turns blue. Winter presents the one serious challenge to his untroubled sybaritic existence ("A very hairy bear DOES care about ice cold air on his no-hair nose"), but with a little ingenuity, that worry is put to bed-literally and figuratively. Phelan's easy-does-it, fluid draftsmanship on sepia-toned pages reflects the text's low-key humor, gaining energy from splashes of riveting color (the scene in the blueberry patch merits a look). It's fun to see the many ways the illustrator fits his beguiling behemoth of a hero onto a page or spread, always conveying the sense that the fellow is as cushy (and about as soigne) as an unmade king-size bed. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved