Bear - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 3-- Bear awakens one morning to find his mother gone; thus begins this narrative of the coming of age of a wild animal. The aloneness of bear is emphasized against the vastness of the beautifully stark northern landscapes that are as much a part of this story as its central character. In fact, true to nature, it is the interconnectedness of animal and environment that is the essence of this tale. Readers will have empathy for bear without any of the sentimentality often found in stories of nature's creatures, for this is a real bear, even when he is small and lonely and snuffles and whimpers away after being frightened by a lemming and a moose. A "dark shadow" of a bigger bear chases him, and readers see the cub clinging precariously to the top of a tree in a picture filled with both humor and pathos. There are majestic and explosive pictures of frustration, power, and finally triumph, as well as those that show turbulent action. The ultimate victory is won when that "great dark shadow" returns and bear rises to the full height of the page and "let out his deepest growl." Readers have watched bear grow in more than physical stature, and will certainly grow in their own respect for this wild creature. The angles of the pages leave space for unobtrusive blocks of text on earth or rock or sky in this exquisitely designed book. Schoenherr has successfully captured and shared a sense of appreciation and awe. Readers will return again and again--not so much for the study of details, although that is possible--as for the enormity of the natural world. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Commu nication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Inspired by a trip to Alaska, Caldecott Medalist Schoenherr ( Owl Moon ) brings his brush to the vast, sweeping landscapes of the Arctic tundra. He spins a simple tale of a bear who wakes to find that his mother has left him, and is suddenly forced to fend for himself. There are many misadventures on the trail to independence--the young bear is chased by a moose, bitten on the nose by a lemming and frustrated in his attempts to catch the bright scarlet salmon thronging an icy river. By the end of the book, however, the bear is older, wiser and ready for anything. Schoenherr's masterful illustrations are imbued with the subtle browns and grays of the barren panorama, and his story is a deft parable any growing child can readily sympathize with. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.