Yes I know my daughter is on a bear kick! Anything bear and she wants it after visiting the bear center! This is another children's book about what else...bears! Specifically one large bear with lots of hair! My daughter loved the flow of the book and asked me to read it out loud which she doesn't do too often any more. She also pointed out rhyming words and on each page, the bear's non-hairy nose.

I loved the bear's pictures/drawings except for the hair part of them. It looks wrong. This is an odd looking bear with only hair standing on end around the edges of the bear. To me, he looks bald besides on his outline. Strange looking in my point of view! I do enjoy his facial expressions and cute little nose which is shown in detail and up close at times in the story. But the hair really stood out to be different than most bears in childrens' book which I guess could be the reason it was drawn that way. On most pages the main character, a hairy bear, fills the page and on other pages, other animals fill the page so it feels as if we are really close to the animals. The atmosphere in the pictures is of a fantasy land forest, it all looks warm and cozy leading up to....what else? Hibernation or naptime/bedtime if you are reading this book to your child!

Sample text:

In the fall, when quick gray squirrels hide acorns under the oak trees, a no-hair nose knows where to find them. A very hairy bear doesn't care if the squirrels scold. He eats all the acorns he can hold.

This children's book goes from spring until winter, telling readers what the bear does in each season. Springtime has the bear catching salmon. Although the pictures show the bear looking at and dunking his head to get salmon, we do not see him biting nor eating the live fish. The bear eats honey straight from beehives in summertime as well as blueberries until he is so full he could almost pop. In the fall, he will steal acorns from the squirrels and have his fill! Wintertime brings snowfall which obscures the bear almost, but not quite, from our view. Readers see the fish and bees going to sleep and the bear getting ready to hibernate. But his hairless nose is cold, what to do? Cover it with his hairy paws of course!

There are only a few words to one complete sentence on each page and while this book may seem a bit babyish for older kids, it does have some harder vocabulary that can challenge beginning readers. This 29 page book is wonderful for talking about seasons, bears, hibernation, rhyming words, and more! A wonderful bedtime story to wind down with. Recommended for ages 3 and up with help from an adult.

What is so good about this children's book?

Cozy warm bedtime story, seasons described, challenging vocabulary to learn new words, bear story

What is unique about it?

Bear through all seasons

There has to be some bad to it, right?

Bear looks bald except in outline.

Any warnings?

None.

Final verdict:

A wonderful bedtime story to wind down with. Recommended for ages 3 and up with help from an adult.