Jesse Bear, what will you wear?

In lilting verse and exuberant paintings, the first of Nancy White Carlstrom's and Bruce Degen's celebrated Jesse Bear books creates a special day not only for Jesse Bear, but for young children everywhere.

What does a little bear wear while he romps through a bright and sunny day? In the morning, his pants that dance, a rose between his toes, and the sun on his legs that run. At lunchtime, an apple to bite and a moustache of white, and juice from a pear and rice in his hair. And at night, his pjs with feet and face on the seat, and sleep in his eyes and stars in the skies, as he dreams of the fun he'll have tomorrow.

Author Notes

Nancy White Carlstrom is the author of more than fifty books for children, including nine other titles in the Jesse Bear series, Who Said Boo?, and Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna. Ms. Carlstrom lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with her husband, David, and their two son, Jesse and Josh. And while the olive too far away for frequent visits with their family, they enjoy traveling to see their family as often as possible.

Bruce Degen has illustrated all the Jesse Bear books. He is the author and illustrator of Jamberry, and the illustrator of the acclaimed Magic School Bus series. He has taught courses on art and the writing and illustrating of children's books to children and adults. Mr. Degen, his wife, and their two sons, Benjamin and Alexander, live in Connecticut in a renovated farmhouse with ducks on the pond, bats in the barn, and a family tree that Jesse Bear himself would love to climb.

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2 ``Jesse Bear, what will you wear? /What will you wear in the morning?'' wonders Jesse's mama. Throughout his day, Jesse proudly wears not only clothes (``my pants that dance in the morning''), but the sun, his highchair (and, inevitably, his ``juice from a pear /and rice in my hair'') and the bubbles in his bathtub too. The rhymes, besides having a charming lilt to them, are clean and catchy and beg to be recited. The illustrations, watercolors with pen and ink, combine freshness of color with freshness of attitude, and the result is a cheery, uncluttered exuberance. Words and illustrations interplay beautifully, each enhancing the other's brightness. The youngest members of the audience will love following the day's progression from morning to noon to night and recognizing familiar activities from each time of day; all of this is laid out simply and with great appeal. The double-page spread of Jesse's father's return home from work actually beams, seeming larger than the size of the pages. There's much for a child to recognize in this book: not just physical objects but attitudes, habits and relationships, too. Jesse Bear celebrates, and does more than justice to, youngsters' joy, pride and comfort in their own independence as they try on their own familiar environment and find that it fits. Liza Bliss, Central New England College, Worcester, Mass. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Jesse Bear playfully "wears" not only his shirt and pants, but also the sun on his legs, sand on his arm, bathwater and bubbles, sleep in his eyes, etc. PW described this work as "ingenuous yet never coy.... An appealing book to share with a young child." Ages 2-5. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review