Day 245: The Bear Ate Your Sandwich

By now I think you know what happened to your sandwich.

But you may not know how it happened. 

So let me tell you.

It all started with the bear... 

Hooray for random books picked off the shelf at the library that turn out to be awesome! I love it when this happens! We are not familiar with this author, but are thrilled to complement her on such a fun, clever story! We brought this book home from the library a few weeks back and it quickly became bedtime favorite. My kids love the story of this hungry bear who wakes up in the city after a post-berry-binging nap in the back of a pickup truck.

This new forest is obviously unlike anything he has seen before, but it still has good trees for scratching (telephone poles), interesting smells (trash cans), and plenty of places to explore. The bear makes his way to the park, and that is where he sees it: the sandwich! 

The ending of this story is so cute, and my kids were delighted to discover the identity of the narrator. My son picked up on it right away, but it took my daughter a minute or two to figure out what really happened. Her reaction when she did was priceless (and resulted in a giggling request to read it again!)  I do not want to give anything away, but this clever, convincing storytelling is bound to make you smile. The cute illustrations add so much to the story, so be sure not to turn the pages too quickly! 

Day 242: Found

Salina Yoon is another recent favorite of ours, thanks to her sweet, charming stories and simple yet wonderfully expressive illustrations. We first discovered her work when we read Penguin on Vacation, and have loved the Penguin series ever since.  Found is another of my daughter's new library favorites, and has been on heavy rotation at bedtime for the past few weeks.

In Found, Bear comes across a toy bunny in the forest. Right away, he thinks it is the most special thing he has ever seen, but he knows that a toy this special must belong to someone else. He sets out to help the bunny find its owner, posting flyers on every tree in the forest.

Try as he might, Bear cannot find the owner. All the while, of course, Bear is loving the bunny more and more and wishing it could be his forever. He takes care of it, plays with it, and even makes the bunny a comfy bed next to his. One day, as Bear and the bunny are out riding on Bear's bike, bunny's owner appears. In his heart, Bear knows what he must do. He tearfully returns the bunny and sets off on his way. In a sweet, touching ending, however, Bear and his beloved bunny are reunited and able to return home together, safe and found! (Warning: if the ending of Toy Story 3 made you tear up, this book might, too.) 

I love so many things about this adorable book: the touching story line, Yoon's fabulous illustrations, and the message about the importance of doing the right thing even when it is hard. I especially love the collection of "Lost" posters on the inside covers -- they are clever and fabulous and not to be missed! Most importantly, though, this is a sweet story about love, kindness, and the bonds of friendship. What's not to love about that?

Day 185: Bear Has a Story To Tell

I fell in love with the work of Philip and Erin Stead as soon as I read their first masterpiece, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the much-deserving winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal.  In Bear Has a Story to Tell, the dynamic husband and wife duo is back with another wonderfully sweet story.  "It was almost winter, and Bear was getting sleepy.  But first, Bear had a story to tell."  He visits his woodland friends, hoping one of them will want to listen to his story, but they are all busy readying themselves for winter. Kind and understanding, Bear helps Mouse gather seeds, checks the direction of the wind for Duck before he takes flight south, and digs Frog a hole in which he can cozy up and stay warm for the cold winter months ahead.  Dear Mole is already sound asleep underground.  Finally, as the first snowflakes start to fall, Bear settles himself in and drifts off to sleep for the winter.  When he awakes in the spring, he is excited to tell his story!  One by one, his friends return... but so many months have passed that by the time they all gather to hear Bear's tale, he can't remember what it was!  Erin Stead's illustrations are gorgeous, as usual, and I love the way this sweet, gentle story exudes friendship, patience, and kindness throughout.  It makes for a lovely bedtime read, and is one story we are thrilled to have recently added to our home library.

Day 125: Bear Snores On

Today was one of those days where I looked out the window and could just feel winter approaching.  The leaves were fluttering steadily down from the trees, which are just about bare now, and the sky was a chilly shade of gray.   We've reached that point in the season where we need hats and mittens to play outside, and I feel the need to eat chocolate even more than usual.  (That must mean winter is coming.)  A steady rain was falling all afternoon, too, making me want to start a fire in the fireplace, make some hot chocolate, and curl up with a good book!  I like winter -- in limited amounts, at least -- but I am not ready for it yet.  In fact, there are many times when I feel like bears are really on to something by hibernating the cold weather away.  What better book to feature then today, I thought, than one of our favorites, Bear Snores On.  We already featured the second book in the Bear series, Bear Wants More, back on Day 1, but have been waiting to share this one until the weather seemed a bit more fitting.  My mom gave us Bear Wants More as one of my son's first books before he was even born, and we loved it so much that we needed to get some of Karma Wilson's other Bear books, too.  Bear Snores On is where we first meet our beloved Bear and his host of friends:  Mouse, Hare, Gopher, Mole, Badger, Raven, and Wren.  I absolutely love these characters and never get tired of reading this story.  In fact, I read it so often to my son when he was two, that I can still recite the whole story from memory. "In a cave in the woods in his deep, dark lair, through the long cold winter sleeps a great brown bear.  Cuddled in a heap with his eyes shut tight, he sleeps through the day, he sleeps through the night.  The cold winds howl and the night sounds growl but the bear snores on."   One by one, new friends begin to enter Bear's den seeking shelter from the winter storm raging outside.   As they make themselves at home popping corn, brewing tea, and chit-chatting the evening away, Bear's den grows cozier and more lively until there is an all-out party going on!   When Bear finally wakes up and sees all of the fun he has been missing, he is not a happy camper... but leave it to his woodland friends to save the day!  Wilson's rhymes are flawless, fabulous, and so much fun to read, and Jane Chapman's illustrations could not be any cuter.   I especially love the picture of the animals dancing around the fire in Bear's den while the storm rages outside.  The whole scene just looks so cozy and inviting!  This is another one of my favorite books to give as a baby gift, particularly the board book version.  If you haven't discovered this fantastic series, look for Bear the next time you are at the library or your local book store.  Bear Snores On is a perfect book to read with your little one during any kind of weather at any time of year. 

Day 109: Blueberries for Sal

We're heading to Maine for a wedding tomorrow, so got several books on cd out of the library today for my son to listen to on our roadtrip.  And, since we're going to Maine, I thought Blueberries for Sal would be a perfect story to take along with us!  I just love Robert McCloskey's timeless tales that are so beautifully and masterfully crafted, and Blueberries for Sal is no exception.  You might remember little Sal from One Morning in Maine.  This time, she is venturing off to Blueberry Hill to collect blueberries with her mother.  Tin pail in hand, Sal picks blueberries the way I always did as a child (and still do, sometimes,) eating three handfuls for every one berry that ends up in the pail.  Her mother, of course, is focused on the task at hand, picking as many berries as possible so that she can preserve them for the winter months ahead.  Sal snacks while her mother picks, eventually wandering off toward the other side of the Blueberry Hill, where we meet another mother/child pair intent on eating their share of berries and storing up for the upcoming winter:  a mama bear and her cub!  In a clever juxtaposition of motherly love, nature, and young curiosity, we follow Sal and the little bear as they stray from their mothers in search of berries of their own, only to end up with the mother of the other.  McCloskey's drawings are fabulous, as always -- this is another Caldecott Honor book -- and capture the wonder of that summer afternoon perfectly.  I particularly love the illustration that appears on both the first and last page of Sal "helping" her mom can the berries in their kitchen.  I think Sal and my son must have a lot in common.  I also can't help but be reminded of the many summer days I have been fortunate to spend in my grandmother's Maine field, sitting down in the middle of a large clump of wild, low-bush berries, picking to my heart's content, dreaming of the pie that we'll later make and knowing that what we don't pick today, the deer might eat tonight.  As with One Morning in Maine and Make Way for Ducklings, McCloskey captures the  essence of a time gone by, forever preserving it for future generations.  Fall might have officially arrived here in New England, but this is one book that will remind us of the simple joys of summer all throughout the year. 

Day 108: We're Going On a Bear Hunt

"We're going on a bear hunt.  We're going to catch a big one.  What a beautiful day!  We're not scared."  Come along with a father, his four children, and their faithful border collie as they set out for an afternoon of adventure in Michael Rosen's fabulous version of the classic We're Going On a Bear Hunt.  My son has become quite fond of this story lately, and with good reason.  It's delightfully fun to read, and we can't help but feel the excitement building with each turn of the page.  Will they ever find a bear?  Once they do, will they be able to outrun it?  Will they shut their door in time??  The sound effects, of course, are my son's favorite part, and I always find my pace quickening along with the family's footsteps at the end of the book as they race towards home:  "Back through the cave!  Tip toe, tip toe!  Back through the snowstorm!  Hooo woooo, hoooo woooo!  Back through the forest!  Stumble trip, stumble trip!  Back through the mud!  Squelch squerch, squelch squerch!  Back through the river!  Splash splosh, splash splosh!  Back through the grass!  Swishy swashy, swishy swashy!" Never being one to go around, over or under things, my son also loves that the family has no choice but to boldly go through each obstacle they encounter.  Why go around the mud when you can squelch right though it?  Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are wonderful, and they do a great job of making the story come alive and feel exciting rather than scary.  One of my favorite images is the one on the last page, with the bear slowly heading home along the beach, hanging his head in defeat as the sun sets over the water.  As Rosen asks in his introduction, what is the bear thinking there?  This book is sure to make your child laugh with delight and ask to read it again and again.  I would prefer to stay snug under the covers, but perhaps after reading this story, your little adventurers will be asking to go out on a bear hunt of their own.

Day 60: The Bears in the Bed and the Great Big Storm

We are having some CRAZY weather in Boston tonight.  We’ve been under a tornado watch all evening and have gotten at least three inches of rain, with fantastically scary thunder and lightning.  Two tornadoes have touched down in western parts of the state, but fortunately we're all safe and cozy in our house.  What better book to feature on a night like this than The Bears in the Bed and the Great Big Storm?  We received this as a gift from my brother in law two years ago and have loved it since the very first time we read it.  At first glance, it looks like part of the Bear Snores On series, for it is also illustrated by the fabulous Jane Chapman.  We just love her!  But don't worry, Paul Bright, we love your story, too.  "How the wind blew!  It howled in the treetops, so that the branches bent and creaked and the leaves shivered and shook... Bear and Mrs. Bear slept warm and snug and untroubled in their bed."  Untroubled, that is, until Baby Bear wakes them up and asks to join them, convinced that there is a monster outside.  "'There's no such thing as monsters,' said Bear.  'What a scaredy-bear you are.'"  But he pulls back the covers and invites Baby Bear in to snuggle up, warm and safe.  As the night goes on, Bear's other little cubs join them in the bed, as well, afraid of the noises they hear and the shadows they see.  Bear tries to convince them there all is no such thing as monsters, but soon enough finds himself being a scaredy-bear, too!  This adorably delightful story is perfect for any little one who has ever been afraid of storms or the dark, and the ending is bound to bring a smile to your face.   It isn't as well known as some of our other favorites, but is definitely a classic in our family that is well worth a read!

Day 44: Little Bear's Visit

Along with the Frog and Toad, the Little Bear books are those which I remember most vividly and fondly from my childhood.  There are several in the Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik, but Little Bear's Visit has to be my favorite.  I was thrilled to get this book for my son a while back and read it with him as my mother read it to me.  Like the other Little Bear "I Can Read" stories, this one has several "chapters" that flow nicely into one another:  Grandmother and Grandfather Bear, Mother Bear's Robin, Goblin Story, and Not Tired.  The stories are sweet and entertaining, and Maurice Sendak's illustrations are wonderful.  My son's favorite chapter is the Goblin Story and he loves to recite it aloud to me in between giggles.  "He got so scared that he jumped right out of his shoes!"  I love Mother Bear's Robin, too, and every parent will be able to relate to Not Tired, especially when reading it right before bed.  There is something about the combination of Sendak's soft, expressive illustrations and Minarik's endearing, charming stories that make the Little Bear books timeless classics.  As my son and I snuggled up to read Little Bear's Visit before bed last night, I knew it would be the perfect book to feature today.  My dad and stepmother had just come to visit for the day yesterday, so my little cubs were thrilled to have had a visit from their Grandma and Grandpa Bears.  We've been spending lots of time outside during these beautiful spring days and enjoying the company of our own families of robins in the yard.  And, we read the Goblin Story four times in a row last night, since my son, of course, is "never tired."  If you have rainy days ahead of you like we do this week, look for these next time you are at the library.  We're sure you and your little bear will love them!

Day 1: Bear Wants More

I'm happy to feature this book as our very first great read!  I decided to make this fabulous story my first post for a few reasons.  First, my mom gave us this book when my son was born and we have adored it ever since.  In fact, we have read it so many times that I can easily recite it from memory, which comes in quite handy when we're still telling stories before bed after we've already turned out the light.   It's also a perfect first post, though, because it is about the arrival of spring... and who isn't yearning for spring sunshine and flowers right now?  Karma Wilson's rhyming story lines are delightful and Jane Chapman's illustrations are wonderful, too.  We just love reading about the silly bear and all of his friends!  In this story, the loveable Bear has just woken up quite hungry from his winter hibernation and can't get enough to eat.  After reading this one a few times, we were left wanting more, too, so we just had to go out and get some of the other books in the series.  While they are available in hardcover, some (including this one) are also available as board books; a good thing for a book as loved (and chewed upon) as this one!  In fact, it is one of my favorite books to give to friends as a baby gift.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!